Helena Ricci

"Helena was an absolute pleasure to work with on a devised, experimental and complex show for Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She brought such enthusiasm to the rehearsal room, was extremely adaptable, and her harp playing was outstanding - bringing a sense of calm and awe to both crew and audience." Jon Hare - Production Manager

"In early 2020 we worked with Helena on a digital based R&D project. Helena was the consummate professional and a joy to work with. Not only is Helena a formidably talented musician and creative, she gelled with the team from the outset and was an absolute pleasure to work with from start to finish. We very much look forward to working with her in the future." Dan Shorten Creative Director Guildhall Live Events & Kieron Tilley Account Director, Guildhall Live Events (Guildhall School of Music & Drama)

Helena is as energetic and ambitious as a person as she is as a musician. Listening to her play Tarrega and Godefroid at the Tuning In! final presentations night confirmed what we had experienced all through the training programme: always smiling and light hearted, she never betrays her strong commitment to quality and accuracy.

I booked Helena Ricci to play the harp for the studio recording of my 35-minute Concerto Apinayé for guitar & orchestra at St. Mark’s Church in Marylebone, 5th October, 2019 with the Audentia Ensemble conducted by Ryan Bair. The piece has a substantial and rhythmically challenging harp part. Helena played during the 6 hours of recording with no mistakes whatsoever, not only that, but she performed her part expressively with an on point musical intuition, and perfect sight reading. Helena was also the first one to show up for the recording, she was friendly and keen during the whole process. The next time I need a harpist, Helena Ricci will be the first one I’ll call.

I‘ve had the pleasure of working closely with Helena, and she is a truly wonderful musician and collaborator. She is extremely generous with her time and expertise, and she’s a gifted performer in a wide variety of musical styles and contexts. Helena is a brilliant person to work with, and I would recommend her unreservedly.

Helena is a vibrant, dedicated musician and a captivating performer. I worked closely with her on the development of a new work and benefited hugely from her extensive technical knowledge, patience, and boundless enthusiasm for music!

I've been working with Helena as part of the Britten Pears Young Artist Programme (2019/2020). Not only is she a wonderful performer and a joy to work with but also a passionate musician who took a great deal of interest in the music I was writing for her. It was particularly splendid of Helena to help me work around different tunings which, despite the huge amount of patience required for such a task, she guided me through with huge enthusiasm!

I was really impressed by Helena. We recorded complex music on modern, celtic and gothic harps, with click track. She is serious, talented, kind, humble, honest: her musical and human skills are very precious. Helena is exactly the kind of person you want to have around, and share your artistic path with. 

I booked Helena to participate in one of my works at the Drawing Room. Her extraordinary musical gift, impeccable work ethic and wonderful character resulted in a profoundly rewarding, meaningful and memorable experience. I most highly recommend her!

I invited Helena to give a harp recital for my Ibacus International Harp Course, and I was thrilled with every aspect of engaging her. She is a wonderful player with a virtuosic technique and deep feeling for the music she plays. Her playing is confident and communicative, imaginative, insightful and full of character. Her understanding of music, both compositionally and emotionally, is profound, and she is an excellent communicator, with much experience talking to diverse audiences and taking great care to engage them. Her passion and curiosity shine through all her work. In addition, Helena is thoroughly professional in every way, both efficient and delightful to have around. I am happy to recommend her without reservation.

I worked with Helena Ricci on a new piece for the Curious Festival in 2017. She was incredibly helpful during the collaborative process - she was sensitive to my ideas, listened well and was very open to experimenting with sounds on her instrument. She was easy to work with, well organised, and on time. She was quick to respond to any feedback, and was a reliable performer during the whole process.