Lise Vandersmissen & Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro | Ilminster, 16 October 2026
Lise Vandersmissen & Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro
Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro, violin
Lise Vandersmissen, harp
Programme
Astor Piazzolla Bordello 1900 from Histoire du Tango
Arvo Pärt Fratres
JS Bach Air on a G string
Tarrega Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Mullov Abbado Treachery
Ravel Violin Sonata no 2 “Blues”
Nico Muhly Drones and Violin
Ravel Tzigane
Venue
Ilminster
Friday 16 October, 7.30PM
Ilminster Arts Centre, East Street, Ilminster, Somerset, TA19 0AN
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Booking
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Alternative concert dates
Bridport
Friday 16 October, 11.30AM
Bridport:
Astor Piazzolla Bordello 1900 from Histoire du Tango
Arvo Pärt Fratres
JS Bach Air on a G string
Tarrega Recuerdos de la Alhambra
Nico Muhly Drones and Violin
Ravel Tzigane
Tickets for Bridport are not for sale via this booking site.
Bridport Arts Centre, South Street, Bridport, Dorset, DT6 3NR
Box Office: 01308 424901
Adult ticket price – £16 – concessions available
Ticket sales by phone or in person from the Tourist Information Centre,
South Street, Bucky Doo Square, Bridport, DT6 3LF
Monday to Saturday, 9am – 5pm
1 November to 29 March:
Monday to Saturday, 10am – 3pm
OR online at www.bridport-arts.com
Tickets can be bought on the door from 11am, by card only.
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Crewkerne
Saturday 17 October, 7.30PM
The Dance House, Gouldsbrook View, North Street, Crewkerne, TA18 7AL
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Belgian harpist Lise Vandersmissen travels with her modern pedal harp and her Italian Triple Harp to perform across Europe and Asia. As a soloist, Lise has won many prizes including the Guildhall Harp Prize. She recently completed a six-month residency in Hong Kong where she was teaching and performing at an international harp academy.
Lise released her debut solo album in 2023: TRANSFORMED, consisting of her own transcriptions for pedal harp solo. Last summer she released her second solo album TRE. Brian Robins from Early Music Reviews wrote: “She displays a mastery of the instrument, playing with an admirable fluency of technique. … Most importantly, one senses that behind the technical expertise lies true musicality.”
Lise performed the Händel Harp Concerto on the Italian Triple Harp with the Bach Academie under Luc Ponet and the London Händel Festival Orchestra under Laurence Cummings. In June 2019, Lise gave the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new piece for solo harp: “Four Meditations”, which was dedicated to her.
Lise graduated Magna cum Laude from her Bachelor’s Degree at LUCA School of Arts, Belgium and with Distinction from her Master’s Degree at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London. Upon graduation, she completed a two-year Fellowship at the Guildhall.
Lise lives with her harps on a blue houseboat on the London canals. When she is not playing the harp, she loves to knit jumpers and run along the canal.
Gabriela Opacka-Boccadoro is a Polish-British musician who has built a multifaceted career as a violinist, conductor, and recording artist across classical performance, theatre, and film. She holds a PhD in violin from the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and an Artist Diploma from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.
As a violinist, Gabriela has performed as a soloist with the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice and at the OCM Festival in Prussia Cove, UK. She has led the International Philharmonic Orchestra in New York, including performances at Carnegie Hall, and is a prizewinner of the 2012 Young Paganini International Violin Competition. She tours and records with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and has released the album RAVEL with Oliver Wass, featuring violin and harp transcriptions of works by Maurice Ravel.