Julia Thornton

Julia Thornton is a professional harpist, who to date has released two albums: Harpistry (2003) and Eye of the Storm (2004).

Musical life and career

Julia Thornton began to play the harp aged 11. Having wanted to do so since the age of three, her parents initially managed to stave off her persistence, allowing her piano lessons at the age of 9. Eighteen months later, having taken well to the piano, she was allowed to have her first harp lesson. [ [http://www.juliathornton.net/pages/biog.htm julia thornton ] ]

Beginning on an Irish instrument called the clarsach (an instrument that isn't as big as a concert harp and doesn't have the pedal mechanism), she was taught by a local teacher initially who had to return to her native Czechoslovakia after a year. After this she was taught by Daphne Boden (who eventually became Thornton's professor at the Royal Academy of Music).

Within the year, Boden asked Thornton's parents if they would buy her a concert harp - a huge financial investment. Thornton's first harp belonged to Boden - a Japanese instrument called Ahomaya.

Thornton extended her studies by attending the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music on Saturdays, where she began also to learn percussion. At this time she also became a member of the National Youth Orchestra.

Having won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, she studied there for 5 years, winning many prizes for her harp-playing (including the Julia Leney and Renata Schefelstein harp awards, and both the harp prizes at the Royal Overseas League competition). She was also awarded the Mathias Prize for the best performance of his Sante Fe Suite at the International Harp Competition in Cardiff. After finishing at the R.A.M., Thornton's work consisted of a mixture of teaching, orchestral and solo work. She performed with a wide variety of orchestras, opera and ballet companies, and gave recitals including performances at the Cambridge, Beaumaris and Cheltenham music festivals.

She also joined the panel of Yehudi Menuhin's "Live Music Now!", which enables young musicians to perform in various communities around the country, such as in schools, day-care centres, homes for the elderly, homes for those suffering from Alzheimers or dementia, prisons and young offenders' institutes.

Julia's main breakthrough came at a yoga demo in 1999, where she was playing the harp, and was thus spotted by one of the attendees - Clare Davies, wife to Bryan Ferry's producer, Rhett Davies. [ [http://the-raft.com/juliathornton the-raft.com (local) - first for music, music news, features, competitions and reviews ] ] Following an audition, she began working with Bryan Ferry, performing on the harp and percussion instruments on his "As Time Goes By" tour, which comprised a collection of 1930s standards such as the title track. In 2001 she was asked to join the Roxy Music reunion tour - a tour that would involve 50 days of percussion-playing only, and despite her love for the harp, Thornton took this opportunity. The tour involved visits to Australia and Japan, and playing in some of the world's biggest stadia such as Wembley.

The seeds of "Harpistry" were sown during her involvement with a mediaeval instrumental group, Arcana Mundi, a concept dreamt up by Craig Leon, who would later become her producer. Sure enough, she signed a deal with EMI in 2002, and between trips abroad with Bryan Ferry, she sourced the material for her first album, with help from Leon. She recorded her first album, "Harpistry", in Holland in 2003, before going to Brazil on another Bryan Ferry tour. On Sept 1 2005, www.PlaybillArts.com reported that Harpistry charted no. 13 on the Billboard Classical chart. She released her second album, "Eye of the Storm", on her own label, Crossways Records, due to frustrations with EMI.

In late 2007, Julia revealed on her web page that she had been recording with Roxy Music members Andy MacKay and Paul Thompson, on a new Andy MacKay album. In October, www.Roxyrama.com broke the news that the new album was, tentatively, called "London! New York! Paris! Rome!". The band was called Andy MacKay and the Metaphors, the music was described as uneasy listening.

Personal life

Julia grew up in Ipswich. Commenting on her wide range of musical tastes from Mahler to Joni Mitchell, she said "My parents were hippies!"

Her date of birth is unknown, and on one website is even listed as 'secret'.

Video

Bryan Ferry Live At The Gran Rex 2000
Roxy Music Live At The Apollo 2001
Classic FM TV Greatest Hits Vol.1
Live 8 w/Roxy Music 2005
Jeff Waynes' Musical Version of the War of the Worlds Live on Stage 2007

Recordings

Roxy Music Live 2001
Bryan Ferry Frantic 2002
Julia Thornton Harpsitry* 2003
Julia Thornton Eye Of The Storm 2004
Susheela Raman Salt Rain 2005
Athena Breathe With Me 2007
The Bench Connection Around The House In 80 Days 2007

*Tracks from Harpsitry appear on various EMI compilation disks.

Tours

Bryan Ferry As Time Goes By 1999-2000 Harp/Percussion
Roxy Music Reunion Tour 2001-2002 Percussion/Keyboards
Bryan Ferry Frantic Tour 2002 Harp/Percussion
Roxy Music Summer Festivals 2005 Percussion/Keyboards
Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds 2006 Harp/Percussion
Russell Watson Spring Tour 2007 Harp/Percussion
Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds Australia Sept 2007 Harp/Percussion
Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds Re-Invasion of England Dec. 2007 Harp/ Percussion

Web Sites

www.juliathornton.com
www.themetaphors.com

References