solo
work
Oliver is the only harpist ever to win the Guildhall Gold Medal, the Guildhall’s most prestigious prize. Previous winners include Jacqueline du Pré and Bryn Terfel. He has performed all the major harp concertos, including Lyra Angelica with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto at Wigmore Hall, and has directed Handel's Harp Concerto in Bâ™ in the Barbican Hall. Oliver has won International Competitions in Italy, Hungary and the UK.
His Wigmore Hall debut was praised by Seen and Heard International for “tremendous dynamism” and "remarkable range of timbres and warmth of tone”.
Oliver is also an experienced continuo player on early harps; he owns an Italian Triple Harp and a Spanish Cross Strung Harp. He has performed with groups such as La Nuova Musica, The English Concert and The Early Opera Company, at venues including the Wigmore Hall and Westminster Abbey.
& the
pelléas
ensemble
The Pelléas Ensemble have made a name for themselves through their intimate, honest music-making and ambitious programming. They are regularly praised for their compelling performance and immediate connection with audiences. Playing with “verve and polish” (The Times), they have won awards from the Royal Philharmonic Society, the Royal Overseas League and the Tillett Trust, and performed extensively across the UK.
Their critically acclaimed debut album, ‘Nature and the Imagination’, (Linn Records 2021), presents a rich and expressive collection of repertoire that spans three centuries and demonstrates the versatility of the ensemble.
As passionate advocates for their unusual combination of instruments, the ensemble expand the group's repertoire through arrangement and close collaborations with contemporary composers. Misha Mullov-Abbado’s ‘Three Meditation Songs’ was premiered at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2016, and the ensemble joined with the Park Lane Group to commission Benjamin Graves’ ‘Scherzo’, which features on their album. This open dialogue between performers and composer leads to a very special and personal outcome.
sax & harp
w/ huw
wiggin
Since forming their duo in 2016, saxophonist Huw Wiggin and harpist Oliver Wass have continued to develop and refine their programmes of music for this unusual pairing of instruments. Huw and Oliver have developed a reputation as warm communicators who draw audiences into their intimate and engaging performances.
The duo features on Orchid Classics disc ‘Reflections’ which received a four-star review from BBC Music Magazine and five stars from Robert Hugill, who described the duo as ‘a seemingly unlikely combination that works real magic’. The disc reached no. 2 in the UK Specialist Classical Chart and no. 6 in the iTunes Classical Chart. Shortly after the release they were also featured by Classic FM, who filmed and released a video containing a selection of items from ‘Reflections’.
violin &
harp w/
gabriela
opacka
Gabriela Opacka and Oliver Wass are long-term collaborators on a project to find a unique sound and expanded repertoire. This culminated in a debut album of Ravel transcribed by the duo for violin and harp.
This daring and exciting release includes a selection of arrangements that shed new light on violin masterpieces, including Sonata No.2 "Blues", Tzigane and others. Currently the duo are finalising a recording of a new commission from Misha Mullov-Abbado, that further broadens the repertoire and explores the sonic possibilities of the instrument pair.
Unexpected benefits from this fresh combination are the opening of new visual and logistic possibilities for new types of performance: the harp can be easily transported to venues such as lofts, industrial spaces, theatres or music venues without a piano.
