Photo by Tess Hanneman
Sue Rothstein has led a successful career as a freelance harpist, composer and harp
teacher following her classical training with the late renowned Renata Scheffel-Stein
at the Royal Academy of Music. Her harmony teacher was the late Dr Paul Steinitz who
encouraged Sue with her compositions. For this she will always be grateful. Sue has
won various awards and was the first recipient of the Renata Scheffel-Stein prize.
She was also a prize winner at the first National Harp Competition held in Oxford.
Following her studies Sue was appointed principal harpist of the Bremerhaven Stadt
Orchestra in Germany. After returning to London to work as a freelance player she
performed with numerous orchestras, particularly the BBC Concert Orchestra and
English National Ballet, and made regular trips to play with The Ulster Orchestra
and the Symphony Orchestra of Tenerife. Sue has taken part in many concerts and
recordings working under conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Vernon Handley
and Barry Wordsworth. Together with Sarah Deere-Jones she formed The London Harp Duo
performing up and down the country at festivals and functions, making live broadcasts
for BBC television and sailing round the world on the QE2. As a soloist and chamber
artiste Sue has worked with several ensembles, notably the Fine Arts Chamber Ensemble
with her late father, Jack Rothstein.
Being a versatile player has also given Sue opportunities to work for pop musicians
such as Petula Clark, Barry White and Heaven 17. She has played at numerous weddings
and private events, including some for British and foreign royalty, using many of her
own harp arrangements and compositions. Sue’s latest collaboration is with singer
Bronwen Harrison in their duo, Harpeggiola.
As a composer, Sue has written serious and light pieces primarily for combinations of harp,
piano and voice. Several of her works were premiered at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of
Music and Dance as part of the Camac Days Festival in 2007 and 2009, including her
Lament
for harp and string quartet/string orchestra. For many years her beginners’ pieces from
Animals on the Harp have been on the Grade II Trinity Harp Exam Syllabus, as well as being
used as set pieces for competitions abroad. In 2012, pieces chosen from
The Dream Studies
and Three Moods were added to Trinity’s Grade VI and Grade VIII respectively. A list of
Sue’s pieces that are on the new 2016-19 Syllabus can be found on the
Music Index page.
Sue is also a passionate harp teacher. Her pupils have won places at prestigious music schools
and colleges. Her beginners’ pieces aim to help the harpist develop good techniques early on,
whilst being imaginative and fun to play. As well as teaching privately Sue taught at the Latymer Saturday Music Centre and Bedales School
for several years. In 2014 Sue was appointed Harp Teacher at Junior Trinity, where she now works
alongside her esteemed colleague and friend Gabriella Dall’Olio. Sue also enjoys coaching on music
courses in the UK and abroad and adjudicating for music festivals.