“one of the most exciting young musicians to emerge on the concert scene in recent years”
Gabriella Jones is an internationally recognised concert harpist celebrated for her thoughtful programming and commitment to redefining the harp’s role in contemporary music.
As the 4th prize-winner at the 2023 Hong Kong International Harp Competition, Gabriella distinguished herself as the only competitor to feature a solo contemporary work in her programme.
A Park Lane Group Young Artist from 2018 to 2020, Gabriella made her solo debut at Wigmore Hall. Her performance at the Southbank Centre in 2019 received critical acclaim, including a four-star review from The Guardian. Her awards include the City Livery Club Music Prize (2018) and the John Marson Harp Prize (2017). As a selected artist with Making Music UK, she has delivered sold-out performances at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Westminster Abbey, and Winchester Cathedral, where her transcriptions of overlooked piano works have been particularly praised.
Having established herself as both a soloist and chamber musician, Gabriella is increasingly focused on cross-art collaborations and contemporary harp projects. In April 2026 she will compete in the Dutch International Harp Competition in Utrecht.
Artistic Vision
Gabriella’s programming is deeply inspired by real-life experiences, art, architecture, light, and the diverse cultures she encounters. Gabriella’s programming draws on real-life experience, visual art, architecture, and the cultures she encounters through her work.
“I want audiences to see me, and in doing so feel that they can explore a part of themselves, their lives, their experiences, their stories, when listening to my programmes,” Gabriella explains.
The harp has long been associated with elegance, femininity, and refinement, often linked to romanticised images of French salons or angelic figures. While iconic, these associations have also limited the instrument’s perception and the scope of its repertoire. Gabriella is passionate about challenging these stereotypes and exploring the harp’s potential for power, versatility, and bold modern expression. Her project [UN]LOVE exemplifies this approach, reimagining the harp as a medium for storytelling. The programme explores themes of maternal love, female grief, the fragility of relationships, and the evolving ways women are perceived and loved, offering a new perspective on the instrument’s emotional and narrative range.
New Works
A champion of contemporary music, Gabriella has premiered works by internationally acclaimed composers including Judith Weir CBE, Sally Beamish, and Deborah Pritchard.
Highlights include an adaptation of Judith Weir’s Fragile, performed at the reopening of the National Musicians’ Church; Sally Beamish’s Awuya, presented at the Royal Over-Seas League during the composer’s 60th birthday celebration; and Deborah Pritchard’s Chagall’s Light, a video project inspired by Marc Chagall’s stained-glass windows that was praised by The Strad.
Gabriella approaches new music through close collaboration with composers, working carefully to interpret their ideas with clarity, imagination, and sensitivity.
Cross Art Collaborations
Gabriella is a semi-finalist in the 2026 World Harp Competition in Utrecht, where she will perform alongside contemporary ballet dancer and choreographer Alice Oakley Jones in their collaborative work [UN]Love. She regularly collaborates with composers and performers from a range of disciplines, championing contemporary works and amplifying underrepresented voices. Recent projects include Rise by Benjamin Rimmer, performed with violinist Katrina Lee, and a residency with harpist Cara Dawson revisiting Stockhausen’s Freude from Klang, twenty years after its composition. Gabriella’s work also extends beyond traditional concert settings. Since 2022 she has collaborated with Gucci, curating bespoke musical programmes for their international collection events, bringing together music, fashion, and atmosphere.
Gabriella works closely with composers to realise new works with clarity, imagination, and sensitivity.
Media & Critical Acclaim
Gabriella’s performances have been praised for their artistry and emotional depth. One reviewer described her as “magical to watch,” noting how her physical connection with the instrument brings the music vividly to life: “Watching Gabriella perform, using her whole body to play the instrument — curving over during a low note and leaning back, moving her shoulders, neck and head in a flow during a higher note — was a magical thing to watch.”
Orchestra & Chamber Music
In 2025 Gabriella performed at the Princess of Wales’s Together at Christmas service at Westminster Abbey, broadcast on ITV on Christmas Eve. She performs regularly as an orchestral harpist with ensembles including; London Philharmonic Orchestra, Glyndebourne Opera, and Opera North. Alongside her orchestral work, Gabriella is an active chamber musician. Her ensemble won the Ensemble Category at the North London Camac Harp Competition in 2016 and was later invited to the Tunnell Trust for Young Musicians Course and Concert Series on the Isle of Coll. She has also presented recitals supported by the Countess of Munster Trust.
Masterclasses
Gabriella studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance under the tutelage of Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly. During her studies, she participated in masterclasses with distinguished harpists including Marie-Pierre Langlamet (Berliner Philharmoniker), Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, Sylvain Blassel (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et Danse, Lyon), and Heidi Krutzen (Philharmonia, London).
She holds a deep respect for her training at Trinity Laban and for the musicians who have shaped her development, influences that continue to inform her work today.
Outreach & Education
Gabriella is committed to music education and to supporting the next generation of musicians. She mentors young harpists and works with schools and music organisations to encourage creativity and engagement with the instrument.
She began her musical journey with Gwent Music Support Service and continues to value access to music education, particularly within state schools and community settings. She credits her early teachers with fostering her passion for music and remains committed to passing this on through her own teaching.
Through her ongoing relationship with Howdenshire Music in Yorkshire, she will return in July 2026 to lead a three-day outreach programme working with local schools, a dementia charity, and the wider community.
Gabriella is Teacher of Harp at Godolphin and Latymer School and Visiting Professor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.