At the young age, Hungarian harpist Rita Schindler is establishing a reputation as a notable musician whose playing has been described as being ‘beguiled with a broad range of colours’. She has given solo and chamber music recitals for a wide range of audiences and has provided entertainment for British and foreign royalties including HRH the Prince of Wales. Rita has performed professionally in and in front of numerous orchestras in Britain and across Europe, most notably with the highly acclaimed City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, English Symphony Orchestra and Mid Wales Opera Company. As a soloist, Rita has performed harp concertos with Birmingham Chamber Orchestra, Central England Ensemble, Solihull Symphony Orchestra and London Hungarian Symphony Orchestra.
Rita began to sing and play piano at the age of eight. At twelve she was accepted to Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choir School, in Budapest, where she later began her harp studies, and in 2004 she was a prize-winner at the Hungarian National Harp Competition.
Rita began her undergraduate harp studies in 2007 with Catherine White at Birmingham Conservatoire, where was awarded a scholarship. During her undergraduate years, Rita played with many symphony orchestras and ensembles around the West Midlands and became a member of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra's youth orchestra. In 2008 Rita was selected to be a Young Artist of the Royal Philharmonic Society and also became a Sir John Barbirolli recipient. In 2010 Rita won first prize with distinction in the chamber music competition at the North London Festival of Music and Drama, and in 2012 she won the Concerto Competition of the Central England Ensemble.
Rita has played in master-classes with renowned harpists including Caryl Thomas, Isabelle Perrin, Elinor Bennett, Karen Vaughan, Gabriella Dall'Olio, Skaila Kanga, Milda Agazarian, Irina Zingg, Robert Johnston, Bryn Lewis, Helen Tunstall, Helga Storck, Alice Giles and Sioned Williams.
Her studies have been generously supported by the Guild of Freemen of the City of London.Alongside her flourishing professional career, Rita earned her Artist Masters in Performance, on a part time basis, at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, in London, under the guidance of Imogen Barford.
In September 2014, Rita was awarded honorary Junior Fellowship from the Birmingham Conservatoire, where she is currently assisting the harp department. As a keen advocate for the harp, Rita became a committee member of the United Kingdom Harp Association and as the organiser of the harp competition at Bristol Festival.
Hungarian harpist Rita Schindler pursues a varied career as a musician and teacher. Her playing has been described as ‘beguiled with a broad range of colours’, and in 2019 she was appointed principal harp tutor at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
As an orchestral musician, Rita performs regularly with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ulster Orchestra and English Symphony Orchestra and has worked with many other orchestras throughout the country including Opera North, Opera Nova, Southbank Sinfonia, Welsh National Opera, English String Orchestra, the CBSO and Mid Wales Opera.
Her performing career also includes solo and chamber recitals, choir and concerto performances, BBC Radio 3 and 4 live broadcasts, appearances at The Proms, and recordings for Signum Classics and Naxos Records.
Her awards include Sir John Barbirolli Recipient Young Artist of the Royal Philharmonic Society, chamber music competition winner at North London Festival of Music and Drama, and winner of Central England Ensemble Concerto Competition.
Rita began her music education at Zoltán Kodály Hungarian Choir School in Budapest before moving to England to pursue her undergraduate harp studies with Catherine White at Birmingham Conservatoire. She went on to complete her postgraduate studies at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London under the guidance of Imogen Barford. The following year she received an Honorary Junior Fellowship from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where she now teaches in the senior and junior Conservatoire in balance with her busy career as a performer.
