Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess: Nicola Said (soprano) & Maya Irgalina (piano)

Both delightful and impassioned, this recital will include excerpts from Symanowski’s Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess and songs and arias from other wonderful stories, such as Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and the much-loved Song to the Moon from Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák. This event is presented as part of the Oxford Festival of the Arts.

Maltese Soprano, Malta Airport Foundation Ambassador and BOV Joseph Calleja Foundation Scholar Nicola Said has an active international career on the operatic and concert stage performing throughout Europe, UK, USA, and the Middle East. Nicola made her ENO debut as Soprano Angel First Class in Jake Heggie’s It’s a Wonderful Life, stepping in as cover. She has recently covered the role of Zerbinetta in Opera North’s production of Ariadne auf Naxos. Nicola sang the role of Mimì in La Bohème in London, and the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor in France.

London-based Maya Irgalina is a Belarusian pianist of Tatar origin. Her work has paired her with wonderful musicians. As a guest pianist, she has played with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Manchester Camerata and Belarusian Opera House Orchestra. Maya has been selected as a Britten-Pears Young Artist and was featured in Semyon Bychkov’s project with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Winner of several competitions, Maya has performed internationally with the UK highlights including Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre, and Cheltenham Jazz Festival.