Isabelle Haile – soprano
Asako Ogawa – piano

The Programme

Isabelle Haile – soprano
Asako Ogawa – piano

from Fiançailles pour rire, FP 101
Fleurs
Violon

Priez pour paix, FP 95

from Trois Novelettes
1. Novelette in C major, FP47

Metropolis
– Song cycle for soprano and piano
(Lyricist: Chinwe D John)
1. Metropolis
2. The Shepherds
3. Call Home
4. When Apart
5. A Bedtime Tale
6. The River’s Course

The Artists

Isabelle Haile is an Ethiopian-Romanian soprano and graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, where she earned a Master’s with Distinction and was awarded a DipRAM for her final recital. Her studies were supported by the ABRSM and the Countess of Munster Trust. She began her musical training in Moldova and later continued with the Cantoria of the Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome.

A prize winner at the 2024 Handel Singing Competition and semi-finalist in the Bach Singers Prize, Isabelle has performed with ensembles including the Sarum Consort, Eboracum Baroque, Coro Spezzato, Sonoro and Lerion Consort. As a member of London Voices, she has recorded soundtracks for major films and choral albums for Oxford University Press. She recorded Metropolis, a song cycle by Bernard Hughes and Chinwe D John, with pianist Christopher Glynn; the album Songs for our Times was released in 2023. She recently debuted at Zurich Opera and appears next at the 2025 Halle Handel Festival.

Asako Ogawa is a versatile keyboard player with equal command of the modern piano, harpsichord and historical pianos. Based in London and originally from Japan, she performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and continuo player. Her artistry spans vocal accompaniment, chamber music and Baroque repertoire, and she is known for her nuanced interpretations and collaborative depth. Asako’s recordings of Bach and Handel have received critical acclaim from BBC Music Magazine, Gramophone, and Radio France while her modern piano work includes extensive performances with leading singers and instrumentalists.

A graduate of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Trinity College of Music, she has won numerous accompanist prizes and participated in festivals such as BANFF and IMS Prussia Cove. As a coach and educator, she has worked with emerging vocal artists and taught at Guildhall. She also teaches piano at City of London School for Girls, City Junior School and Prendergast School.