String Worlds

Date and Location

Wednesday · May 30, 2027 · 5:00 PM

Performers

Payam Tagadossi, cello | Sarah Verrue, harp

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Programme

Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Arpeggione Sonata for cello and harp

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893)
Nocturne for cello and harp

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)
The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals

Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
Pièce en forme de Habanera

Manuel de Falla (1876–1946)
Asturiana, Nana and Canción from Siete canciones populares españolas

Enrique Granados (1867–1916)
Andaluza from Danzas españolas

Ernest Bloch (1880–1959)
Prayer for cello and harp

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Biographies

Sarah Verrue discovered her passion for the harp at the age of nine. She grew up in a Belgian farming family in which classical music was little known. Her first teacher, Arielle Valibouse, guided and encouraged her wonderfully on her musical journey. At the age of 24, Sarah Verrue was appointed principal harpist of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under Paavo Järvi. For several years, she has also appeared as guest harpist with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra.

She has been invited to perform as principal harpist with numerous renowned orchestras, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris, under such distinguished conductors as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel.

A passionate chamber musician, she performs at numerous festivals throughout Europe. During the summer, Sarah Verrue teaches and coaches young musicians in the Verbier Festival Orchestra. Since 2024, she has also been dedicated to nurturing the next generation of musicians as Professor of Harp and Chamber Music at the Haute école de musique de Genève.

A passion for the cello has accompanied the Aesch-based musician Payam Taghadossi since his early childhood in Austria and continues to shape his path as an artist today. His musical development flourished under Thomas Grossenbacher and Rafael Rosenfeld, two of Switzerland’s most renowned cellists. With their sensitive guidance, he refined his technique, musicianship and individual artistic voice at Zurich University of the Arts and the FHNW Academy of Music in Basel.

As an intern with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, he discovered the unique power of orchestral playing before joining the Basel Symphony Orchestra as a permanent member. In the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, a symbol of peace and dialogue, he lives by his conviction that music is universal and can build bridges. As deputy principal cellist, he carries this message to international stages.

Sharing knowledge and inspiring young musicians have become another essential part of his life. In 2020, he began teaching at the Zakhar Bron School of Music in Zurich. In 2025, he was appointed professor at the Haute école des arts du Rhin in Strasbourg.