Bev Lee Harling

Bev Lee Harling is a singer, violinist and composer from Hastings in East Sussex, England. She works across many styles of music and art including folk, classical, jazz, opera, theatre and dance. She combines her voice and string playing with found sounds and unusual instruments to create evocative, emotional performances. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

She started learning violin when she was five and played classical repertoire as a teenager with the East Sussex Youth Orchestra. Later she studied Jazz with Voice at Middlesex University. Her early career included touring Europe with youth and classical ensembles and then moving into her own work, writing songs and performing solo or with collaborators. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

Bev’s first recordings appeared in the mid‐2000s. In 2006 she made a five track EP called Impossible Human. She also performed with a project called Rogall and The Electric Circus Sideshow in Berlin, among other collaborations. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Her debut full album, Barefoot In Your Kitchen, came out in 2012 on the independent label Wah Wah 45s. It was named Album of the Week by DJ Gilles Peterson on BBC 6 Music. Her second album, Little Anchor, followed later and explored themes of motherhood, family and loss. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Bev has worked on many theatrical and dance productions, composing music and performing in live shows. She has been involved with Sadler’s Wells, the Royal Opera House, Northern Ballet, and others. She often uses unconventional sounds in her performances: typewriters, kitchen utensils, music boxes, even tools. Her shows are as much visual and narrative as they are musical. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

In recent years she has been especially focused on her show and album Ploughing The Salt Sea, which draws from her family roots in the Hastings fishing community. The project combines personal stories, field recordings, songs both original and traditional, and memory work exploring ancestry, loss and identity. The release was uniquely packaged as a limited edition musical seaside postcard, combining visual and musical art. :contentReference[oaicite:5]{index=5}

Bev continues to perform widely, collaborate with other artists, and create work that blurs the boundaries between genres. Her art is marked by a strong sense of place, heritage and emotional honesty. :contentReference[oaicite:6]{index=6}

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