EIRA LYNN JONESEira Lynn Jones is a musician who plays the harp; equally at home on pedal or lever harp.
Her eclectic career has taken her all over the world. Highlights include: performing at the Hollywood Bowl, L.A.; workshops in South Africa, Denmark, Greece; a Recital in Reykjavik, Iceland for the Nordic Watercolour Society; recordings with the Black Dyke Brass Band and the heavy metal group Venom. Studying with Kathleen Bride (a pupil of Marcel Grandjany) in New York ignited a passion for teaching, which influenced her work at the RNCM, where she directed the harp department for nearly 30 years. She is regularly invited to give workshops, with her classes at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival sold out for the past 3 years. |
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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HUW BOUCHERHuw is a 19 year old harpist studying at the Royal Academy of Music with Professor Emeritus of harp, Skaila Kanga. Previous to his studies at the Academy Huw attended the Royal Welsh College junior department, where he studied with Kathryn Rees for 9 years. Huw is one of 3 musicians in his year to have been awarded the ABRSM scholarship. A coveted award to help fund Huw’s studies at the Academy. He was also awarded many scholarships when he was a student at the Welsh College. One of those also being the ABRSM scholarship. Huw’s musical journey started with the piano at the age of 9. One year later Huw started studying the harp and just one year after that, the flute. By age 13 Huw achieved grade 8 distinction on all three instruments. In 2017, Huw was the winner of the Rotary Young Musician of Great Britain and Ireland. One year later Huw was the winner of the Blue Ribbon in the National Eisteddfod. For this prestigious award Huw was awarded a £1500 scholarship. Huw was also the 4 time winner of the Eisteddfod yr Urdd from 2016-2019. In 2020, Huw was a strings finalist in the BBC Young Musician. Huw was the first harpist to reach this stage of the competition since 2014. In 2020, Huw was one of a small selection of international harpists to be selected for the ‘Focus on Youth’ platform in the 2020 World Harp Congress. In 2022, Huw was selected to compete in the 12th U.S.A international harp competition, the most prestigious harp competition in the world. Huw was also the Joint Winner of the 2nd prize in the U.K harp competition. In his first year at the Academy, Huw was the runner up in the Skaila Kanga harp prize.
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HEATHER BROOKSHeather started learning the harp aged 10 with Professor Daphne Boden. She was awarded a GMDS Scholarship to attend the Purcell School of Music in 2012 and is a beneficiary of the Robert Bouffler Music Trust. Having gained a Distinction in her Grade 8 exam, aged 15, Heather went on to win the Purcell School Student Showcase and she performed her programme at the Wigmore Hall. In her final year, Heather was Head Girl. In July 2015 she was awarded the long-term loan of the “Charles Steer Promenaders’ Salvi Aurora Harp’’ by the Cherubim Music Trust. Heather was section leader of the National Youth Harp Orchestra who premiered her composition ‘’World Harp Symphony’’ at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. In 2018 Heather was awarded a scholarship to continue her music studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Imogen Barford. In 2021 Heather performed as soloist with the Guildhall Chamber Orchestra performing Panufniks Harp concert Powers and Dominions and was recently awarded the Musicians' Company Award to continue with a masters degree at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
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Tristan Le Govic is a well known Breton harp player with an acclaimed international career. He has performed in many festival in Europe, US, Canada and Russia, and has given many workshops during harp festivals. He has recorded many albums as a solo musician and also with other musicians. His recent trio with Tangi Le Hénanff (bass) and Alan Quéré-Moysan (drums) was awarded with the Nevez Flamm Trophy for best Fest Noz (folk dances) band of the year 2018, a band with whom he has recorded his last album Dañs.
Tristan has released also music books, he is the editor of the Antologiezh Telenn Breizh (the Breton harp anthology), a unique collection of Breton harp music in three volumes, bringing all together the greatest harpists of Brittany (among them Alan Stivell...) A gold medalist in the Celtic harp, he holds an M.A. and a National Diploma in teaching traditional music. He is actually writing a PhD Music at the University of Rennes with the Breton harp player Kristen Noguès as a subject. |
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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Afternoon concert
EIRA LYNN JONES AND PARTICIPANTS OF THE HARP ENSEMBLE WORKSHOP The ensemble piece is 'The Sunken Forest' which comprises of five short pieces for lever or pedal harp. Based on a Welsh legend ' Cantre'r Gwaelod' , it is the story of a kingdom lost under water. It also brings to attention ocean levels today and how we should all take notice. |
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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AISLING LYONS (Ireland)‘..the finest young Irish harpist at work today..' – Songlines 2022.
Aisling Lyons, multi-award winning musician & composer from County Clare has been described as ‘one of traditional music’s finest musicians’ by Hot Press Magazine in 2022 after the release of her debut album ‘Aistear’ (2021). She is the holder of 8 All-Ireland titles & has performed all around the world, from Europe to The U.S, Australia & China. Aisling graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Irish Music from The University of Limerick in 2018 & as a Professional Master of Education in 2021. She holds a Grade 8 award with Distinction from the London College of Music & currently tutors harp at The Irish World Academy, Limerick & at University College Cork. |
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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FRAN BARSBYFran is an award-winning harpist based in West Sussex. Fran graduated in 2015 from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and completed a Masters Degree in Education at Bath University in 2022.
Fran has been playing the harp for 20 years and during this time Fran has enjoyed studying with teachers including Catherine White, Gabriella Dall'Olio, David Watkins, Skaila Kanga, Louisa Maria Cordell, Charlotte Seale, Anne Hughes Chamberlain and more. Fran is Resident Harpist for the British Harp makers, Pilgrim Harps. Fran enjoys a busy performing and teaching career and has had the privilege of performing in many prestigious venues such as St John Smith Square, Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham Town Hall, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester Minerva Theatre and many more. She enjoys performing an eclectic mix of music but is especially passionate about arranging pop and film music and bringing the harp into the 21st century. |
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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ANA CRISMAN (SPAIN)Jerez-born artist Ana Crismán is the first and only person in the world who performs and composes flamenco with harp. Exotic in the musical world and also in flamenco, this artist is absolutely unique and exclusive in the entire world. She is the creator of the flamenco harp, as stated by José Mercé on TV, who was inspired by seeing her play live and began to sing. She has left for posterity the first source and reference of this art with her show “Harpa Jonda”, premiered in New York at the Manhattan Repertory Theater in January 2019.
The harp, in the hands of Ana Crismán, sounds flamenco. Never before has a harp covered so many styles of this musical genre with a purely flamenco language: seguiriya, soleá, bulerías, alegrías, malagueñas, granaínas, guajiras, rondeña, tientos, tangos…these are just some of the many flamenco styles that this Jerez native plays on the harp. Both with his compositions and when he makes arrangements and performances, he leaves an exquisite mixture to the delight of the listener: knowledge of the roots, childhood in very flamenco Jerez, mastery of the compás and very skillful hands that capture in this very difficult and beautiful instrument the most pure, giving rise to a very sophisticated beauty. She is a creative artist of a highly refined flamenco expression. |
Never before has a harp covered so many styles of this musical genre with a purely flamenco language: seguiriya, solea, bulerias, alegrias, malaguenas, granainas, guajiras, rondena, tientos, tangos…..these are just some of the many flamenco styles that this Jerez native plays on the harp. An exquisite mixture for the delight of the listener!
Photography by Michael Dunkason
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ALEXANDER RIDERWith interests encompassing period performance to the newest music, recent highlights of Alexander’s work include playing with the BBC Concert Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, London Chamber Orchestra, Ballet Rambert, the Aurora Orchestra, English Touring Opera, Brighton Philharmonic, Chroma, Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique and the Academy of Ancient Music.
As a soloist, Alexander is noted for his affinity with French music at the turn of the last century, and for his work on original instruments of the period. Using an Erard harp built in 1902, Alexander has made painstaking research into the époque and given numerous lectures and recitals to great acclaim. He has recently lectured at the World Harp Congress in Cardiff, for the Franz Liszt Academy of Music (Budapest), The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Harp on Wight Festival. He is delighted to have recorded ‘Fresque Marine’, a disc of lesser-known French works for the Willowhayne Records Alexander read music at Canterbury Christ Church University. He studied with Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly, and was then a scholarship student of Imogen Barford at the Guildhall school of Music and Drama. From here, he graduated with distinction, and was subsequently honoured with a Guildhall Artists’ fellowship. Alexander teaches at the Prebendal School in Chichester and at Brighton College. |
Afternoon Lecture
An admired performer and celebrated beauty of her day, Micheline Kahn’s (1889-1987) commitment to new scores helped to build a stunning literature for the harp. Yet, her early retirement from the stage made her an enigmatic figure, whose importance has somewhat fallen into shadow. Using letters, reviews and contemporary accounts as well as music by the composers who adored her, Alex Rider paints a portrait of Faure’s Chatelaine. Photography by Michael Dunkason
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CATRIN FINCHCatrin Finch, from Llanon on the west coast of Wales, is the most gifted classical harp virtuoso of her generation, grounded in prodigious early achievements and intense classical training, and serving as Royal Harpist to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales in her early twenties. Catrin has performed with many of the world’s leading orchestras; she has also achieved chart success with her number 1 rendition of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and has recorded for the world’s leading classical labels. Catrin’s boundless curiosity and adventurous spirit has led her into a parallel universe of musical success, most notably through her collaboration with kora virtuoso Seckou Keita with whom she won Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2019.
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Photography by Michael Dunkason
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HARPCATCHER DINNER
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Photography by Michael Dunkason
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