Edinburgh International Harp Festival

RNCM harpists enjoyed a successful visit to the Edinburgh International Harp Festival earlier this month.

Tutor Eira Lynn Jones was invited as a main artist, presenting concerts, courses, workshops and masterclasses over the five-day event, joined at various times by students from the RNCM, Junior RNCM and our Young Harps initiative as well as College alumni.

The festival, which took place between 6 and 10 April, celebrated all things harp and included courses such as Scottish Music for Lever Harp, Danish Music, Welsh traditional, Paraguayan Harp technique, Come and Try Harp, Composing for Harp, Gaelic Music, Irish Tunes and, among others, Pedal Power, which featured Junior RNCM and Young Harps student Nicole Jessop in an ensemble performance.

One key event was Invisible Wire, a concert dedicated to the memory of the Scottish Harpist Helen MacLeod, an RNCM graduate and recent Visiting Tutor. Alongside Eira, the programme featured performances by Junior RNCM student Angharad Huw and postgraduates Aaron Ma and Yanan Xu, and included the première of two new works by alumni Anna Appleby and Esther Swift.

Eira, who launched her new CD Forgotten Dreams during the week, said: ‘This was a truly inspiring Festival which the RNCM harp department were proud to be part of.’

29 April 2019