Author: Rachel Hair

We’ve now uploaded our photos from the 2024 Edinburgh International Harp Festival onto the Gallery page of this website. We’d like to say a huge thank you to our photographer John Davidson for taking such great pictures, and providing a record of the festival for many years to come. We hope you enjoy looking at them.

We are proud to offer young harp players in the early stages of their careers a platform at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival and this week we’d like to introduce to you the duo of Eleanor Dunsdon and Gregor Black. 

A Glasgow-based harp and percussion duo, they met during their postgraduate studies in Traditional Music at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.  They blend respective sounds of Scottish clarsach and Irish bodhrán with contemporary percussion and vocals and if you watch the below the video we’re sure you’ll agree the result is just sublime!

Check out the below video they’ve recorded for us

They’ll be performing for the first time at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival during the Monday afternoon concert alongside the RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) Harp Ensemble.
The concert will also feature the premiere performance of Ambaist by the 2023 winner of The Clarsach Society’s Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award, Ireland’s Donnchadh Mac Aodha. 

ELEANOR DUNSDON & GREGOR BLACK
RNCM HARP ENSEMBLE
IAIN MACLEÒID YOUNG COMPOSER AWARD 2023 DONNCHADH MAC AODHA
CONCERT: Monday 8th April, 3pm
BOOK HERE

Oh AND Gregor has agreed to teach another bodhran class for us!
Come & Try Bodhran: Tuesday 9th April, 9.00am-10.30am
BOOK HERE

Due to popularity, we’ve just added another ADULT BEGINNERS harp course to our schedule, with tutor Toni Russell. Harps are provided so please let anyone know who might be interested. 

• Adult Beginners
• 4 Day Course 6-9 April: Sat / Sun / Mon / Tue 4.30pm-6.00pm
• Harps provided
• Book HERE

Did you miss out on booking a place on COME & TRY BODHRAN with Gregor Black? Well he’s agreed to teach another session on Tuesday 9th April.  Please bring your own bodhran if you have one, however a limited number of bodhrans will be available, but please contact the office in advance office@harpfestival.co.uk.

• Come & Try Bodhran
• Tuesday 9th April, 9.00am-10.30am
• Book HERE

We’ve just lowered the price of this year’s primary school age children’s course to just £40 – a real bargain for 90 minutes each day for 4 days!

Our tutor for this year is Heather Yule so if you know any young player’s who’d like to come to this elementary level course, please let them know about it.

Book HERE

• Fun for Primary School Age Children
• 4 DAY COURSE: Sat / Sun / Mon / Tue 1.00pm-2.30pm 
• TUTOR: Heather Yule
• LEVEL: Elementary
• TEACHING METHOD E+M:Teaching will be initially by ear with written music given out during or at the end of each session.
• Heather will choose some lovely tunes, mostly from Scotland, and help you get them under your fingers and draw out their magic sound. This course is for children of primary school age who enjoy playing the harp and want to develop their skills further and maybe even hear some stories along the way.

We’re proud to give young harp players in the early years of their career a platform at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival. This year we would like to introduce you to Malachy Arnold.

Check out the below video he’s recorded for us featuring his fiery fingernail and rhythmic style of playing. Rooted in both the Scottish and Irish traditions, Malachy learnt from Breton harpist Tristan Le Govic, Scottish harpist Gillian Fleetwood and his aunt, the Irish harpist Laoise Kelly… all mighty teachers and friends of us at the EIHF

Malachy plays in the trad group Tarran, a 4 piece trad group featuring harp, fiddle, keys and bodhran. They’ll be performing alongside Adriano Sangineto on Sunday 7th April at 7.30pm.

He’ll also be teaching a 4-day course entitled Regional Irish Tunes for Harp both in-person and online (at a separate time). 

COURSES (click for more info & to book)
Each course 90 mins on Sat/Sun/Mon/Tue
REGIONAL IRISH TUNES FOR HARP (IN-PERSON) with Malachy Arnold (intermediate)
REGIONAL IRISH TUNES FOR HARP (ONLINE) with Malachy Arnold (intermediate)

CONCERT (click for more info & to book)
ADRIANO SANGINETO // TARRAN
Supported by The United Kingdom Harp Association and Italian Cultural Institute of Edinburgh

EIHF YOUTH OUTREACH 2024 – 2 FREE EVENTS, with 3 fantastic tutors: Adriano Sangineto , Elinor Evans and Neil Wood.

To sign up to these events please email office@harpfestival.co.uk

1- THE DREAM MAKERS:  PRE FESTIVAL EIHF YOUTH OUTREACH

Do you know any school aged harp players? This year’s EIHF outreach is a two day project bringing together young harpers of all ages to take part in a performance of The Dream Makers, a magical suite of newly created music based upon the traditional tale of the same name. The story will be told live by storyteller Shona Cowie and will intertwine music performed by the EIHF Junior Ensemble, led by Neil Wood and Elinor Evans. 

The project is open to all school aged harpers of any level of experience provided they have access to an instrument and some previous experience of playing. It is FREE to attend for participants. 

Music will be distributed at the beginning of March for participants to familiarise themselves with prior to rehearsals. During rehearsals participants will have the opportunity to contribute to the creative process and shape the performance. 

• Open to all school aged harp players
• Rehearsals: Thursday 4th April 10.30am – 3.00pm and Friday 5th April 10.30am – 3.00pm (please bring a packed lunch)
• Venue: Music School, George Watson’s College
• Performance: Friday 5th April 3.00pm-4.00pm (support by The Royal Celtic Society)
• Venue: Music School Auditorium, George Watson’s College
• Audience tickets: £8 for adults, free for under 18. Book via harpfestival.co.uk

The Dream Makers, Pre festival EIHF Youth Outreach is supported by: Tasgadh, Traditional Small arts grants

2 – EIHF YOUTH OUTREACH FOR HIGH SCHOOL AGE HARP PLAYERS

Young harp players of any style and of high school age (approx age 11-18) are invited to take part in an intermediate/advanced level workshop with Adriano Sangineto. It is FREE to attend for participants. 

An Italian virtuoso musician, Adriano is internationally recognised for his exceptional contribution to Celtic harp music. He’s taught several times for us at the EIHF and his classes are always popular – we are sure the youngster will love his teaching in this workshop!

• Open to all High school age harp players
• Workshop: 6th April, 4.30pm-5.30pm
• Venue: George Watson’s College, Edinburgh