Category: 2021 Festival

We are proud to present to you a gorgeous new collection of 22 tunes, to mark the 40th Edinburgh International Harp Festival and the 90th anniversary of The Clarsach Society. Original compositions and arrangements of classic tunes by long-standing friends of both Society and Festival, with exquisite artwork by Festival designer, Jenny Proudfoot.

You can order it NOW (to be sent out after it’s expected publication date of 6th April) from our good friend Tim at Creighton’s Collection and you’ll also soon be able to order it from the merchandise page on this website.

Here’s a list of the beautiful music that will be in it:

• FLOWER OF LOVE – James Gray
• KATE GRAY – Isobel Mieras
• FAREWELL TO NIGG – Duncan Johnstone, arr. Cheyenne Brown
• MARRY ME NOW – Trad. arr. Sìleas
• TRANSITION – Jennifer Port
• AN T-IARLA DIÙRACH (THE EARL OF JURA) – Trad. arr Charlotte Petersen
• WHO’S FOR BUBBLY? – Corrina Hewat
• BRENDA’S ABBEY – Maeve Gilchrist
• LOOKING AT A RAINBOW THROUGH A DIRTY WINDOW – Calum Stewartt, arr. Rachel Hair
• THE COFFEE CUP – Màiri Macleod
• DREAMING ON DEESIDE – Irene Watt
• JANE’S AIR – Ailie Robertson
• CAERLAVEROCK – Wendy Stewart
• WALTZ FOR PARIS – Fiona Rutherford
• MOVING CLOUDS – Eira Lynn Jones
• HAGGISICITY – Park Stickney
• (UNTITLED JIG) DUET Highland Vocal Airs – Patrick McDonald arr. Bill Taylor
• THE HILLS OF LORNE – Charlie Hunter, arr.Ingrid Henderson
• DR MACMAHON, BISHOP OF CLOGHER – Turlough O’Carolan, arr. Elinor Evans
• WITH HER DOG AND HER GUN – Trad. (Petrie Collection) arr. Laoise Kelly
• SCARCE O’ TATTIES – Heather Yule
• CHERRY TREES AT MERCHISTON – Isobel Mieras

Some of the most-loved moments of our Festival are when we get to play the harp together: at the late-night sessions, in our courses, or, when the weather allows, under the blossoming cherry trees at Merchiston. 

We’ve been missing these opportunities and so want, as part of our online Festival, to give you the chance to play along – whether you’ve signed up to a course or not.  

A special version of the tune Rory Dall’s Port has been filmed for the double celebration of the 90th Anniversary of The Clarsach Society and the 40th EIHF and will feature at the end of all three “A New Generation” concerts (free to view at 1pm on Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th and Monday 12th April): we’d love you to join in and play along, too!

To help you do so, harp teacher and performer Màiri Macleod has filmed a workshop, taking you through the tune, arranged by our own Isobel Mieras.

You can download the sheet music for it here: HERE

Please note p1&2 on sheetmusic are the individual parts, p3 onwards is the full score)

We hope you enjoy learning the tune and can’t wait to have you play it with us during the festival!

Rory Dall’s Port (arranged by Isobel Mieras)

This wonderful, strong tune, believed to have been composed by the blind  harper Roderick Morison (1656- 1714), harper and bard to John Macleod of Dunvegan, is one of the few old Scottish harp tunes which have survived.  “Port” comes fom the Gaelic for a tune and it would have originally been played on the wire harp, while this arrangement, originally made for na Clarsairean, the harp orchestra  of the Edinburgh Branch of The Clarsach Society, is suitable for all kinds of harps. The tune was used by Robert Burns for his famous song of parting “Ae fond Kiss and then we sever.”

The Edinburgh International Harp Festival and the Clarsach Society are proud to announce that the 2020 winner of the Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award is the harpist Yiota Myserli.  Yiota’s winning composition will be premiered at our festival (online) as part of the evening concert on Saturday the 10th April. 

Yiota studied music at the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki in Greece and she is currently studying Musicology and Music composition at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and Classical singing/Opera at the Conservatory of St. Paul.

She is the principal Harpist in MOYSA Youth Orchestra, Greecc, and is a member of “Perharps” Music Ensemble.

Yiota has composed several pieces for solo harp, harp ensemble, chamber music ensemble and arrangements from well-known cinematic works. Her compositions have been recorded on CDs and used in theatre productions, and performed by ensembles, orchestras and choirs, both in Greece and in Italy.

You can discover more about Yiota from her website and Facebook page.

Congratulations Yiota!

Discover more about the Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award.

We’re excited to announce another 3 courses that are repeating during the EIHF and therefore have new availability.

We are opening up repeat courses for:

• Fiona Rutherford – Scottish Music (Elementary)
• Gwenan Gibbard – Welsh Music (Elementary/Intermediate)
• Patsy Seddon – Exploring Modes Through Scottish Tunes (Mixed Abilities)

The course content and level will be exactly the same as the originally advertised (and now sold-out course) and numbers will be capped at 15 participants to allow for maximum engagement with the tutor.

We also thought we’d give you an update on what courses currently have spaces on:

MORNING COURSES

Children’s Course

• Jessica Burton – Lever Harp for Primary Children

Mixed Abilities

• Patsy Seddon – Exploring Modes Through Scottish Tunes

Elementary/Intermediate

• Eleanor Hetherington – Tuneful TechniqueIntermediate
• Esther Swift- Improvising and Composing (only 1 space!)
• Anne Marie O’Farrell – Love those Levers!

AFTERNOON COURSES

Mixed Abilities

• Eira Lynn Jones – Pedal Progress (only 3 spaces!)

Elementary

• Fiona Rutherford – Scottish Music

Elementary/Intermediate

• Cheyenne Brown – Funky Scottish Music
• Gwenan Gibbard – Welsh Music

Intermediate

• Rachel Hair – Simply Scottish Harp

Intermediate/Advanced

• Ailie Robertson – Tunes in Unusual Time Signatures