Category: EIHF 2025

Host of Harps: Music for Springtime

The Harp ensemble FOR EVERYONE! 

Yes, that’s right EVERYONE who is coming to the Edinburgh International Harp Festival is invited to take part and play as a “forest of strings” at this year’s ensemble concert, Host of Harps: Music for Springtime, at 3pm on Monday 14th April.

Students, performers, teachers, volunteers, exhibitors and organisers of the festival are invited to play with ensembles from five branches of The Clarsach Society and The Music Generation Laois Harp Ensemble from Ireland, for a musical celebration of Spring. 

• Participation is FREE
• There will be 4 pieces (plus the traditional Auld Lang Syne) to play along with.
• Each piece will have 2 or 3 parts, roughly elementary, intermediate and intermediate/advanced level.
• Once registered, you’ll receive a link to download the music. 
• There are videos to help you practice. 

We’d love you to try to play each piece and we’d ask you to try to attend at least one of the 3 rehearsals during the festival. (More info on them at https://www.harpfestival.co.uk/hostofharps/)

Email office@harpfestival.co.uk with “HOST OF HARPS REGISTRATION” in the subject line and we’ll email you a link to download the sheet music.

For more information visit: https://www.harpfestival.co.uk/hostofharps/

Harp Hire Stage 2 is now open and we now welcome bookings from all participants attending our festival, regardless of where they are travelling from.

We support sustainable travel so if you’re travelling via public transport hiring a harp from us means you can leave your harp at home and travel freely!

For information on how to book visit the Harp Hire page HERE

A small stock of lever harps is available for hire at the Festival. These are generally intended for participants coming from abroad who may have problems in transporting a harp to the Festival to use in courses and workshops.

Following a review of EIHF ’24, and to help facilitate the administration and availability of harp hire, we are opening EIHF ’25 harp hire bookings in 2 stages.

The first stage of harp hire is now for bookings to participants travelling from abroad.

A second stage of harp hire (open to all) will be announced in late January, when we will have more information about the availability of harps for the festival.

More information is available HERE.

The 44th Edinburgh International Harp Festival will take place from the 11th -15th April, in George Watson’s College, Edinburgh. We’ve been working hard over the last months to organise a wonderful festival for us to enjoy together, and next month we’ll be ready to share with you the full details of the 2025 concerts, courses (including a small selection of online zoom courses).

However, for now, we’re excited to start announcing our tutors and performing artists for the 2025 Festival! We’ll be updating this post throughout November and December with who you can look forward to seeing and learning from next April. Read on to discover more, and follow our social channels to get the news as soon as it is announced!

• Our box office will open in early February.
• Full information on all concerts/courses/workshops will be available in January.
• You can find details about harp hire here.

2025 PERFORMERS:

• CAROLINE LIZOTTE AND ÉTIENNE RATTHÉ (QUEBEC) 
• REBECCA HILL & CHARLIE STEWART (SCOTLAND)
• DEBORAH HENSON-CONANT (USA)
• TARAB TRIO (GERMANY / IRAQ / IRAN)
• KEVIN LE PENNEC (BRITTANY)
• MÀIRI CALLAN (SCOTLAND)
• SÉAMUS & CAOIMHE O’FLAHERTY (IRELAND)
• ALISON KINNAIRD (SCOTLAND)
• TĀLA TARANG (UK)
• THE WILLOW TRIO (SCOTLAND)
• CORRINA HEWAT & DAVID MILLIGAN (SCOTLAND)
• HAZEL BRANDT & KATIE HERON (SCOTLAND)

2025 TUTORS:

• CHEYENNE BROWN
• CHARLOTTE DAUN
• TOM DAUN
• TANA COLLINS
• ELINOR EVANS
• GILLIAN FLEETWOOD
• RACHEL HAIR
• REBECCA HILL
• ELEANOR HETHERINGTON
• DEBORAH HENSON CONANT
• KATHY STEWART KENNEDY
• ALISON KINNAIRD
• KEVIN LE PENNEC
• TSVETELINA LIKOVA
• CAROLINE LIZOTTE
• KAREN MARSHALSAY
• SEAMUS O’FLAHERTY
• TONI RUSSELL
• MENDI SINGH
• SUNITA STANESLOW
• WENDY STEWART
• ELEANOR TURNER
• BILL TAYLOR
• NEIL WOOD
• HEATHER YULE