It’s a little over a week since we wrapped up the 40th Edinburgh International Harp Festival, online for a second time.We’re looking to gather the thoughts of those of you who took part. So whether you watched a concert or took part in a zoom or pre-recorded concert or workshop, we’d really appreciate it if you could spend a bit of time filling in this survey. We genuinely do take your feedback seriously and read every piece of feedback we’re given.
NEWS JUST IN – Our friends at the Clan Donald Lands Trust at Armadale Castle on the Isle of Skye have been in touch to let us know they’ve extended the deadline for this years Princess Margaret of the Isles Prize for Senior Clarsach competition (this year online), until the 30th of April. The prize includes THE CHANCE TO PLAY AT OUR FESTIVAL.
Find out more below…
The competition will be held online this year and is open to all players aged 18 and over. The winner received a £2000 prize and the chance to play at next year’s Edinburgh International Harp Festival; finalists receive an appearance fee of £1000. Information:https://www.armadalecastle.com/clarsach-competition-2021-entry-2/
Zoom Sessions – Friday and Sunday Night, 9.30-10.30pm
The late night sessions are a much loved part of our festival. Whilst we can’t perfectly recreate them on zoom, we’re going to have a go! On the Friday and Sunday we’re giving you a chance to play some of your much loved tunes and have a bit of social time with fellow festival goers.
Our session leaders will lead tunes and we would ask you to mute as you play along with them.
ON FRIDAY NIGHT our session leader is Irene Watt, who’ll be joined by her covid bubble – husband Graham and friend Maggie.
ON SUNDAY NIGHT our session leader is Ailie Robertson who you’ll hopefully have enjoyed listening to as part of Friday night’s concert.
HOW TO ACCESS THE SESSIONS:
Email media@harpfestival.co.uk with the subject line SESSIONS and we’ll email you the zoom details. (please be patient for a reply as we are manually doing this)
A first for the festival, we’ll be hosting an after concert chat-show on Facebook live. Expect some familiar faces, good chat, and maybe even a tune or two!
The stream will appear automatically on our Facebook page HERE at 9.30pm.
You do not have to be signed in to Facebook to access the stream.
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
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.”
One of the principal aims of EIHF and The Clarsach Society is to encourage and support young clarsach students at every stage of development.
With this in mind, we’ve invited 17 young players, some still in full-time education and some professional performers, to record a short piece or a set for EIHF. Elinor Evans has compiled them into 3 vibrant performances, one of which she will introduce on each day of the Festival.
These concerts are FREE to view and will be viewable on our YouTube channel (BE SURE TO SUBSCRIBE!)
We will also share the links on Facebook
The links will be emailed out to all Concert Pass holders OR…
You can sign up for a link to be emailed to you, by adding adding them to your basket on our website, allowing you to get them for free!
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.
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
We’ve decided to open an additional 5 courses INCLUDING another pedal harp course with Eira Lynn Jones – her first one sold out within 12 hours!
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.
NEW COURSES ARE NOW OPEN IN OUR BOX OFFICE FOR:
Anne Marie O’Farrell: Love those Levers! 3-day course: 10.00-11.15 BST Sat/Sun/Mon Intermediate
