Climb Ev'ry Mountain

Imagine - above us only sky

September has been a very busy month so far. Not busy in a musical sense but I’m optimistic that the situation for us freelance musicians will improve in the coming months and into 2021. People NEED events and weddings and celebrations with live music and I’ve heard talk of the void left by the lack of cultural stimulation that was previously filled by theatres and live music venues. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have my part time job at my little local Sainsbury’s to fall back on - what would I have done without that?!!

With talk last week of another local lockdown here in Kirklees, I decided it was the perfect time to visit my family in North Wales and attempt to tick a big 2020 box - walking up Snowdon. I’ve never been up, not even on the little train (call the NSPCC!! I think my parents were very busy) and at the beginning of last week I had run and walked 980 miles so far in 2020. I mused that getting to 1,000 miles on Snowdon would be an appropriate way to celebrate my accomplishment and so the planning commenced. I’ve accumulated quite a lot of essential equipment since I started pursuing my outdoor activities more seriously so I knew my gear was good to go. I checked the weather forecast for Llanberis obsessively all week and by Thursday, it was looking like a damn fine day with near perfect conditions for September.

Well, I did it! What’s this got to do with music and the harp? You may well ask but I’d rather be up a big mountain than laid in bed bemoaning my situation or drowning my sorrows with alcohol. I’ve missed practicing regularly for specific performances but most of all I’ve missed playing for my own pleasure and I’ll be delving my fingers deep into those resonant strings regularly from this week.

My next post here will be all about my Snowdon adventure, including photos! Here’s a taster:

Mountains and sheep

I’m sure I gained a few greys by the time I got back down

The Fun of the Fayres

Rhian Evans Harpist having fun. Image courtesy of John Steel Photography

The atmospheric ceremony room at the Manor House

I’ve had great fun playing at three separate wedding fayres recently and I’ve met some really lovely people. The first fayre was at the Manor House in Lindley, a beautiful bijou boutique hotel on the outskirts of Huddersfield. It was extremely well attended and I was provided a prime position in the ceremony room so that potential clients could see the impact the harp could have as they walked through the main doors and so they could visualise their ceremony. I was really pleased that the level of interest was very good. Wedding fayres can be tough, tiring and unrewarding if there’s no engagement and this hasn’t been the case at all in either of the fayres I’ve exhibited at so far this year. My music isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and the services I offer could be considered niche, but I know there’s a demand for wedding harp music and 2020 is already looking healthy. It’s a question of finding my clients, and my clients finding me.

The Foundry Dining Room at Wortley Hall

It can take months for clients to contact me again as they sort all the other wedding details out. Occasionally, I can get bookings on the day. This was the case at the last fayre I did at my beloved Wortley Hall. I just can’t get enough of that venue. There was a warm relaxed atmosphere and I was in a great position next to two other gorgeous suppliers who made it a fun fayre. Check out Lara Croft Photography and Posh Petals Flower Preservation. I took advantage of the mid afternoon lull and went for a stroll upstairs. The rooms are lovely and there’s just such a gorgeous feel to the place. If I got married, I would do it there. Except I probably wouldn’t as I wouldn’t want any fuss, so it would have to be Vegas (I’d settle for somewhere nearer too) with a small ice cream party and a virgin Bloody Mary to celebrate the tying of the proverbial knot. This is my blog and I’m allowed to be as imaginative as I like! I met a gorgeous quirky couple who found each other online. They’ve thrown down the gauntlet with a weird and wonderful request for their exit music. Game on!

I would like to clarify that I’m unbiased. I love all the venues I work at! It’s a question of finding a venue that ticks your boxes and you’ve usually done that way before you meet me anyway. Live music is so important though. I felt a bit intimidated when I found out the Manor House had an Ibiza saxophonist exhibiting. She had wonderful exotic publicity photos and some amazing video clips. She’s called Ellie Sax and she’s a really lovely girl. She does what she does brilliantly with such enthusiasm. I have no idea how she can coordinate playing, dancing and maintaining such a genuinely radiant smile all at the same time. I’ve tried (not the dancing obviously) and it isn’t a look that works for the wedding service I offer. She’s also a DJ! Between us we agreed on how we could make our music work within adjacent rooms. When she blasts that sax, boy is it memorable! I asked her if she spends much time in Ibiza, and she goes there regularly. Ibiza harpist anyone? In any case, I had nothing to worry about as we both provide totally different services within the same sector of the industry. It was interesting to discover that we trained at the same establishment, the RNCM in Manchester.

Never far from a chandelier (and a dance floor) if I can help it

The other fayre I played at was Bertie’s, another local venue between Huddersfield and Halifax. It was meticulously organised by those lovely people at Wedding Fayres Yorkshire. I’ve played at a couple of weddings and a private function here and it’s another great venue. It was fairly quiet (Football? Weather?) but I had some interesting conversations with couples, some of whom were researching suppliers for their weddings in 2020 and even 2021. I like that level of preparation! I met a lovely Irish lady and her fiancé. She was quite overwhelmed when she heard my music. I think it touched something inside her and she started crying when I played a particular piece of music. I don’t like making people cry but these were good tears. I’m reassured when my playing moves people because it means I’m doing my job, that I’ve played music that resonates for them. At each fayre, I made one woman cry. That emotion is what it’s all about and it’s what keeps me doing what I do. I get a buzz when my music touches someone and I really don’t think that’s something that can happen by watching a video or listening to sound clips. It has to be a live experience. It must be visceral, otherwise the impact isn’t the same.

My stand in the Foundry Dining Room at Wortley Hall

If you’re thinking about having harp music at your wedding, please do follow my Facebook and Instagram pages (you can find links on my homepage) to keep informed about the fayres I‘m playing at, and come and say Hello and find out more about what I can offer you on your wedding day. Oh, and do ask me about your favourite music - you never know…!