I love my job!

My stand

Neater and decluttered

I’m always keen to improve the services I offer. I’ve worked very hard over the past 2 years to develop my harp business and it feels like the tip of an immense iceberg at times. Learning to run my own business is a labour of love but at times it takes me so far away from the harp. I long to delve my fingers into those vibrant strings and practice for hours on end like I used to. I don’t have that luxury these days so any practice hours are precious. You could ask why I’m not practicing now but I know I need a certain kind of headspace to practice efficiently and this evening is earmarked for writing. It’s a sideline I’m trying to develop alongside my playing. Do you know anyone in need of my writing services?

With wedding fayre season in full swing, I have a confession to make - I’m hardly touching the harp. Only 2 months behind schedule, my brochure is almost ready to go to print and then I’ll start on the task of distributing it. Next, I’ll be updating my website and publicity materials. A few people have mentioned I’m not blonde anymore. I’ve really enjoyed my year of lightheadedness so in 2020, let’s see what happens. Watch this space - I’m embracing my darker side and maybe going back to my roots… I wonder what colour they are by now?

It’s so easy for me to get distracted. After an excellent day at Wortley Hall wedding fayre last weekend, I decided that I would address all the admin that evening after I’d had a bit of a rest. I emailed all you lovely couples who were so enthusiastic about my music and my offering and by 9pm I was ready for a quick social media post before calling it a day. In my haste to post, I forgot to share it to Facebook so if you’re not on Instagram or social media at all, you may have missed the snaps I’ve added to this post. If you haven’t met me yet and you’ve seen me looking a bit stern while I’m concentrating on my music, the ice cream photos might help you see I’m actually very friendly and approachable. Do come and say hello.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - the best thing about fayres is the people I meet. I’ve worked alongside Graham Thewlis-Hardy and his wife Lisa from A Taste of Italy ice cream trike a fayre bit and I’ve sampled more than my fayre share of their amazing ice cream. With 97, yes, 97 flavours, I’ve got a lot more to sample. I have to retain myself, it’s so good. If you eat shop bought ice cream, Lisa and Graham’s gelati really are in a different parlour. It’s the “crème de la crème” of ice cream and it could be the perfect playful addition to your wedding. See photos below for some gratuitous food porn.

For balance, my stand was positioned next to a lovely friendly lady, Laura McNally. She’s a very knowledgeable personal trainer and she was so generous in offering me tips on my posture and how I can improve it away from the harp. Taking care of yourselves before your wedding is such a vital aspect that’s often overlooked and pleasant as she was, I wouldn’t want to mess with Laura!

Laura’s enticing stand

The massage balls are on my Christmas list

The next Wortley Hall Wedding Fayre is on the 26th January 2020. Might see you there? It’s always a fun fayre!

Ooohhhhh

Chocolate

Oh go on then

Open wide

I think my face says it all

I sampled the Turkish Delight which is out of this world as well as Cherry Italia, mmmmmmm

Enjoying a well earned cup of the strong stuff

After all that ice cream

Chandelier

above some vintage suffragette artwork

Inspiral

The gorgeous architecture at Wortley Hall

A blooming marvellous wedding

A perfect position to play Pachelbel’s Canon in D

surrounded by a few of my favourite things - books and blossom, and my Camac harp of course

I played for Emily and Josh’s gorgeous intimate wedding at Wortley Hall yesterday. I met Emily at a wedding fayre at Wortley Hall last year which she attended with her mum and her sister. A beautiful friendly dark brunette, Emily looked stunning in her amazing dress. She appeared magically at the wooden double doors before walking down the aisle after her bridal party.

I spy

That’s lovely Laurie at the far end. A key member of the Wortley Hall wedding team, there she is, efficiently ensuring everything’s in place before the ceremony

Emily wanted a combination of pop music that’s been featured in films like Twilight and Disney animation, as well as traditional classical music for her civil ceremony. This took place in the lounge, which was ornately decorated with gloriously oriental blossom trees. Her guests entered the room and I played some atmospheric background music as a backdrop for conversations between Emily’s family and friends as they awaited her arrival. The harp is the perfect choice if you want unobtrusive wedding music that’s soothing and uplifting.

For her entrance, Emily chose the timeless classic, Canon in D by Pachelbel. It’s an excellent choice to walk down the aisle as it’s calm and ceremonious, solemn yet rousing.

After the official ceremony came the signing of the register and the photos. It was the perfect opportunity for me to play Emily’s requests, A Thousand Years and Beauty and the Beast. You can listen to clips of all these pieces of music and more by clicking here:

The ceremony drew to a close and I played Allegro Maestoso by Handel for Emily’s exit with Josh. Celebratory and joyful, it’s a great choice as an exit piece. It was also performed at Princess Diana’s wedding so it’s got to be a good tune! It’s a significant moment, the first part of their journey as husband and wife, and choosing an optimistic upbeat piece of music is a good move. They walked out of the lounge directly onto the gardens, which looked like this:

Is it any wonder I love playing here?

The gardens are in full lush technicolour bloom right now. Doesn’t that giant shrub look a bit like a cake?

Beautiful dahlias

in the carefully tended gardens

Hearty artichoke plants

in the well stocked borders

Congratulations to the newly weds - wishing you every happiness for your future together!

Anneleen Lenaerts

Image - Marco Borggreve

Anneleen Lenaerts is one of the major names in the harp world today. A laureate of numerous major international competitions, she truly is at the forefront of a sparkling generation of harpists.

Imagine my delight when I saw she was coming to the RNCM in Manchester to coach Eira Lynn Jones’ Young Harps project, give a public masterclass and recital, and finally teach a class. I haven’t heard Anneleen play in public for at least 10 years. Dark, demure and petite, she’s still the unassuming, gentle, warm person she was back then. Her prestigious title, Principal Harp of the Vienna Philharmonic hasn’t gone to her head - gracious is a great word to describe her.

She delivered a relaxed informative masterclass with ease and generousity, offering valuable pearls of advice. I can’t wait to massage my strings, words she spoke to all 3 students who were fortunate to work with her.

When improvement is noticeable to an audience, the teacher has truly done her job, and the change in each student’s playing was evident in a remarkably short space of time.

After over 2 hours’ coaching, Anneleen went on to play 4 demanding solo pieces on an unfamiliar harp. I’ve had a lot of lessons on that harp, and like countless other RNCM graduates from Eira’s firmly established department, I’ve spent hours sweating blood, and the odd tear or two, over that instrument. Believe me - it’s a real challenge to make it sound well. A conservatoire war horse having survived thousands of hours of relentless rigorous plucking and pedalling, Anneleen coaxed and cajoled from it a surprising spectrum of soundscapes.

Her wisely chosen warm up piece was Fauré’s Impromptu, which elevated her to her comfort zone. She breezed her way through a juicy programme, bringing frissons of delight to an audience entranced by her musicality and the intricate refinement in her playing. The piece that stood out for me was Joseph Jongen’s Valse, a work that isn’t performed very often, at least I wouldn’t describe it as a stalwart of the harp repertoire. It really was an inspiring colourful performance of a well written work by the Belgian composer. Anneleen is of Belgian origin, which might explain her natural affinity with Jongen.

Anneleen is a prime example of what’s expected of a professional harpist at the apex of their career. She’s an exemplary role model. A tireless traveller, she had just come over to the UK from the States, and I’ve seen on social media that she was in France following her visit to Manchester. She’s also recently released a CD of music by Nino Rota, including some heart wrenching music from the classic film, The Godfather.

I get the feeling Anneleen will waltz onwards to become one of the godmothers of the harp world. Catch her performing in public if you can. And you can check out her musical activities and her whereabouts here:

Over the Bridge - Camac Harp Weekend, Cardiff

“Attending a music event can be a breath of fresh air and can provide inspiration in so many ways. Read on to find out what I got up to in Cardiff last weekend”

Oval Sculpture (Delos)

Barbara Hepworth, 1955

Last Saturday lunchtime I drove across the Severn Bridge for the first time. When I drive to Cardiff, I usually take the inner more “scenic” route (name a route in Wales that isn’t picturesque) but for some reason, this time I stayed on the motorway. The bridge’s sprawling telescopic steel limbs funnelled me into Wales like a minuscule spider scuttling home. Whooping as I drove excitedly over the monumental bridge, I gained the momentum I needed to keep going for the remaining hour of my journey. Cardiff’s a fair old drive from West Yorkshire.

I got lost here half an hour from home

In my defence, I’d taken an alternative route to get to the motorway to avoid a traffic jam, soon after having my car door slam on my shin, driven by strong winds. I heard a crack. I swear that cursing profusely for 5 minutes definitely eased my pain

The main reason for my trip was to get my harp serviced by those fantastic Camac technicians. Wrench wielding recent recruits Guillaume and Louis did themselves proud and my harp sounds great. Thanks guys! The after sales service Camac Harps provide is just brilliant and I know my harp is in the best hands.

I received a customary warm welcome from lovely Elen of Vining Harps, who were organising the harp weekend. Apart from having my harp seen to, I was very excited about the recital to be given by Isabelle Moretti that evening in the Impressionists Gallery at the National Museum of Wales. That all sounds a bit heavyweight doesn't it? And yes, it was, but effortlessly so. I felt like a VIP, granted permission to the museum after hours. My heart started racing walking past Rodin’s bronzes and, would you believe, some works by Yorkshire lass, Barbara Hepworth. You can take the girl out of Yorkshire… The intimate room was full to capacity and I couldn’t quite register how I was to be treated to such a sumptuous feast for my eyes and ears. I let it all wash over me like an exquisite wave, sweeping away the staleness from my business and my scant unenthusiastic solo practice.

The Clouds

Auguste Rodin

I’ve heard Isabelle perform many times and I can genuinely say I’ve never heard her play better. She performed with character and charisma, grace and elegance, and I forgot about my life for a couple of hours. I was whisked away to another universe, where music and emotion dominated. I can still hear her opening piece, the Sonatine by Marcel Tournier, played with an extraordinary palette of colours. Tears welled up as my soul was soothed. One minute my ear was drawn to the definition given to a phrase by her left hand, the next it zoomed in on her right hand, deftly negotiating a jump with élan and sparkle. To call her playing perfect is false. Isabelle’s playing is beyond that. When I listen to her, I don’t hear a harpist. I hear a musician, an artist, a human being, and I have no questions.

The best photo I got

of Isabelle’s spectacular Canopée harp with Monet’s work. The door looks nice doesn’t it?

In the first half of her meaty programme, she played famous pieces from the harp repertoire with a freshness that made me believe she hadn’t played them countless times in public over the years. After the intermission, we moved from Monet’s hazy impressionistic mood to Spain. The smooth transition came in the form of her own intricate arrangement of La Soirée dans Grenade by Debussy. After a marathon programme, her finale by De Falla from his opera La Vida Breve catapulted me straight back into the pit. The orchestral sounds flowed organically from her fingers. I could hear flamenco guitars and imagine swarthy bronzed hombres arrogantly blowing cigarette smoke in the faces of their sultry señoritas, their heels click-clacking noisily in a hot airless tapas bar.

Unlike my vivid imagination, there was no excess, no indulgence in Isabelle’s performance, one that will stay with me for a very long time.

What Isabelle played, by heart

Walking into the museum, I bumped into Ceri Wynne Jones who I hadn’t seen for years, possibly not since a Gregynog harp course. Remember those? It was great to catch up with her and compare stories from our freelancing endeavours. There was a post concert reception at the intimate Kooywood Gallery. Even more art! Wine was flowing freely. This was one of the first social events I’ve been to since I stopped drinking a year and 3 months ago. Despite feelings of inadequacy and shyness, I think I managed alright. I wasn’t a butterfly and neither was I a wallflower. I left with a clear head filled with notes and no anxiety about how I was going to get back to the hotel. It was reassuring not to feel a looming sense of dread in anticipation of the morning after.

Victor Hugo

Auguste Rodin

There’s never enough time to fit everything in at this type of event. I heard promising sounds from Claire Jones and her ensembles rehearsing and doing their sound checks, but I had to head back up North before the closing concert. And yes. I went over the bridge again with the exact same excitement. You can take the girl out of Yorkshire…

Hands on

Shoes off - a masterclass with Isabelle Moretti. It was, for me, a reminder of the importance of the rhythmic feeling within the bar

Colour full

Rhi-sabelle!

“See you next time for a blog post about Comic Relief!”

Camac Harp Weekend, Cardiff

“We need inspiration on a regular basis. Read on to find out what I’m up to this weekend.”

National treasure

In my garden

This morning, I’m off down to South Wales. It’s a 4 hour drive and weather conditions aren’t favourable, but I’m really excited about having a few hours away from home. The change of scene will do me the world of good. The main reason I’m going is to get my harp serviced by those fabulous people at Camac Harps. Yes, that’s right. There’s a harp weekend being held by Camac Wales in the beautiful capital, and tonight there’s a concert by wonderful inspirational harpist, Isabelle Moretti. I’m very excited about that. Isabelle was my teacher in Lyon for a couple of years before she was appointed professor of harp at the Paris Conservatoire. She’ll be playing a programme of French and Spanish music at, wait for it, the Impressionists Gallery at the National Museum. It’s guaranteed to be feast for all the senses.

Like many musicians, I spend a vast amount of time alone with my instrument, and I often crave inspiration. Tonight, there’ll be swathes and wafts of delicious pearly continental notes that will feed me for months to come. I know I can listen to CDs and watch videos, but there’s nothing like live music performance to grab you where it matters and carry you wherever your imagination cares to take you.

My harp in St David’s Day attire

So I have a very busy couple of days and, although I love performing, it’s quite nice to be going on a busman’s holiday. It’ll be interesting to find out what other harpists are up to and to catch up with news from the harp world. As well as having my heart strings plucked by some very fine musicians, I’m super excited to be mixing business with pleasure and meeting up with a school friend I haven’t seen for a few years. There’s a lot to fit in. And quite a lot of gear to fit into my car too. Not sure I’ll be taking my felt daffodil head though. (Let me explain about the photo - no, I haven’t lost the plot. It was a confidence boosting exercise I did with a Welsh friend from my swimming class for St David’s Day.)

“Check in soon for a blog post about this weekend’s harp adventures.”

Camac Harps

Passion à la Française!

I have recently rediscovered the video clip below and it reminded me why I chose Camac.  Which other harp makers would have the imagination, creativity and vision to take two prestigious instruments into the jungle?!!  Their website is pretty impressive too: https://www.camac-harps.com/en/

They are my favourite harp makers.  They are fervently passionate about what they do and they're lovely, warm, professional people.  As well as their innovation in producing outstanding harps and pushing the boundaries of harp making, they are so supportive and they care about their harpists - their after sales service is second to none!  One of the many things I love about their harps is that each one has a personality, it's own unique voice, and when I found my harp, I knew immediately - it was love at first pluck!

Me with Camac's lovely knowledgeable head technician Enric after my recent harp service - happy harp = happy harpist!