What is the creative fund? |
Members can apply for up to £500 to assist with any project or idea which furthers the harp.
Perhaps you want to organise a special concert, workshop, masterclass or event? Perhaps you want to promote the harp in your community? Perhaps you are carrying out exciting research or outreach work? We want to know about it and we want to help! Click here if you are a UKHA member and would like to apply. Click here if you would like to become a member. The deadlines for applications is the 1st of March and 1st of September. |
2024
Bollywood Workshop
with Eleanor Turner and Mendhi Singh, at Pilgrim Harps Workshop, Surrey & Online.
with Eleanor Turner and Mendhi Singh, at Pilgrim Harps Workshop, Surrey & Online.
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UKHA members are invited to a free Bollywood Workshop for intermediate and advanced harpists (pedal and lever) with Tāla Tarang.
The workshop takes place on Sunday 3rd March from 3-5pm at Pilgrim Harps (or join in online). Mendi Singh and Eleanor Turner will teach you how to play famous Bollywood tunes and get your playing bouncing with Mendi’s tabla (Indian drums). We will work on locking in with Bhangra dance beats, folk beats, Taal Kharva (8 beat cycle) and Taal Dadra (6 beat cycle) and finish with a fun play through of a Bollywood set with sheet music provided, all arranged by Eleanor. If you have Bollywood songs in your set already, bring them along and have a jam with Mendi! Members can now rewatch this workshop on our members resources page. |
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2023Hands on Harp Day in Wales
with Emily Harris |
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Lady Llanover Society Hands on Harp Day – a record number of 42 harpists participating in 2023!
The Hands on Harp Day is an annual event hosted by the Lady Llanover Society in Abergavenny, South Wales. The event has run for some years now and one of the initiators was harpist and scholar Ann Griffiths. The society sets focus on the life and work of Lady Llanover who had so much influence on upholding the tradition of harp playing in Wales - as did Ann Griffiths.
The day offers a unique opportunity for harpists of all ages and ability to come to workshops led by professional harpists. There is also a special class offered for those who have never played, giving them the opportunity to come and put their hands on a harp!
The Hands on Harp Day is a special opportunity for harpists in the local community (and further afield) to spend a day playing together under the guidance of professional tutors. It also offers an opportunity for people to try out the instrument. The day ends with a concert so the local public can experience what has been achieved during the day.
It is an important local event in that it carries on the legacy of Lady Llanover and Ann Griffiths, both local to the area and both passionate about the continuation of the tradition of harp playing in Wales.
The Hands on Harp Day was held this year on Monday 1st May 2023 with a record number of 42 harpists participating! This year all the participants had the opportunity to work with Amy Turk, Claire Jones and the organiser of the event Emily Harris. All the elementary-intermediate and advanced participants learned from both Amy and Claire while Emily ran the beginner taster sessions throughout the day.
Amy’s own words about her workshops:
The Hands on Harp Day is an annual event hosted by the Lady Llanover Society in Abergavenny, South Wales. The event has run for some years now and one of the initiators was harpist and scholar Ann Griffiths. The society sets focus on the life and work of Lady Llanover who had so much influence on upholding the tradition of harp playing in Wales - as did Ann Griffiths.
The day offers a unique opportunity for harpists of all ages and ability to come to workshops led by professional harpists. There is also a special class offered for those who have never played, giving them the opportunity to come and put their hands on a harp!
The Hands on Harp Day is a special opportunity for harpists in the local community (and further afield) to spend a day playing together under the guidance of professional tutors. It also offers an opportunity for people to try out the instrument. The day ends with a concert so the local public can experience what has been achieved during the day.
It is an important local event in that it carries on the legacy of Lady Llanover and Ann Griffiths, both local to the area and both passionate about the continuation of the tradition of harp playing in Wales.
The Hands on Harp Day was held this year on Monday 1st May 2023 with a record number of 42 harpists participating! This year all the participants had the opportunity to work with Amy Turk, Claire Jones and the organiser of the event Emily Harris. All the elementary-intermediate and advanced participants learned from both Amy and Claire while Emily ran the beginner taster sessions throughout the day.
Amy’s own words about her workshops:
"Extend your harp's sonic potential and become a one-harp band! Join Amy in exploring percussive and extended harp techniques that anyone can learn, and find out how to incorporate these into your playing."
Emily and the Lady Llanover Society want to thank Amy Turk and Claire Jones for their tuition, efforts and dedication to the Hands on Harp Day 2023. Thank you to Clive Morley Harps for supplying a significant amount of lever harps for all the beginner participants and to Robin Davies of the Lady Llanover Society for all his help in making the day a huge success!
We are very grateful to the United Kingdom Harp Association for sponsoring this event. Being awarded the UKHA Creative Fund helped us significantly with the expenses of the day, including both the venue hire and the tutor fees. Therefore, this allowed us to lower the cost of the day for each individual participant. Thank you to the UKHA’s for their encouragement and support.
This is our second year to award the Ann Griffiths Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to the most promising 18 or under participant in both the elementary-intermediate class and the advance class. Both winners outlined their appreciation below:
We are very grateful to the United Kingdom Harp Association for sponsoring this event. Being awarded the UKHA Creative Fund helped us significantly with the expenses of the day, including both the venue hire and the tutor fees. Therefore, this allowed us to lower the cost of the day for each individual participant. Thank you to the UKHA’s for their encouragement and support.
This is our second year to award the Ann Griffiths Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded to the most promising 18 or under participant in both the elementary-intermediate class and the advance class. Both winners outlined their appreciation below:
“The Hands on Harp Day taught me a lot about the importance of being a harpist. Both Amy Turk and Claire Jones taught me there’s more to playing the harp than meets the eye. Such as percussion and important exercises. I really enjoyed learning about how to use my harp as a percussion instrument and learning new techniques on how to generate different sounds. I was thrilled when I was awarded the Ann Griffiths Scholarship as I felt that everyone on the day was extremely enthusiastic and hard working and learnt a lot from the teachers. I’m looking forward to the next Hands on Harp Day and what other cool techniques I might learn. I believe that the Hands on Harp Day is a fantastic opportunity for all harpists to learn from professionals around the country.”
- Anieri, age 16 participated in the advanced class.
“I’d never seen so many harpists in one room, and so many different harps! The Hands On Harp Day was an incredible experience, with a lovely friendly, creative atmosphere. I learned a lot from the tutors, they were brilliant. They shared lots of ideas that I could take away to explore in my own playing. I made new friends with a shared love of playing the harp, and it encouraged me to want to perform more. Winning
the Ann Griffiths Scholarship was the icing on the cake! It was a great honour to receive the award, and I will always remember what a special day that was.”
- Georgia, age 9 participated in the elementary-intermediate class.
Emily Harris
2022
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Anima
with Helena Ricci Hello, I am Helena Ricci, a classical harpist and creative entrepreneur based in London, current City Music Foundation and Stoller Hall Emerging Artist. I am very grateful to the UKHA which helped me for an important step in my creative project MUS!LUX: music + light = magic. I am working on merging classical music with other art forms, technology and visuals to create immersive experiences and innovative concert formats.
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Photo credit: Reb Ricci
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Back in 2022 I won a residency at the New Diorama Theatre Broadgate. Together with my project partner Réb, I led and produced the filming of two music videos with live projected animations commissioned from award-winning artist Rong Luxi. These innovative videos will accompany two singles of my upcoming debut solo classical album anima. The album was recorded at The Stoller Hall in Manchester and will be released this year. A big thank you to the UKHA’s support which contributed to cover the hiring of the Stoller Hall and the expertise of the brilliant recording team for these two tracks. I cannot wait to share the result with you this year!
Based on the themes of love, loss and transformation, anima features new transcriptions for the harp and feels like a musical embrace for the soul. The album, alongside the two music videos will be released later this year. To get a glimpse of anima and what a MUS!LUX concert feels like, join me at the Stoller Hall on 13th March to experience the album preview as a world’s first classical Glow in the Dark concert. Expect LED lighting and hypnotic music embedded in a luminescent experience.
Meditative. Sensory. Fiery.
www.helenaricci.com
Based on the themes of love, loss and transformation, anima features new transcriptions for the harp and feels like a musical embrace for the soul. The album, alongside the two music videos will be released later this year. To get a glimpse of anima and what a MUS!LUX concert feels like, join me at the Stoller Hall on 13th March to experience the album preview as a world’s first classical Glow in the Dark concert. Expect LED lighting and hypnotic music embedded in a luminescent experience.
Meditative. Sensory. Fiery.
www.helenaricci.com
2018
God Complex - A culmination of harp percussion and some gods
Sticks & Strings with Rosanna Moore |
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The great and terrible thing about being a 'novel' duo is that you have to do a lot of hunting for repertoire and as a percussion and and Harp duo, Sticks & Strings, we were very suffering a similar fate. After years of playing many of our own arrangements and some of my more folksy tunes. We decided that we needed to branch out with a large commissioning project, which we named God complex. God complex is a multidisciplinary cycle of miniature works for Harp and percussion duo, written by 11 emerging composers from both sides of 'The Pond' who we have had the privilege to work with and get to know over the past decade. Each short vignette represents a different Greek God or Goddess and will last between 4 to 8 minutes. In addition to this, we will be collaborating with visual artists to help bring the show to life. We have worked with each of our composers at length and will be providing our annotations for the composers eve choose to publish their works.
We used our UKH a bursary to pay one of our British composers Ben Gaunt. We met Ben whilst he was at the Royal Northern College of music with us and he then went on to complete his PhD in composition from the University of Sheffield. He is now a senior lecturer at Leeds music college . More information on Ben can be found on his website www.bengaunt.com
Our piece from Ben - Bacchus Ritual - is based on the Greek God, Dionysus, the God of wine, fertility ritual, madness, and religious ecstasy (also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology). Ben notes in his program notes that part of the reason for picking this particular God was due to his fondness of Bacchus fruit beers. Although he also chose Dionysus due to his liking of Heinrich Biber's Battallia, which is a 17th century piece about war, dedicated to the God Bacchus Dionysus. The Biber is a really bizarre and forward thinking work for its day so give it a listen! Ben also writes about Bacchus Ritual that is ONE movement work, for TWO instruments, with the in initial section of the work comprising of ELEVEN cells for vibraphone and FIFTEEN cells for Harp significance of these numbers comes from the chemical formula for ecstasy, which is C11H15N02.
After being sent the score for Bacchus Ritual and starting to rehearse, we decided to arrange a workshop with Ben to talk through the piece with him whilst at the instruments. The work is partially improvised score with a lot of freedom for the players, and it is written as a group of musical motives or cells that may or may not be repeated (at the performers discretion), as opposed to music written in a more conventional linear fashion. In the work, Ben has also asked for a number of different extended techniques on both the Harp and Vibraphone, so being able to work with each other in person, greatly benefited both of us as performers to fully understand the sound world of the work and a test various different ways of producing the sound that Ben was looking to achieve
Although we were originally planning on performing the whole cycle of pieces in 2018, due to my commitments in the US, we have had to delay the premier until 2019, but will be able to perform the show at more venues, especially in the US the final lineup of composers and gods goddesses involved in God complex are as follows, Ben Gaunt (Dionysus), Eve Harrison, (The Fates), Dave Currington (Artemus), Matt London (tbd), Arthur Keegan-Bole (Ares), Nicholas Jeleunaskis (Khronos), Edo Frenkel (Thanatos), Dan K Kohane (Nyx), Evan Henry (Hephaestus), Joel Balzun (Gaia) and Michael Frazier (Hades).
Thank you so much UKHA for helping towards of funding for this project. We cannot wait to form the whole show in the UK and US and hope to see you there.
We used our UKH a bursary to pay one of our British composers Ben Gaunt. We met Ben whilst he was at the Royal Northern College of music with us and he then went on to complete his PhD in composition from the University of Sheffield. He is now a senior lecturer at Leeds music college . More information on Ben can be found on his website www.bengaunt.com
Our piece from Ben - Bacchus Ritual - is based on the Greek God, Dionysus, the God of wine, fertility ritual, madness, and religious ecstasy (also known as Bacchus in Roman mythology). Ben notes in his program notes that part of the reason for picking this particular God was due to his fondness of Bacchus fruit beers. Although he also chose Dionysus due to his liking of Heinrich Biber's Battallia, which is a 17th century piece about war, dedicated to the God Bacchus Dionysus. The Biber is a really bizarre and forward thinking work for its day so give it a listen! Ben also writes about Bacchus Ritual that is ONE movement work, for TWO instruments, with the in initial section of the work comprising of ELEVEN cells for vibraphone and FIFTEEN cells for Harp significance of these numbers comes from the chemical formula for ecstasy, which is C11H15N02.
After being sent the score for Bacchus Ritual and starting to rehearse, we decided to arrange a workshop with Ben to talk through the piece with him whilst at the instruments. The work is partially improvised score with a lot of freedom for the players, and it is written as a group of musical motives or cells that may or may not be repeated (at the performers discretion), as opposed to music written in a more conventional linear fashion. In the work, Ben has also asked for a number of different extended techniques on both the Harp and Vibraphone, so being able to work with each other in person, greatly benefited both of us as performers to fully understand the sound world of the work and a test various different ways of producing the sound that Ben was looking to achieve
Although we were originally planning on performing the whole cycle of pieces in 2018, due to my commitments in the US, we have had to delay the premier until 2019, but will be able to perform the show at more venues, especially in the US the final lineup of composers and gods goddesses involved in God complex are as follows, Ben Gaunt (Dionysus), Eve Harrison, (The Fates), Dave Currington (Artemus), Matt London (tbd), Arthur Keegan-Bole (Ares), Nicholas Jeleunaskis (Khronos), Edo Frenkel (Thanatos), Dan K Kohane (Nyx), Evan Henry (Hephaestus), Joel Balzun (Gaia) and Michael Frazier (Hades).
Thank you so much UKHA for helping towards of funding for this project. We cannot wait to form the whole show in the UK and US and hope to see you there.
2017
Clarsach for Communities
with Ailie Robertson
with Ailie Robertson
The UKHA funding is being used to help fund "Clarsach for Communities", a new project to create permanent social change in some of the most deprived communities in Scotland through immersive Clarsach tuition.
'Clarsach for Communities' aims to:
'Clarsach for Communities' aims to:
- Transform children's lives
- Empower Communities
- Create an Inclusive, diverse clarsach community.
2017The Eissler Sisters
with Jenny Broome |
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As a student at Cambridge I was lucky enough to play in the chamber orchestra for a performance of the War Requiem. The part is demanding and exposed, so I was put out to be left off the programme; when I objected I was told ‘it’s traditional – the harpist is always anonymous!’
From today’s perspective, Clara Eissler is one of those anonymous harpists. She wasn’t a composer, nor did she teach at any conservatoire; as a female musician she was disdained by contemporary historians. Most of us know her only as the dedicatee, with her sister Marianne, of Saint-Saens’ Fantaisie for violin and harp. Looking for repertoire for violin and harp, I thought I would try to find out what else they played. This has led me to the discovery that in her time Clara was a star performer, playing as a soloist more than a dozen times to a packed Royal Albert Hall. She was appointed Harpist to the Court of Saxe-Coburg Gotha and was a favourite of Queen Victoria. Although she was apparently not his pupil, she was chosen to play duets with John Thomas at eleven of his famous harp concerts.
Clara was one of four sisters. Frida was a pupil of Leschetizky, the great Polish pianist; she was established in Paris as a teacher. Emmy, the eldest, was also a pianist and acted as accompanist, agent and impresario for her younger sisters. Concerts by ‘The Eissler Sisters’ were generally given by all three. Marianne was a virtuoso violinist who toured Germany as a teenager, playing concertos by Mendelssohn and Gade. Clara was a pupil of Zamara in Vienna and then of Hasselmans in Paris, where she had the misfortune to compete with the eleven-year-old Henriette Renié for a Première Prix. Emmy, Marianne and Clara settled in London in about 1886 and made successful careers there up to the outbreak of war.
After trawling through newspaper reports of their concerts, I have been able to put together a list of at least some of the repertoire of the Eisslers. With the wonderful violinist Frances Mason, I have spent four days recording some of the best of these, not only the Saint-Saens Fantaisie but also some Victorian delights – all to be revealed! Many thanks to the UKHA for their support of this project.
From today’s perspective, Clara Eissler is one of those anonymous harpists. She wasn’t a composer, nor did she teach at any conservatoire; as a female musician she was disdained by contemporary historians. Most of us know her only as the dedicatee, with her sister Marianne, of Saint-Saens’ Fantaisie for violin and harp. Looking for repertoire for violin and harp, I thought I would try to find out what else they played. This has led me to the discovery that in her time Clara was a star performer, playing as a soloist more than a dozen times to a packed Royal Albert Hall. She was appointed Harpist to the Court of Saxe-Coburg Gotha and was a favourite of Queen Victoria. Although she was apparently not his pupil, she was chosen to play duets with John Thomas at eleven of his famous harp concerts.
Clara was one of four sisters. Frida was a pupil of Leschetizky, the great Polish pianist; she was established in Paris as a teacher. Emmy, the eldest, was also a pianist and acted as accompanist, agent and impresario for her younger sisters. Concerts by ‘The Eissler Sisters’ were generally given by all three. Marianne was a virtuoso violinist who toured Germany as a teenager, playing concertos by Mendelssohn and Gade. Clara was a pupil of Zamara in Vienna and then of Hasselmans in Paris, where she had the misfortune to compete with the eleven-year-old Henriette Renié for a Première Prix. Emmy, Marianne and Clara settled in London in about 1886 and made successful careers there up to the outbreak of war.
After trawling through newspaper reports of their concerts, I have been able to put together a list of at least some of the repertoire of the Eisslers. With the wonderful violinist Frances Mason, I have spent four days recording some of the best of these, not only the Saint-Saens Fantaisie but also some Victorian delights – all to be revealed! Many thanks to the UKHA for their support of this project.
2016
Introduction to Improvisation
for the beginner & Intermediate Harpist with
Ben Creighton Griffiths
organised by Anita Aslin
for the beginner & Intermediate Harpist with
Ben Creighton Griffiths
organised by Anita Aslin
As the well-known slogan states, this workshop, "Does what is says on the Tin!" I've always wanted to promote the harp as a community instrument here in the North East, especially with a small harp community and having links with Ben Creighton Griffiths, I though Jazz would be a great way of socialising and motivating my pupils.
It was a beautiful fresh, sunny Sundaym with lots of runners and cuc;ists along the country roads... and harpists unloading their harps, ready for a fun workshop in Jazz! Though some harpists who were a little cautios and shy about improvising and leaning Jazz, Ben soon managed to put everyone at ease, by encouraging participants when they played (with some enthusiastic Jazz lingo) and guided them through the different styles. We learnt about different techniques, such as pitch bending, harmonics, xylophonic sounds, pres de la table, nail glissandi, etouffes and percusive sounds. He introduces us to jazz scales (improvising on a scale and arpeggio movement) and got us to "grove". He explained that lever/Pedal slides should be more "edgy: and that Jazz minor chords are always based on the 'natural' minor (not the harmonic minor which I nearly got confused with!)/ We learnt that 'swung' quavers can be light or heavy: in the deep South they are 'heavy swung!' The slower you play the Blues, the better (but it can be more difficult too!), and how to really think of the characterisation of the piece.
We learnt that 12-bar blues works best when starting off with "less" improvising, and then buikding up dynamics, not neccessarily adding more notes (phew!).. Then ben explained the different 'modes; and it's been good to practice off-beat squng quavers with a metronome. By the end of the day and afer Ben had played a short recirtal to us, he had us all really inspired and we gelt very 'greared up' to play more Jazz. Eat your heart out Herbie Hancock!
I'd just like to thank the UKHA for their financial support for this workshop (especially with Bne having to travel from Wales) and hope that though this event, the UKHA will have gained more members in the North.
It was a beautiful fresh, sunny Sundaym with lots of runners and cuc;ists along the country roads... and harpists unloading their harps, ready for a fun workshop in Jazz! Though some harpists who were a little cautios and shy about improvising and leaning Jazz, Ben soon managed to put everyone at ease, by encouraging participants when they played (with some enthusiastic Jazz lingo) and guided them through the different styles. We learnt about different techniques, such as pitch bending, harmonics, xylophonic sounds, pres de la table, nail glissandi, etouffes and percusive sounds. He introduces us to jazz scales (improvising on a scale and arpeggio movement) and got us to "grove". He explained that lever/Pedal slides should be more "edgy: and that Jazz minor chords are always based on the 'natural' minor (not the harmonic minor which I nearly got confused with!)/ We learnt that 'swung' quavers can be light or heavy: in the deep South they are 'heavy swung!' The slower you play the Blues, the better (but it can be more difficult too!), and how to really think of the characterisation of the piece.
We learnt that 12-bar blues works best when starting off with "less" improvising, and then buikding up dynamics, not neccessarily adding more notes (phew!).. Then ben explained the different 'modes; and it's been good to practice off-beat squng quavers with a metronome. By the end of the day and afer Ben had played a short recirtal to us, he had us all really inspired and we gelt very 'greared up' to play more Jazz. Eat your heart out Herbie Hancock!
I'd just like to thank the UKHA for their financial support for this workshop (especially with Bne having to travel from Wales) and hope that though this event, the UKHA will have gained more members in the North.
2016
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UKHA:
The new Future Blend project, spearheaded by harpist Fran Barsby, will stage an ambitious concert of world premieresin the new year. On 7th January 2017, the Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick will host the premiere of no fewer than thirteen completely new worksfor solo harp. The works have been devised in a collaborative process where each ofthe thirteen composers are allotted a harpist. These ‘teams’ then go forward to the premiere performance, wherethe workwill be judged competitively by a panel to include the composer (and harp aficionado!) Paul Lewis. The composers are to include: Claudio Passilo, Mauricio Cristales Armas, Alexandra Coursen, Rob Siebert, Rob Crehan, Carlos Dos Santos Nathan James Dearden Anthony Green, Arthur Keegan-Bole, Louis Sauter, Zoran Scekic, Ben YeePaulson and Stanislav Fridman . The harpists performing will be Shelley Fairplay, Catrin Meek, Olivia Jageurs, Natasha Gale, Kinga Was, Rita Schindler, Sophie Rocks, Vera Khait and Erica Sinclair. This most ambitious and exciting project follows on from the resounding successof the first Future Blend event which took place in January 2016, and was supported by a UKHA bursary to help with production costs. It promises to be a feast of new music, and we urge our membersto go and support.
