The Iain MacLeòid Young Composer Award 2024 – The Winner! 

Sheena Walker on 29 January 2025

The Clarsach Society and Edinburgh International Harp Festival are proud to announce that the 2024 winner of the Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award is Vishak Ramaprasad.

Vishak, hails from Bangalore and is based in the UK following his studies in composition at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he was supported by the prestigious ABRSM Queen’s Silver Jubilee Scholarship.

One of the Britten Sinfonia Opus 1 Composers for 2024, and a member of the ABRSM Composer Mentorship Programme, he has written for groups including the Britten Sinfonia, Red Note Ensemble, National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain and the GAIA duo. 

As a media composer and producer, his portfolio ranges from reality shows and podcasts, to commercials and theatre productions. Having contributed to over 15 Indian films, he has now signed to the major Indian entertainment company Viacom 18.

Vishak blends Indian traditional music with jazz, Western classical, pop and sonic arts, giving him a truly unique global style. Enthralled by the resonance of the Raagas on the harp, his award winning new suite Parasmai for celtic harp will be performed at EIHF 2025 by Scottish harpist Maya MacAdam.

The judging panel was highly impressed by the outstanding quality of the entries and extends congratulations to all participants.

2015 Starfish Glenelle Harp

Sheena Walker on 12 October 2024

A 2015 Starfish Glenelle Harp in Walnut with Camac Levers.

Excellent condition.

Includes: dust cover, soft case, small stand and two tuning keys.

Specifications

  • Compass: 34 strings – 1st Octave A to 6th Octave C.
  • Stringing: folk tension and spacing; 24 gut strings, 10 metal strings.
  • Height: 1,170mm (46”) approx.
  • Width: 635mm (25”) (column to shoulder) approx.
  • Soundboard width: 325mm (12 ¾”) approx.
  • Weight:  8.7kg (19 lbs) approx.

£4,500

Location: Devon

Contact: jsbkbennett@btinternet.com

LYON AND HEALY PRELUDE 40 (Mahogany) LEVER HARP

Sheena Walker on 5 September 2024

Harp comes with with dust cover and full set of travel covers all of which have never left my house since purchased new in December 2015. Also included are tuning key, alternative plain wood feet and crown, various strings and a simple pick up (attached to inside of soundboard). 

The harp has a  couple of tiny dings on the base (see photo) but these are barely visible.

This harp has a beautiful mellow sound and is just as capable of playing classical repertoire as it is more traditional music. 

The harp measures 163cm tall, 85cm deep and weighs 20kg. It has the same string spacing and tension as in pedal harps. Range is 40 strings, from 1st octave E down to 6th octave A. All levers are in full working order. Strings have always been replaced as soon as they break.

Location is near Inverurie, Aberdeenshire. Buyer to arrange collection/delivery. 

Please contact v.somerville@outlook.com

Looking for £4995

WELCOME TO THE SHETLAND BRANCH

Sheena Walker on 17 July 2024

The Clarsach Society is delighted to launch our new Shetland branch
ensuring we really do have the whole country covered. There had been
an active group of clarsach players in Shetland in the 1990s. but
many of the harp students and adult players had moved and the group
was dormant for almost twenty years. Fortunately, well-known harpist
Sunita Staneslow recently moved to Shetland and found that several
harpists were eager to reconnect as a group, play tunes together and
encourage new players to become members. Sunita will be the primary
tutor and will lead monthly sessions. The group is actively seeking
funds to build an inventory of rental harps and invite tutors beyond
Shetland to lead workshops and perform.

The group will meet for the first time in August and we wish them all the best.

Teifi Boncath Lever Harp

Sheena Walker on 19 June 2024

Selling my beloved Teifi Boncath harp – similar to the popular Teifi Siff Saff student harp, the Boncath is made of solid wood as opposed to laminate wood, so will have a longer lifespan and carries a richer sound! Teifi stopped making the Boncath harp in around 2017 so it is rare to find one now! I am selling this very sentimental harp as I am moving abroad and it is simply to expensive to ship it. I hope to sell it to a loving home who can play it regularly! 

Make: Teifi Harps

Model: Boncath

Harp Type: Lever

Age: 8 years

Finish: Beech

Number of strings: 34 (1st A – 6th C)

String type: Gut

Included with the harp: Tuning Key, 4 legs and padded canvas carry case

Condition: Excellent

Weight: 15kg

Height without legs: 110cm

Height with legs: 130cm

£2600 – collection from Newport or Cardiff.

Email enquiries only: Kate Ingarfield – k.ingarfield@hotmail.co.uk

The Iain MacLeòid Young Composer Award 2023 – The Winner!

Sheena Walker on 15 January 2024

The Clarsach Society and the Edinburgh International Harp Festival are proud to announce that the 2023 winner of the Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award is Donnchadh Mac Aodha.

Harp player Donnchadh Mac Aodha is a composer and multi-instrumentalist from Dundalk Co.Louth, Ireland. 

Currently studying composition under the direction of John Godfrey as part of his BMus degree at University College Cork, Donnchadh is both a traditional Irish and classical musician and finds himself most at home with these genre allowing his bi-musical upbringing to influence his works. In particular, he is drawn to the Irish language and deals with ideas of belonging and identity in his music. 

Already a prize winning composer, having taken away honours from the New Ross Piano Festival and the West Wicklow Chamber Music Festival Composition Competition, The Clarsach Society are thrilled to award him The Iain Macleòid Young Composer Award. 

We look forward to hearing the premiere of his award-winning composition Ambaist at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival in April. 

The judging panel were very impressed with the exceptionally high standard of entries and would like to congratulate all of the participants. 

Wire Branch Report 2022-23

Sheena Walker on 21 September 2023

As with the past year, most of our activities took place online, including monthly workshops and a multi-session course, as well as an in-person playing session.

We held eight monthly online workshops between September 2022 a June 2023, along with a playing session in Edinburgh in December 2022. We offered classes for both elementary and intermediate players, and we looked at quite a variety of historical and traditional tunes. These included a modern air, 17th-century coronation tunes, a Renaissance dance tune, a Medieval Danish song, and two ancient Gaelic airs.

Wire Branch members from across the world joined our fourth annual online courses in playing music from the Robert ap Huw manuscript, containing the oldest harp music from anywhere in Europe. The courses, split for elementary and intermediate players, took place in six sessions between January and May 2023, with the two groups playing contrasting pieces directly from the original tablature.

Bill Taylor, Treasurer

Wales Branch Report 2022-23

Sheena Walker on 21 September 2023

We have had a busy year with workshops, with Nia Jenkins in November, and Robin Huw Bowen in March. Bill Taylor came down to give a concert in June, which several of our members attended, and then we had a workshop with him on the Sunday. In August we had Elinor Evans.

We meet in between workshops to revise the music they teach us.

In June a few of us played at the Botanic Gardens with Shelley Fairplay, that is always a lot of fun.

We are working together to incorporate different styles of music to suit everybody’s taste. There are a few tutors on the list for the future, and we are hoping to go and play more in public again.

Peggy Bishop, Secretary

Transpennine Branch Report 2022-23

Sheena Walker on 21 September 2023

Another full year of harping

Transpennine Harps continues to thrive with 55 – 60 harpists from across the M62 corridor and beyond.

Highlights were our sessions with Anne-Marie O’Farrell and Lauren Scott.  Our programme is inclusive as possible, catering for many tastes and all abilities.  We enjoyed playing together in one room again, but we are mindful that we have members who enjoy our online sessions from all corners of the country – and of course one of our tutors is based in Toulouse.

We have several groups – Classical, Slow Strings, Old Malton and Tamsin’s Troubadours, Lucy@TPH and small groups playing for specific events such as accompanying a local choir.  Our online festival in November was a great success, thanks to Lucy Nolan and Tamsin Dearnley.

Harp hire remains buoyant, with all seven harps out at present.

We can list everything we have done, which is quite considerable!  What we cannot do as easily is to convey the great sense of companionship, support and fun we have as a group.  Our lead tutors, Tamsin Dearnley and Lucy Nolan, have built up a great rapport with and between us, as well as encouraging us to do more than we ever thought we could as harpists, whatever our level.  They have our grateful thanks for all that they do for us.

 Claire Dale, Secretary

Northumbrian Branch Rport 2022-23

Sheena Walker on 21 September 2023

Our year started off at Bamburgh with the joint meeting with the Edinburgh Branch. 25 members attended and we had a very enjoyable day.

Our monthly Saturday morning meetings continue to be well attended and are attracting new members. We have two other monthly meetings when we learn new music and rehearse for performances.

Our December meeting is always popular. 22 members attended last Christmas and  we had a happy morning playing Christmas music and enjoying coffee and  mince pies!

We have had two courses this year. Savourna Stevenson visited us in October, followed by Rachel Hair in June. Two very different courses which were very much appreciated.

Harps Northumbria have been out and about playing throughout Northumberland. We joined forces with the Bridge Singers on March 1st to present a selection of music from Wales.

Playing at Felton for the Felton Music Festival is now a regular event. A lady from Exmouth told us we were the best thing she’d ever heard!!

I would like to thank all of the committee for their hard work this year. We have lots to look forward to in the coming year.

Margaret Thompson, Convenor