Happy New Year!

I’m a bit late in wishing all you lovely visitors to my website a prosperous and fruitful new year but here I am and I’m ready to make 2020 a musical year to plucking well remember. Just a few words tonight as I’ve got a lot of practice to be getting on with. Music makes me so happy and I love playing my harp at every opportunity! I wanted to share a couple of videos I’ve recently recorded of two songs that are very popular requests for weddings, but due to my slight lack of competence in the technical department, here are links to my Facebook and Soundcloud pages, where I’ve just uploaded two new wedding songs for 2020 and beyond.

My aim is to record a new track once a week. Last week was my take on the main theme from Out of Africa by John Barry. This week was my version of Ed Sheeran’s lilting love song, Perfect. You can also view videoclips on Instagram if you use it. Eventually I’d like to be able to produce basic videoclips (without having a complete technical meltdown) of me actually playing with the best sound quality I can achieve outside a studio.

As always, do let me know what you think and if you’d like me to make a short video or soundclip just for you! In the meantime, my focus is on the ppp’s - practice, practice and, you guessed it, playing! I’ve got some very exciting performances coming up this year - watch this space…

Countdown to Christmas!

Gosh, it feels like an eternity since I’ve written a blog post and I’ve really missed the cathartic process of writing. November was very busy with one of my favourite activities - playing! I took part in quite a few performances and I’d like plenty more of that please! Despite being quite introverted, there’s a side of my personality that loves to have fun and show off, allowing me to share my love and passion for music with my audience.

I really enjoyed myself playing a short programme at All Saints Church in Netherthong last month and I think the audience shared my enthusiasm from the feedback I received. People were very interested in the mechanics and workings of the harp and this has given me ideas for future offerings in the new year. Lee Puttick, the organiser will be arranging another evening’s entertainment, so watch this space.

Other than playing and practicing, I’ve started the process of distributing my lovely new leaflets. I’m delighted with them and I can recommend Swiftprint in Huddersfield most highly. The level of service I receive whenever I work with this company is outstanding.

December holds a fistful of private performances locally, which I’m looking forward to very much. Working at the shop becomes a bit more playful at this time of year thanks to tinsel, Santa hats and an array of other festive accessories. I love seeing my workmates in their sparkly festive jumpers, though there’s always room for improvement and I think there should be some sort of special prize for best outfit.

I often get a bit nostalgic in December. It’s the end of a year and I find it useful to review the past 12 months both professionally and personally. By the same token, it’s time to herald a new year and boy oh boy, am I excited about 2020! I don’t make new year’s resolutions as such but I try to set myself goals and targets based on the current year, and most importantly diarise pleasurable new experiences to get excited about. Another holiday in the sun is most definitely in the pipeline.

Are you getting married in 2020 or 2021? I’ll be playing at the following wedding fayres in the new year:

12 January - Bagden Hall

26 January - Wortley Hall

9 February - Oulton Hall

23 February - Holmfirth Vineyard

I’ll be announcing more fayres in the next few weeks. Come and have a chat with me about music for your wedding or event - visiting a fayre really is the best way to experience the services I can offer you on your big day. In the meantime, have a fantastically festive December!

I'm practicing again!

I’ve been bitten by the practice bug again big time so I won’t be blogging as much as usual over the next few weeks. See the poster below for one of the reasons. I’m really excited to be playing in this concert alongside some lovely talented local musicians. I played through my programme today and you might like it. Why not come along and hear me playing with fire? That’s the new subtitle for my website by the way. What do you think? Does it make me sound like a dragon? It’s meant to indicate that I play with passion, not that I’m a scary animal!

Check this out!

Click the link below to watch a sneak preview of Lewis Capaldi’s August concert at Croxteth Park featuring yours truly on the harp! The full performance will be on BBC1 tomorrow night at 11.25pm.

Deadlines

Changing Room

Victoria Baths

I must admit I’m a fan of deadlines. They seem to push me beyond the expectations I have for myself. I love the reminder that, even as I approach 50, I’m still capable of learning quite a lot of new things and retaining a significant amount of information, some of it useful and some less so. At times, I think my memory is like a sieve (a couple of weeks ago, I locked myself out of my own house - in fairness, I was preoccupied with what seemed like 50,000 thoughts going on at once and I was very tired), but when I consider how much knowledge my brain has to retain, I think I’m doing alright. Soon, I might make a list of things I’ve learnt so far this year. I think I’d surprise myself.

I’ve had my orchestral harpist head on since Wednesday evening and I’m really enjoying being immersed in that world once again. I’ve got a rehearsal and concert at beautiful Wakefield Cathedral tomorrow. I’m playing as part of the Amici Ensemble accompanying the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir directed by charismatic Andrew Padmore in two works by John Rutter, neither of which I’ve played before. I haven’t had the music for long and after an initial read through of notes and symbols that seemed to be written in a foreign language, I persevered, working as much and as often as time permitted.

To my relief, it finally started making sense last night. I started to breathe as I was able to bring longer passages together to form coherent intelligible lines and phrases. It’ll still be to the wire as there’s a lot of everyday busyness to be dealt with. The devil is in the detail and I’ve reached one of my favourite stages during which the music gets its technicolour finishing coat. The music sounds so very different by this stage with much more refinement. I kick myself gently yet firmly at something that proved so challenging that now seems a whole lot simpler once I’ve identified the cause of the difficulty. I’m almost enjoying the adrenaline that comes with my slightly augmented stress levels. In moderation, it’s a useful natural substance.

Pre concert

The stage is set

It’s been rather a musical week all in all and I really love how the focus has shifted to my passion, one of my main “raisons d’être”. Music. I attended a really inspiring concert at the stunning Victoria Baths in Manchester last Friday. It was given by the Juniper Project, a duo created by harpist colleague and friend, Eira Lynn Jones and her flautist partner, Anna Rosa Mari. Sitting in the waterless pool, we were quite literally immersed in music. It’s one of three pools in this spectacular building. It’s under renovation and thank goodness for that. I love the juxtaposition of old and new buildings but it’s all too easy to resort to demolition rather than reviving our architectural treasures.

Well loved

Indoor picnic

These two accomplished musicians regaled us with their stunningly simple musically sensitive interpretations of varied repertoire with an aquatic theme flowing throughout. There really was something for everyone, including a little bit of Rutter, funnily enough. His works certainly are popular and he always writes satisfyingly substantial harp parts.

Talking of deadlines, I’ve got 10 good minutes left before I fall into a sleepy stupor. I’ve got another deadline for Sunday evening, but more about that in another blog post.

Have a super smashing weekend with some wonderful music. I know I will, because, let’s face it - I love being in harpist mode!

Kiss me quick!

A slightly bizarre scene in one of the pools

To Hull And Back

Humber Bridge - am I the only one who sees harp strings?

It’s been another busy week here at Rhian Evans Harpist HQ. It was great to get away last weekend and be in orchestral harpist mode once again for a couple of days. I made a guest appearance with the Hull Philharmonic, playing the harp part for the hauntingly beautiful and challenging Viola Concerto by William Walton.

Velvet toned violist Tim Ridout took centre stage with authoritative humility. His performance featured some beautifully poignant characterful playing. The sturdy musician-ship of the Hull Phil was ably steered by Andrew Penny and it was an exciting performance. I realised I haven’t performed with orchestra since February and I felt a bit disorientated at first. I gradually allowed myself the spaciousness to absorb the multi-sensory experience of working within an unknown ensemble of musicians in the stately splendour of Hull City Hall. Feeling more relaxed by the second rehearsal, I really could get used to that role again, one I fell in love with at the tender age of 15 when I first played with Clwyd Youth Orchestra. Those were the days!

I had quite a scary moment at the end of the rehearsal when I couldn’t find my car keys despite emptying all my bags and pockets thrice. I dashed down to the security desk where Nick, the super friendly security guard handed them to me with a knowing look. The bench provided wasn’t adjustable so I went to the car to get mine. I was already in harpist mode and, preoccupied by thoughts of music, left my keys in the car door. Lucky me! Hull City centre on a Friday evening isn’t such a bad place after all!

Duck plant

Garden bed-side at Wortley Hall

On Sunday, the wedding fayre I’d been looking forward to didn’t quite go as I’d intended. I’d hoped to meet dozens of clients as excited and enthusiastic about my music as I am. My morning started well, with two sets of clients I met at the most recent Wortley Hall wedding fayre, who had come to finalise their music choices. Other than a little interest for 2020 and 2021, it was a bit of a damp squib despite the glorious weather.

Wisteria hysteria

at Wortley Hall. Artichoke plant in the foreground

People drifted past as I played to my harp’s content, and my music seemed to have little or no effect on them. Perhaps they’re drafting their enquiry emails as I type. Or maybe I need to buy a guitar and take singing lessons. I know from experience these things can take time and I’m optimistic I’ll get a couple of bookings eventually.

Idyllic car park

Wortley Hall just visible through those amazing trees

It was lovely to work with Wedding Fayres Yorkshire again, who ensured proceedings ran smoothly as always. I’m extremely grateful to Paris Tyrell of WFY who, with lightning speed, generously filmed and uploaded a short videoclip of me playing A Thousand Years to Instagram. I then shared it to Facebook so I’m learning slowly but surely. It might eventually make its way to YouTube. It hasn’t gone viral yet but it certainly looks like I’m down with the millennials. Well, as down with them as a 40 something harpist can be.

I’m generally an optimist and I prefer to look at the bright side, but I admit I’m struggling musically at the moment. I have no paid playing work until mid June, a thought that worries me. I’ve sat down and done some rough calculations and as it stands, I’m not breaking even with my harp performance work. I’m afraid I’ve lost a bit of motivation too, possibly due to this. I’m a teeny tiny individual trying to integrate a gigantic competitive hungry industry, and therein lies my problem. I don’t have the business acumen or financial backing necessary to kick start my wedding business in this day and age. This has led to me losing my musical mojo momentarily. I’m not commercially driven in the slightest. I love to play, and trying to build my business has taken me so far away from my playing that I scarcely practice anymore, let alone play for my own pleasure. I haven’t touched the harp since last Sunday, and I don’t like that one bit. I’ve taken on an additional 10 hours of shop work this week to secure June, and having that work is an absolute blessing. It keeps me sane and in the black.

Obsessed with music

Bloody rusty wrought iron treble clef from a recent walk run

One thing I’ve found to be an excellent substitute for performance and sharing my music is exercise. It must be the adrenaline and the endorphin rush that follows. In a similar way to practice, it’s awkward and uncomfortable at first, but after a while I find my rhythm, and there are even moments I enjoy feeling my body jiggling about, my feet slamming the tarmac vigorously. Having been told I don’t have a runner’s physique, I’m honouring the rebel within. I love the freedom, power and independence running offers me. Besides, it’s far healthier than some other options available!

Next week I’m off and if I have time, I’ll be putting my version of an out-of-office sign up here. I’m going AWOL and I can’t wait. I desperately need a change of scene to gain some clarity about my situation and perhaps some inspiration regarding a way forward. So there’ll be no blog post next week as I’m turning off my laptop and letting it gather dust for a few days.

See you again in June, and remember to keep loving live music! And maybe even living love music - think about it…

Wortley Hall skyline

Creative unblocking

Playing

Today is Thursday, and it’s music day! Thursdays are usually free days and I try to fill them with as many notes as I can fit in. Today, dear readers, I just haven’t been in the mood. I’ve succumbed to several seductive distractions and I’ve felt very tired, a feeling I’m convinced is down to the meteorological conditions. The weather outside is frightful, don’t let it snow. (There’s almost always a tune or twenty going on in my head!) I try to fight my fatigue by urging myself to practice. This usually follows a walk, or a bit of a run or some sort of time spent outdoors, but I don’t like getting wet and cold! Jumping in the pool for my aquafit classes ticks that box and provides the bracing boost I need to infuse my day with positive energy. I don’t have time to go to the pool every day, so I can’t wait for some sunshine so I can feel the embrace of the great outdoors again.

I have a busy weekend ahead with more playing than I’ve done for quite some time and my fingers are a bit sore. In an instinctive mood this morning, I played through two steadfast cornerstones from my solo repertoire slowly from memory to warm up and was reassured that it didn’t all sound hideous. Interestingly, the pieces sounded quite fresh. A note to my students reading this - practice has a knack of doing that! You can work like the devil and it may feel like your playing’s getting worse, but great music takes time to mature. I can convince myself that I’m the worst harpist ever if I haven’t racked up a certain number of hours’ practice during the week, which can lead to a downward spiral of no practice at all or a negative approach. Cultivating a healthy sense of responsibility is a useful tool here. So for example, I’ve got a performance/lesson coming up - how do I want to feel and what’s the process I need to implement in order to feel that way? Used well it can provide a healthy motivation. Used poorly it can be a tool for self flagellation and guilt. It’s our choice.

I have a LinkedIn account and I get email notifications from them on a regular basis. This morning’s email opened like this - “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. Those words fill me with sorrow and I’ll be deactivating my account as soon as I have time. I genuinely believe the best advertisement is word of mouth and from recent experience, the word of the mouth of the moment, social media, is no great shakes, at least not the way I’m doing it! There has to be a better way and I’m working on it…

I gave an interesting lesson on Monday. It reminded me how fortunate I am to have an abundance of knowledge and experience, and I’m determined to put my skills to good use. I have a very creative mind which can run riot if I’m not careful in channelling it. I think most creatives are wired similarly. The trick is harnessing that energy by becoming attuned to its ebbs and flows.

I played for an ultra chic wedding last weekend at a spectacular venue. It was like something out of a luxury bridal magazine. Unfortunately I didn’t take any photos to show you here as I had quite a lot on my mind. My car exhaust broke late on Friday afternoon, and I got it back just in time for my departure on Saturday morning. My Satnav won’t update so I was trialling an app on my mobile while carefully keeping half an eye on my Satnav, switched to silent, for some form of visual guidance. Needless to say, I arrived at my destination with plenty of time to spare - I’m always aware that incidents like the M62 drama yesterday can happen at any time. It reminded me of a wedding I was playing at a few years ago. I went to pack my car which looked lopsided. I soon realised I had a flat tyre. With the clock ticking, I called my breakdown company, and the mechanic came quite quickly considering it was a Sunday morning. My tyre was fixed and I got to the wedding just in time. I’m often criticised for leaving super early for professional engagements and this is precisely why. I’d rather be there with time to spare for a nap in my car and a coffee than be rushing or, heavens forbid, be late. There ought to be a name for this phenomenon, like Freelancer’s Fear. There probably is, I just don’t know about it. If I’m late or I don’t arrive, I won’t get paid!

This weekend I’m climbing back into the old orchestral saddle and although I feel underprepared by my standards, I’m really excited about playing a beautiful orchestral work and being part of a bigger group of musicians again. Preparing for it has reminded me of my love and passion for orchestral playing and I do feel some sorrow and regret that fewer opportunities come my way these days. I’m on an exciting journey! I’ve enjoyed the discipline of the preparation and the immersion into the music that’s required for a solid performance. I’m nowhere near where I’d like to be with it but I know it’ll be more than good enough. Like one of my teachers Germaine used to say, “On ne peut pas être au four et au moulin”…

Wishing you a great weekend, hopefully with a few more radiant rays of sunshine. Perhaps I’ll see some of you at the Wortley Hall Spring Wedding Fayre on Sunday. I can’t wait to share my harpbeat with you!

Me, Rhian Evans Harpist

at Wortley Hall. Image - John Steel Photography

Short and sweet

Unlike many of my blog posts, tonight I’m keeping it brief. It’s a busy fortnight and with a flying visit to Manchester tomorrow and probably another visit to a gallery for inspiration on Sunday, this home loving country lass will have experienced the hustle and bustle of one too many cities this week. I’ve let the train take the strain a couple of times and I’ve enjoyed the more meditative journeys. I’m looking forward to spending more time pottering around the house and getting mucky in my garden as soon as weather permits.

Image by Glix Photography

I had a great day at the Storthes Hall Park wedding experience last Sunday. Playing for three staged ceremonies was a novelty, and it was great to be reminded what a thrill it can be to take part in someone’s special day. As always, the best bit was meeting other suppliers as well as some lovely brides and grooms. I’ve had no bookings as yet and these things can take time. If you were there and you enjoyed my music, remember that the Storthes Hall Park discount is only valid until 5th of May, so get in touch this weekend!

This weekend I’m playing for a private wedding event so that will keep me pleasantly occupied as well as getting me out of the house again. Ever the optimist, I had my Summer tyres put back on today. The exhaust needs some work too, so a return visit has been booked in for next week. Cars are a necessary evil in my line of work. I couldn’t do without mine. One bonus is visiting the garage. I love it there! It’s as old school as you can get and has an enviable location beside the stream in the village. I never mind if I have to wait a short while as they deal with other customers - I’ve seen a dipper busily flitting up and down the water on past visits. I love listening to C&P’s stories and today was no exception. They’ve both just been on holiday and I was deliciously regaled with best bits. We share a distaste for our throwaway culture and the current climate in this country, and we shared an enthusiastic rant about them.

Have I mentioned I’m going on holiday? It’s my first proper holiday in 4 years and I’m well excited. Look at this:

Not quite scorchio

But it will be

All may well be revealed and I can’t wait. I’m sure there’ll be a holiday blog post or two, but I’m not taking this laptop. It’s back to pen and paper, and I will read at least one book while I’m away.

On Tuesday I met my sister in Leeds for dinner. She was in North Yorkshire for a conference and it was the ideal opportunity for a short sweet catch up. We met at the fabulous Tetley in the quiet heart of Leeds.

Boules!

Salem in the background

I’m looking forward to going back there, perhaps for a wedding. I’d love that! There’s a sense of playfulness about the Tetley that’s quite intoxicating, and the art deco interior reminds me of atmospheric old movies.

Next Sunday is the eagerly anticipated Spring Wedding Fayre at Wortley Hall. It’s organised by those lovely people at Wedding Fayres Yorkshire this time, and I can’t wait to play at one of my favourite venues. Will the ducks be around I wonder? Also next weekend, I have the first orchestral work I’ve done in quite a while, so I’m busy practicing and learning the score. It’ll be a lovely gig and I do miss orchestral playing. I’m sure I’ll take to it again like a dipper to water! I’ve been learning some new wedding repertoire and I’ll be recording excerpts to share on my Soundcloud channel next week. Have you subscribed yet? Please do, I’d really appreciate your support. Here’s the link:

Dear readers, I wish you a fun-tastic sun-tastic Bank Holiday weekend!

The road

Storthes Hall Park - The Venue

It’s been a busy old week here at Rhian Evans Harpist Headquarters, what with a full day teaching yesterday followed by a flying visit to the vet (she’s been off her food - after what was clearly a hideously painful hiss-worthy steroid shot, and then a traumatic nauseating car journey, she’s back to her playful vocal kittenish self today) before a big works do last night.

Happy Llwyd

Happy harpist

Today I’m resting up and practicing, as well as working my regular Saturday evening shift, before a busy day at an exciting new-to-me venue, Storthes Hall Park in Huddersfield. Click on the link below to register and find out more about tomorrow’s event:

I look forward to seeing you there if you’re in the area. Why not come along and listen to my harpbeat?

Image by John Steel Photography at Wortley Hall

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:

Reflections, Shadow and Light Manchester Art Gallery

“I was in Manchester recently for a much needed dose of musical inspiration. One of my favourite things is combining business with pleasure which I did with great joy by visiting a very special art gallery indeed.”

Torso

With its angular swoops and curves, this was one of my favourite works by Halima Cassell. Her exhibition was warm, engulfing, immense and poignantly beautiful

You may be justified in wondering why a harpist is writing about an art gallery. I’ve always harboured a fascination with these peaceful places, embellished with a humbling abundance of creativity.

Flow

Halima Cassell

I feel invigorated, stimulated, inspired when I see the wondrous result of months and maybe years of painstaking work. My imagination runs riot pondering the process that’s gone on behind the scenes with vivid clarity. This reflects my journey in music and my own personal artistic creative process with its pretty and not so pretty moments.

Ironic happy face Torture chair

Slice Chair - Matthias Bengtsson

Manchester was my stomping ground for many years on and off and I have a love hate relationship with the city. I love the green spaces that can be found in the most unexpected places, dotted haphazardly in and amongst its concrete architectural confusion of buildings. It’s a hectic city, rendered rabid with busy people clamouring to reach their destinations with critical urgency. I feel like a fish out of water when I’m there, jostled by elbows competing to get on malodorous buses, in lack of my bucolic country comforts. On the day of my visit, I managed a personal best of over 13,000 steps. Go me, and Take That, public transport.

Doves - Barbara Hepworth

Part of “And Breathe… Exploring the relationship between art and mindfulness”

I’ve started taking hundreds of photos in galleries, and mobile phones with gargantuan gigabyte memories make that a snap. I sometimes think I’m missing the point but I forget to have my specs to hand and I can’t absorb all the detail and information in a two hour splurge, so one of my favourite things is getting home to gleefully review what my eye didn’t quite capture. The images add a deeper perspective to my visit.

Phoenix

Halima Cassell

Galleries fascinate me. Why am I irresistibly drawn in by certain works and repelled by others? I used to feel a sense of inadequacy and inferiority about my lack of knowledge and I ridiculed the fact I homed in on details most people consider banal and insignificant. Take Sunday for example. There was a to-do about Da Vinci’s drawings which I didn’t even find. “How could you miss the major exhibition?” I hear you ask. Manchester Art Gallery has so many rarities shrouded in the protective dark chambers of its luxurious Farrow and Ball painted interior that it’s easily done.

Sema

Halima Cassell

Then there’s the allure of evocative trophies from the gift shop, not to mention the café. The waiter and I oohed over the cascading blossom tree confetti we could see through the elongated windows in front of the gallery, providing lush natural contrast to the smooth sandstone building.

City centre safety

Scraping the sky

I found a partner in crime when I confessed to the waitress I was having cake for lunch. My hedonism reined in, I curbed my enthusiastic selection to two fruity numbers, and my tangy orange and almond cake (no ice cream (sad face)) washed down with the best flat white I’ve had in ages fuelled me for one last zing through the galleries. From top to bottom in twenty minutes, now there’s a challenge. I even did the survey on a tablet for the survey curator, albeit slightly begrudgingly, but a promise is a promise. I’d have rather seen the Da Vinci.

Airy lobby

Enwreathed in ingenuity

If you’re in Manchester, I can’t recommend Manchester Art Gallery highly enough. Even if you’re not in Manchester, find an excuse to visit! Here’s another handful of heartfelt memories:

Blue Loop

Rasmussen

Redolent of an amoebic ashtray

Halima Cassell

Top floor

Covetable curios

Open space

Nordic craft and design

“Have you been to Manchester Art Gallery? Which is your favourite gallery? What did you see, and how did it inspire you? Go to the Contact page to get in touch and let me know!”

Wedding Wednesday means Wedding Fayres

Here’s a reminder of the wedding fayres and events I have coming up. Attending one of these events is one of the best ways to meet me and find out more about having emotional live harp music on your wedding day. I add events to the list all the time so keep checking this website and my social media. You can find the links at the bottom of the homepage of this website.

Sunday 31st March, 10-5 - Standedge Tunnel and Visitor Centre, Huddersfield, Spring Wedding Fayre

Sunday 28th April, 11-3, Storthes Hall Park - The Venue, Huddersfield

Sunday 12th May, 11am, Wortley Hall, Sheffield (Wedding Fayres Yorkshire)

If you’d like me to come and play at your promotional event, do get in touch, and if you’re thinking of having a harpist playing at your wedding, click on the contact page and drop me a line - I can’t wait to hear from you!

Listen to my Ha-ha-ha-harp!

Me, Rhian Evans Harpist, having a laugh

I’m just a bit excited at having been invited to play at Sainsbury’s Local in Holmfirth for their Comic Relief event. It takes place on the 15th March, times to be confirmed. The main reason for my excitement is that it’s a charity event and I’m really looking forward to playing for an audience that might never have heard a harp or seen one up close before. I’m going to decide on the delicious harp music I’m going to play this weekend, and it will be music on the lighter side which I love, played from the heart as always. As for what to wear, well that’s easy. If you follow me on social media, you’ll have seen that I’m not shy about fancy dress and neither am I ashamed to admit I’ve got a wig collection (2 to date, watch this space…) I’m also willing to accessorise my harp. Anything could happen!

This little Sainsbury’s in the heart of Holmfirth is lovely and I started working there part time in January. The managers and other staff have been so kind and patient with me as I’ve been learning the ropes of a job in which I have no skills or experience other than those I’ve gained from being a musician. They’ve not been much use for working tills or taking a delivery (or doing the blasted lottery) but slowly and surely I’m improving and gaining confidence. The shop has saved my sanity in many ways as I try to keep my harp work closer to home in order to avoid too many motorway journeys. I don’t mind driving but I’m trying reduce my mileage as I approach the big five-0.

Next week, I’m going to contact the local press to see if they’d be interested in featuring the store’s endeavours for Comic Relief. They’ve planned it really well with all sorts of activities going on to raise money for this important charity and I’m really touched they’ve asked me to take part. The red noses, banners and all things Comic Relief are already by the tills. I wonder if they’ll be getting those red noses for cars so that I can put one on my harp. Or maybe my head. Hmmm.

If you’re in Holmfirth on Friday 15th, do pop into Sainsbury’s and donate some money to Comic Relief. And come and say hello and listen to my ha-ha-ha-harp beat!

Wortley Hall Wedding Showcase

“Playing at promotional events is key to the success of any freelance musician. Read on to find out about my latest experience at Wortley Hall near Sheffield”

Chandelier

My harp beneath

I was invited to play for the Wortley Hall wedding showcase last Thursday evening. My relationship with this warm soulful place goes back quite a few years by now and I jump at any chance to play there. The staff are brilliant! They’re helpful and friendly in an unforced natural way and they go to great lengths to ensure that each wedding runs smoothly.

My excitement escalates when I approach the quietly spectacular structure of weathered golden stone. Pulling up outside the main building, the views over the grounds and the adjacent sprawling countryside are breathtaking. This truly is a fine example of Yorkshire at its best.

My heart leapt when I spotted my welcoming committee in the dappled shade of the yew trees:

Walking my harp through the hotel’s Ruddy Duck restaurant, I spied a pair of brass duck head bookends. Wortley Hall is a sanctuary for these feathered friends. They in turn lend an element of playfulness to their stately home.

If you read last week’s blog post, you might have detected a hint of ennui at the whole rigmarole of much of the wedding fayre business. Not so at Wortley Hall. I consistently get bookings from playing at their fayres. The harp is definitely right at home here.

I’ve played for lots of ceremonies in this unique hotel, and live harp music always goes down a treat, whether it’s for the civil ceremony and drinks reception, or the wedding breakfast afterwards in the glorious wooden splendour of the Foundry Dining Room with its ornate ceiling and gigantic chandelier. There’s a relaxed homely grandeur about Wortley Hall which I love. At the most recent Fayre in January, I had a quick look at the refurbished rooms upstairs in the heavens. They’re like little romantic nests tucked away in the antiquated eaves. Wortley Hall is the perfect place for a secret escape from it all.

Just like that - the atmospheric splendour of the Foundry Dining Room

The atmosphere at the wedding evening was peaceful and intimate. There was none of the hustle and bustle of dozens of suppliers promoting their wares to customers hungry to discover the latest wedding trends. I was one of only three suppliers. The others were Keith Woods Entertainment, who provided the floral arrangements, transforming the ceremony room into an exotic garden of paradise with the bountifully laden boughs of their blossom trees. Creative photographer Eternal Photography was the man behind the lens, or rather beside his photos. He definitely takes better photos than I do, but hopefully you get a feel for this beautiful location from my snaps.

For this event, I decided to take a slightly different approach from what I usually do at commercial fayres. I played what I wanted to play. A risky strategy? Maybe, but if I’m enjoying myself, there’s more chance my audience will enjoy themselves too. Don’t get me wrong! I love my wedding harp repertoire and I could play Mendelssohn and Wagner for a Thousand Years, or at least ‘til the ducks come home, but I was in the mood for something different that evening. And so were my audience from the feedback I got. Doing it my way could be the way forward…

Atmospheric

The gardens at dusk

Night time statue

“I’ll be recording some short sound clips (and maybe more) from March onwards. Keep checking in to listen to my harp beat!”

FAYRE ENOUGH

You cannot be serious!

Last night/this morning, I’ve had about 3 hours sleep. I’m in the throes of a creative phase and I have a billion ideas burgeoning busily and noisily in my head. I’ve had quite a frustrating time trying to get involved in more and more wedding fayres so that I can meet all you lovely brides and grooms who would like to book my wedding services but can’t find me for one reason or another. I’ve pushed beyond my comfort zone and contacted and reconnected with local venues within West Yorkshire without success. Despite several efforts I’m greeted with the reply that makes my heart sink - “We’ve already got a musician”, or a hefty charge in excess of £200 to go and work at a fayre. Anyone who knows me will know I’m not work shy and I’m happy to invest in something that will reap rewards, but after enquiring on a forum for harpists and, most importantly, within myself, wedding fayres these days aren’t the viable investment they used to be for harpists. The return simply isn’t high enough. There’s always someone who will do the work for less money in what is a niche market, relatively speaking. Understandably, everyone wants a bite of the apple. When you book me, you do get a highly personalised professional service. I have skill, experience, knowledge and expertise (I trained intensively for 11 years) - it isn’t just me rocking up with my harp and playing your favourite music. Most importantly, I genuinely care and I love my job!

I’ve experienced a fair (!) bit of interest at fayres but unless I take a deposit on the day, there’s only a small percentage of clients who actually pursue their initial enquiry to eventually end up booking. It would seem that the way forward is focusing on developing my online presence. A search engine ad? A social media advertising boost? Signing up with agencies? A sleek slick shiny brochure for clients to take home and show their nearest and dearest? New publicity photos and videos? Which one of these risky time consuming costly endeavours should I choose? If there’s something you would like more of, please don’t hesitate to get in touch - all suggestions welcomed! And if you know someone who would benefit from me playing at an event, do pass on my details!

I think my plan of action will become clear as I move through my year, and seeing as I’m quite an old fashioned girl at heart, word of mouth will play a major role. For now I’m focusing my energy on doing my new part time job. Did I tell you I’ve got a job? I started in January and it’s been one of the toughest learning curves of my life but I really am loving the stability and security it offers me and I can only see positives. It definitely beats almost falling asleep on the motorway round midnight after 2 or 3 days of orchestral work. The reality is that, financially, I’m probably better off doing my part time job. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not saying no to orchestral playing, which I miss very very much, but I haven’t found a way for it work for me yet this season. My focus now is on developing my presence locally. That and getting a few hours practice in. This week, I’ve managed a deliciously giddy hour. I thrive on four hours a day which is unrealistic nowadays, but I’m very optimistic there’ll be a quieter week in the near future when I get on top of learning and digesting so much new information.

“What’s your new job Rhian?” I hear you all ask? Check in during the next month to find out more. There are some exciting events coming up which I would never have imagined and which I can’t wait to share with you…

Behind the scenes - getting creative. All images - John Steel Photography. With heartfelt thanks to Wortley Hall for their generous support in allowing me use of their spectacular hotel

The Lowry - a Photo blog post for readers that aren’t on Facebook

I saw some spectacular sights before work last night:

Imperial War Museum

from the Lowry

Those dark eyes

watching over me one last time

Imperial War Museum

with a flood of poppies

Those dark eyes again

Gotta take the rough with the smooth

My BRITTEN Lesson

23 October

The pedalling passage

11 November

I feel a bit embarrassed about putting this messy picture up but I’m suspicious of people with pristine sheet music! Here is the page above with added creative process. Given another couple of days I could have easily played from this score but I ran out of time. People say my parts are unreadable. To me they make perfect sense - by that stage of learning, the reflexes and muscle memory have been programmed. The notes would have become part of me and I could have played it with my eyes shut

I realise that by writing with utter honesty here, if a fixer or colleague reads this it may jeopardise my chances of being offered orchestral work but I’m willing to take that risk. I see images and reports of perfect performances online (let’s face it, nobody wants to admit to a performance that’s below par) and I wonder how perfect these are. What about the f**k ups? What about dealing with difficult situations? I always aim to play all the notes and forget this isn’t always possible, especially when rehearsal time is brief. Sometimes a plan B is called for and as a tenacious perfectionist, I’m not always great at resorting to plan B.

Hindsight is a beautiful thing and there’s an opportunity to learn and not beat myself up. I thought I’d share some of my experience learning Britten’s War Requiem and what I gained from it. If I was doing work like this all the time and not trying to reboot my life it would have been easier - I haven’t had to learn a particularly challenging new piece this year so my process isn’t as well honed as it used to be.

I have a very specific sound in mind when I learn a new piece. Take Tosca for example - it demands a Puccini sound that’s often full and lush. If I approached Britten’s music with that style it would sound wrong. This makes life harder but I’ve never been one for just playing the notes, occasionally to my detriment.

My biggest enemy these days is time. If I’d had time I would have taken a clean photocopy of the original page and marked it up again without all my workings out leaving the bare minimum of markings. Ideally I would have enlarged this page and maybe put it on Sibelius if I had it and knew how to use it. Again I realise the majority of my work is last minute which has a knock on effect on everything else. I’ve never been a strong sight-reader so now, with my increasingly poor eyesight, I need to learn difficult pieces thoroughly to feel confident about playing, watching the conductor and listening to my colleagues.

This short and relatively simple section needed to be memorised

I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to learn and perform War Requiem and it puts me in good stead if it comes round again or if I’m asked to teach or coach it.

This week is busy again with two big programmes over the weekend, including a couple of works I’ve never played. Everything else is familiar which is reassuring and the new pieces aren’t particularly challenging. There’s even a piece which brings a smile to my face! I commit to practicing slowly and calmly with curiosity and doing 4 hours on my quieter days, and making more time to listen to recordings of the pieces I’m working on. I also commit to finding a way of recording myself at home, mainly to log my own process and progress and to get used to recording. I commit to getting my eyes tested next week. Oh and I commit to believing in myself again, and in my love for music and my passion for sharing it.

Another tricky passage

Plan B

Ripon Cathedral

Pride of place - my lovely position beneath the poppies in the cathedral

I recently got back from tonight’s concert and a long day rehearsing in Ripon. The piece was Britten’s War Requiem which I mentioned a few posts back. I didn’t play very well. I feel out of sync with everything and I’m sure that’s how my playing sounded. I hate feeling like that. There was one pedalling section I was dreading which seemed to have worsened since the rehearsal. I got out with the others and got back on track a few bars later. I think what I need to focus on is right there in that sentence. I managed to recover and play most of the piece to a decent standard for a first attempt. Those who know me will know I have very high standards for myself. I pride myself on being super prepared especially for a concert of this nature, but I seem to have spent this season chasing my tail. I had to resort to playing quite loud music in the car on the way home to try and drown out the negativity. I do keep saying it though - my orchestral days are numbered. I’m just not enjoying it anymore, and I’m tired. So exhausted. That’s difficult to write - my passion for a very long time has been orchestral playing, and I almost felt that passion again once this season. Almost. Once.

Ripon looked poignantly beautiful festooned with poppies in all guises. Ceramic, fabric, paper, plastic, you name it. Walking up the path from the changing facilities, the cathedral was bathed in red light which gave it an eerie blooded quality. Seeing the crowds of people from far and wide congregated in silence to pay their respects outside the cathedral was breathtaking and humbling and there were some amazing installations in and around the building. I caught a glimpse of the thought provoking Fields of Mud, Seeds of Hope earth sculpture. At the end of the day what I need to remember is the reason I was in Ripon tonight. Remembrance. Would all those who made such unthinkable agonising sacrifices a hundred years ago have minded my pedal mishap? I doubt it. Maybe even conscientious objector Britten would have been having a laugh about it.

Festooned

The street opposite Ripon Cathedral

Life on Tour - week 2, Hull

I had a fantastic time in Hull and it certainly wasn’t dull. I love combining pleasure with business, even more so when it involves being near water. After a cold rainy start on Thursday and a smooth drive past Goole towers, Friday was glorious. Waking a bit later than usual meant rescheduling my intended trip to Withernsea beach. I settled instead for a bright brisk jolly welly yomp around Humber Bridge Country Park to dust off the cobwebs from travelling and quite an intense performance of Tosca on Thursday evening.

Park art

Smile with your eyes

I always arrive early for a performance, especially at a new venue. I haven’t played at Hull New Theatre for at least fifteen years so I didn’t know what to expect. I couldn’t even find where to unload my harp so I called for assistance. Chris Ladds deserves a medal and is one of the many unsung heroes of Opera North. He’s the orchestral operations manager. I know he’s only a quick call away when I need to get my harp in, and he invariably has useful advice about parking and other inside information. Chris has quite a challenging job in that he has to satisfy the rehearsal and performance needs of sixty or so musicians, no mean feat when we want to do our jobs to the best of our ability.

Olde and new

The pub near the theatre. The modern building is Hull History Centre

Each pit presents a different set of problems and as I learnt, the Hull pit is no exception. The only position available for me was in front of the doors, at the business end of four horns. With a half hour seating rehearsal, a tentative panoply of options and scarcely enough time to settle in, I didn’t realise how loud it would get. I had earplugs and fingers for the louder moments and I was provided a screen. However, my main problems were my distance from refreshingly passionate and expressive Dutch conductor Antony Hermus, and having a much reduced sightline to him as I was on a lower level than the bulk of the orchestra. I played two short sections in the rehearsal, insufficient time to work out that it would be a difficult position and do something about it. It was an edgy performance and I was glad to have my Pilates mat with me and a bathtub to iron out the creases. I felt no guilt whatsoever at indulging in my hotel room pop up spa the following morning.

Room with a view

These days I tend choose quiet hotels with a bit of greenery whenever possible and Hull was no exception. Hessle is a hassle free fifteen minute drive from the city centre and a generous stone’s throw from the iconic Humber Bridge and its Country Park. I was in room 101 with bridge and tree views as well as wildlife.

Unexpected avians

Peacock plethora in the hotel gardens

Golden gateway

San Francisco? Nope, Hessle

Using my time wisely on tour can be tricky. Playing isn’t an option as my instrument can’t easily be moved from the pit and I feel uncomfortable about practising when there are technical rehearsals in the theatre. My harping wouldn’t be a welcome accompaniment. For this part of the tour I decided to get physical in the morning, so I got a brisk walk under my belt on Friday and a long Pilates session on Saturday. It seemed to work as I felt quite calm. Meditation is daily and non negotiable and helps with learning to manage anxiety.

Precarious

Sliding tree

On Saturday I met up with Patti from the wardrobe department. One of a set of triplets with an older sister, she’s a beautiful bohemian Basque woman from Bilbao and she lights up the corridor as she breezes by. She’s very passionate about her work and I could sense that after a year of living on the road without a base, she’s ready to settle down to pursue a stable job. She says touring and freelancing is very exciting but difficult and tiring at the same time.

Patti

Creative, quirky and funny

We met at Trinity Market over coffee and cannoli and chewed the fat freely. Quite literally in my case after Patti returned to her digs to do her own laundry. I brought enough healthy home cooked food for the first two days meaning I’d earned a bit of a Saturday splurge. I don’t often eat out and when I do I try to choose something I wouldn’t make at home. I went the whole hog, plumping for meltingly tender pork belly, black pudding, smoked egg yolk and sauerkraut coleslaw on flatbread with a side of chips. I didn’t eat the bread - double carbs?!! Within twenty minutes the somniferous food took effect and I headed to my car for my siesta.

Filthy

Saturday special treat

I love that warm open expressive freedom innate to many Mediterraneans and southern Europeans and I miss it from the time I spent in France. I feel uncomfortable around people with stiff upper lips and Patti and I were in agreement that we Brits can be difficult to decipher. Why can’t we just say what we mean? Why do we feel the need to sugar coat everything?

Running out of time and steam from our express conversation, I earmarked the Maritime Museum and the docks for my next visit to Hull. I love ports - the atmosphere and aromas there are intoxicating, a sweet vivid reminder of unforgettable childhood trips with my Dad when he worked on the ships.

The beauty of the beach

without having to get in my car and drive

After an emotional performance of Tosca, my get out was swift and smooth thanks again to Chris’s willingness to protect my harp from the sudden strong gusts of wind. Llwyd welcomed me home with open paws, well, open packets of food strewn across the doormat actually. It’s her favourite expression of protest at being left home alone other than getting herself temporarily rehomed.

Next week is Nottingham and it often snows on this leg of the tour at this time of year, so I’m having my winter tyres put on next week just to be on the safe side. I’m braced for what the season heralds. And I still haven’t met elusive Welsh truck driver Huw - is he hiding from me? Maybe next week at the Lowry…

Structure

Looks like a sci-fi elephant

Interpretation and expression

Familiar

One of Britten’s characteristic markings. It made me laugh when I once found a Britten harp part where the bracketed Italian words had been replaced with the words “Aren’t they all?!”

At the beginning of this week I received the harp part for a work I’m performing next month, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem. It’s a renowned choral orchestral piece and I’ve never learnt it. It’s completely unfamiliar. I’ve never even heard it performed. It got me thinking that this would be the ideal opportunity to share some insights from my learning process.

After leaving the music to ripen further in the envelope for 2 days as I didn’t have time to start looking at it, out came those notes enshrined in mystery yesterday morning. I’ve worked on quite a few of Britten’s harp parts and they are at times fiendishly difficult. His harp writing was strongly influenced by his friendship with male Welsh harpist Osian Ellis who was I suppose Britten’s harp muse. Ellis was a technical whizz in his heyday and this is obvious when you study Britten’s often complex writing.

I scanned through the music yesterday morning and was relieved to find that nothing made me wish I’d received the part sooner. Time will tell. This evening I started looking in more detail and seeing patterns in his writing. I recognised the meticulously precise indications and articulations specific to his style.

My next step will be to go through the part very slowly exploring each element and making sense of them. Much of my work will be done away from the harp with little playing. If I do play sections, they won’t sound great, much like a first draft or a sketch. I rarely like to listen to a new piece before I investigate it myself, mainly out of curiosity to see how near or far from the mark I get to the general interpretation. I will then research the piece and work out the roles of the harp within the orchestral texture. After I become quite familiar with it I’ll start listening to it, both with and without the printed music. With 3 busy weeks to learn it, time is of the essence and I’m trying to cut myself a little slack. It probably won’t be perfect this time. Marking up is a long and vital part of the process, and I’m often adjusting and making corrections a few days before a performance and, best of all, afterwards if there’s a repeat performance. Then I can go to a deeper level. There is only one performance this time, so hopefully I will have the opportunity to do it again. It’s a lot of work, which I enjoy immensely.

There’s an arid coldness to some of Britten’s writing and I often find his music can seem quite angular, stark and impenetrable at first, and by the same token there is so much beauty, such warmth and spine tingling emotion. His violin concerto is a scorcher, his operas masterpieces. One of my all time favourite Britten works is the Lute Song from Gloriana, so simply stunning I’ve added this sound clip.

The fact he almost always writes for the harp in his works means Britten is a force to be reckoned with and the challenge of learning one of his pieces is an opportunity for enrichment.

Draft pedalling

This will need work to make it work

I digress. Great pedalling is an art form and it’s very important to find a system that works. If you’re a non musician or lever harpist, the harp has 7 pedals, one for each note, with 3 positions - flats are at the top, naturals in the middle, and pressing the pedal right down sharpens the note. Accidentals (flats, naturals and sharps) basically make the note sound higher or lower. Looking at my feet, the pedals are in this order: D, C, B / E, F, G, A. I’m a left foot over right foot kind of girl. This means I write my pedals with D, C, B on top. There’s no right or wrong here but consistency is key.

Brownie points

if you can tell me why I need to edit this page

Choosing a good fingering can only really be done at the harp so that you can hear the results. To some extent, you can do this away from the instrument but you have to hear and feel the result and like pedalling, the fingering I choose might not work for another harpist. I think it’s down to morphology and how my brain functions as well as technical ability. I know some harpists would laugh at my imaginative fingerings but if they work for me and the music, it doesn’t matter. I try to choose my fingering according to the articulation and the musical intention and Britten is very precise in his demands. The small arrows in the passage above mean staccatissimo, very very short, and ppp means pianississimo - very very quiet, so this can be quite tricky especially if it’s fast. Articulation is like talking. Imagine someone talking in a monotone way, you soon stop listening. It’s the same with music.

Analysis is essential in understanding the piece, so this means working on key signatures, time signatures, harmonic progressions, basic structure and so on. It’s like baking a cake - knowing and understanding the ingredients you’re putting in. It’s way less boring than it sounds - it can be a vividly colourful discovery.

Visual memory is so important. I feel reassured if I can see the pages in my mind away from the harp and the more detail the better. Learning a new piece is like putting information into a computer. Input it any old how and any old how is what you get out. This doesn’t stop me from making it a fun, indulgent, imaginative and creative learning experience. This may seem silly but listening is important! Sometimes I’m so busy with one particular aspect of the music that I feel daft when I realise I’ve stopped listening. I pay attention to the various voicings in each hand. Germaine, my teacher in France taught me this, to define each line within a chordal left hand part for example, to connect the notes and hear and SING the individual lines. I can still play many of the pieces I learnt with her mostly from memory. This brings me to muscle memory, a vital element in practice and performance. What I mean is feeling the gaps between the fingers (inversions), the jumps, left and right hand coordination, how to remember the music by encouraging the body to FEEL it. It is physical and emotional work. And it’s as much fun as I make it.

The metronome soon becomes my close ally again and sets me on the right track. Slowly but surely I will get there and my aim is to feel as though the music belongs to me, that I know it intimately. I often get discouraged during the learning process - this is normal and I know I just have to keep going, or take a break and let the music in. When I feel like this, I remind myself to focus on how I want to feel in the rehearsal and concert, to focus on the music and the performance. Visualisation and meditation are really useful here. I’ve suffered from performance anxiety in the past, and sometimes I still do. It passes as soon as I get into the music. I’ve learnt to manage it and it isn’t destructive anymore. It helps if I have practiced well and offered myself plenty of anchors in my preparation to keep me from going adrift.

Time for some practice. Not on the piano.