Gala concert in Caernarfon to honour influential harpist

The event will celebrate the life and work of harpist and composer John Thomas as part of the Wales Harp Festival, taking place in Caernarfon on Wednesday, April 1.

Mr Thomas, who studied at the Royal Academy of Music and later served as harpist to Queen Victoria, was given the bardic title Pencerdd Gwalia at the 1861 National Eisteddfod.

The concert is sponsored by Pendine Park through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust, with support coordinated by the North Wales International Music Festival in St Asaph.

Mario Kreft MBE, proprietor of Pendine Park, said: "We were delighted to have the opportunity to support this wonderful festival once again as it is one of the cultural highlights in our national calendar."

The event will feature performances by three acclaimed harpists: Katherine Thomas, Amy Turk, and Cerys Hafana.

Katherine Thomas, principal harpist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, said: "John Thomas is part of a harpist’s education, and I shall play two of his original compositions and some of his favourite works.

"The Staccato Movement is an original composition for the harp by John Thomas that uses staccato or short notes to the maximum.

"It’s a piece that raises a smile.

"I love accompanying singers and therefore chose to play John Thomas’ arrangement of Ave Maria by Schubert.

"I finish the set with three of Thomas’ favourite works.

"Cwlwm Cymreig is a piece where I have woven together three of his arrangements of Welsh folk tunes: Clychau Aberdyfi, Dafydd y Garreg Wen, and Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn."

Amy Turk, a multi-genre harpist and composer, said she was "very aware" of John Thomas’ influence on her own career.

Ms Turk said: "It was not lost on me that I was following in Thomas’ footsteps by becoming a student at the Royal Academy of Music, among other great harpists who studied there.

"I learned Bugeilio’r Gwenith Gwyn myself when I was 13.

"It was my first big concert piece.

"I still play it to this day and love the beautiful simplicity of the melody intertwined with the complex arpeggios in the second half."

Cerys Hafana, a composer and singer from Machynlleth, will perform on the triple harp.

Festival organiser Catrin Morris Jones said the concert will showcase "three very different styles of harp playing."

The festival also includes a one-day course for harpists of all ages, workshops for young children, and a taster harp session in partnership with Gwynedd and Anglesey’s Schools Music Service and Bangor University.

At 5pm on April 1, all course participants will perform together on Galeri’s balconies, followed by a short recital from Heather Brookes, winner of the 2025 UK Harp Association competition.

The festival is also collaborating with the Nansi Richards Trust to host the Nansi Richards Scholarship competition for harpists under 25 at 3.30pm on March 31.

Tickets for the gala concert, which begins at 7.30pm on April 1, are available from the Galeri website or by calling the box office on 01286 685222.