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Edinburgh Harp Festival Announces 2016 Dates

Sharon Griffiths joins the EIHF committee to help expand pedal harp opportunities at the festival.
August 18, 2015

The Edinburgh International Harp Festival will take place April 1–6, 2016. The annual harp event, now in its 35th year, takes place at Merchiston Castle School, in Edinburgh, and is sponsored by the The Clarsach Society. The full program will be announced in January.

The festival, which has traditionally had a lever harp focus, has also announced plans to incorporate pedal harp into its program with the appointment of Sharron Griffiths to their committee. “As you know the clarsach, or lever harp, is at the heart of the festival programme and what we do at The Clarsach Society,” said the festival’s recent newsletter. “The pedal harp is always there, be it classical, jazz or early music and we plan to strengthen this element and further explore the links across musical genres and boundaries.”

The Clarsach Society is also calling for entries for its 2015 Young Composers Award, a competition for composers ages 16–25. The winning piece for non-pedal harp will receive a performance at the 2016 Edinburgh International Harp Festival.

For more information see www.harpfestival.co.uk and www.clarsachsociety.co.uk.

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