Alis Huws, official Royal Harpist to HRH King Charles, has signed as an exclusive recording artist with Decca Classics. Her debut EP will be released later this year. Huws released a single from the album on May 3, her arrangement of the Welsh folksong “Tra Bo Dau” (As long as two remain), which can be heard on Spotify and Apple Music.
Huws was chosen by His Majesty King Charles III to perform at his coronation at Westminster Abbey a year ago; she was named royal harpist in 2019. Now based in London, Huws has recently been selected as one of the 30 musicians under the age of 30 on Classic FM’s list of rising stars in 2024.
According to a press release, Huws grew up on a farm in Montgomeryshire, Wales. She describes going from working in sheep pens in the morning to performing in front of royalty in the evening. “I had a day last year when I was at home in mid-Wales helping with the sheep and lambs from about six in the morning until lunchtime, then I hopped on a train to London and spent the whole evening playing in St. James’s Palace,” she says.
When Huws was growing up, there was a harp in the family home, so it was inevitable that one of the four siblings would learn to play it. Shortly after Huws completed her studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and it was there, in 2019, that the then-prince (the college’s president) appointed her as the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales. Last year, when Charles III became king, Huws became the Official Royal Harpist.
At the coronation of King Charles, Alis played the official royal harp, made by Salvi Harps and embellished with intricate gold leaf decoration featuring the Welsh dragon, alongside the specially formed Coronation Orchestra in a performance of Sir Karl Jenkins’ Tros y Garreg (Crossing the Stone). She says the coronation was the “pinnacle” of her five years in the role. “Watching history happen in front of my eyes felt surreal; it was such a privilege and honor,” Huws says. She has also performed for countless heads of state and prime ministers worldwide.
Alongside her work performing for the royal family, Huws is involved in bringing music into communities, giving regular interactive concerts in care homes as well as working with children with additional needs. “My life is full of contrasts, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she says. During the pandemic lockdown, the harpist performed for shielding families and has worked extensively with community-based charities Live Music Now! and Music in Hospitals and Care. Huws says she is especially interested in how music can affect those living with dementia. One of her poignant memories is performing in a care home where a woman cried tears of joy as her husband remembered her name after listening to Huws play. Reflecting on the experience, Huws says, “These are the reasons I do what I do.”
Huws also recalls performing in New York and flying back to London the next morning to perform in a high school for students with special needs, where she is a musician in residence. “As an artist, I feel that you have a responsibility to reach people who can’t reach you rather than expect them to come and find you in a concert hall,” Huws says. “Often, my most rewarding and uplifting experiences come from bringing music into the community and finding the people who can really benefit from hearing live music.”
To learn more about Huws, visit her website.
