Alis Huws, Former Royal Harpist: “It's the 21st century. We shouldn't be the ones expecting people to come and find us in a concert hall. I think you have to go to them.”
Alis Huws. Photo by Cat Arwel Photography
Former Royal Harpist Alis Huws is a freelance soloist, orchestral and chamber musician. TWoA talked to Alis about the special connection between the harp and Wales, about her time as Official Royal Harpist, and about the healing power of music for people with special needs. Right in time for the festive season, get ready to be enchanted by Alis’s tales of blind medieval bards and the coronation of a king, of compassion and the gift of music.
How did you get interested in the harp?
In Wales, the harp is the national instrument and it's not that unusual to play the harp. Growing up in Wales, the harp is very present in Welsh culture, especially in Welsh language surroundings. I grew up Welsh-speaking. My mother can play the harp, we had her harp in the house. In Welsh-speaking Wales, it is not that unusual to have a harp somewhere in the family. I realize this may sound ridiculous, but just like you might have a great-aunt with a piano in some countries, in Wales, instead of a piano, it could be a harp.
I'm one of four children. My mum said: “Well, one of you has to play the harp because, you know, we've got a spare harp!” I was very lucky because my teacher at that time, Ieuan Jones - who is an international harpist in his own right - grew up in the same area as me. He was in high school with my mum, several generations of my family have known several generations in his family. We are from a close-knit rural area. I was very lucky to have such a brilliant teacher and such inspiration from the very beginning. And now it's what I do!
What are the roots of this special connection between the harp and Wales?
The harp is really ingrained in Welsh culture, in traditional Welsh music and singing. There's a specific type of Welsh singing called Cerdd Dant, where you set poetry to harp accompaniment. The melody is in the harp, and then you sing a character melody according to a specific set of rules. It’s quite unique and quite special. Of course, we also have the Welsh triple harp, which is the Welsh specialist harp, even though that's not the harp that I play and perform on.
In Wales, if you're trying to figure out who someone is, and you say: “Oh, you know, their daughter plays the harp” – in Wales, that doesn't really narrow it down. Even in the UK, a lot of my harpist friends and colleagues are Welsh or have Welsh roots somewhere, just because it's an instrument that's sort of taught in schools in Wales. Instead of learning the trumpet, you might learn the harp, which is really nice and different.
The history of the triple harp is connected to the history of traveling bards, entertainers traveling all around the country, pitching up for the night and singing to the accompaniment of the harp. You can’t really accompany yourself on something like a violin. Hundreds of years ago, some of the most celebrated triple harpists were blind. It's really confusing and difficult to see what you're playing on a triple harp. It's actually almost an advantage to just look away, or to not be able to see. At some point, the triple harp tradition almost died out. Much of the revival of the triple harp is down to Nansi Richards, who's a celebrated figure in Welsh music and in triple harp playing. She learned from the last family of Welsh gypsies, the Abraham Wood family - the Welsh gypsies were quite instrumental to the triple harp tradition.
What are the greatest difficulties when learning the harp?
For a lot of people, access to the instrument is the biggest thing that holds you back. They are expensive and a bit of an enigma, they can be quite mysterious and feel ethereal and unusual. In Wales, the harp is a lot more accessible as an instrument, harps are everywhere. In other places, access to a quality instrument at a reasonable price, and to a good teacher are a lot more challenging.
As for the instrument itself, the concert harp has 47 strings and seven pedals, which people don't tend to realize. The open strings are all tuned in C flat major. The way I explain it to non-musicians: imagine on a piano, you've got your white keys and black keys. On the harp, all the strings are tuned into white notes, and then you've got to manually change them into black notes with your feet. It can be very confusing. A lot of people don’t realize how incredibly complex the harp is. That's partly why some of our most celebrated composers are harpists themselves, or in a very close relationship with harpists. It's a little closed bubble. Some of the most influential and important people in our world are basically unknown outside of our bubble, because it's so niche and complex and challenging, but also very versatile and physical.
Then, of course, you've got the other challenge of just physically moving the harp about the place. It's a constant struggle. Steps are not our friends. By now, it's a bit of a running joke that my whole life is tuning pedals and parking. I think any harpist would agree with me on that, but like I said, it's part of the job, and you get used to it.
What are the most unique musical qualities of the harp as an instrument?
The obvious one would be the glissando (a swift sweeping motion across all strings.) In orchestral music, it is used a lot as a moment of magic. And we can double up on notes harmonically. We can play a D-sharp and E-flat at the same time, like they're two separate notes. That's where you get this warmth from, it can be really magical.
But the harp can also be really percussive. You can do loads of stuff with it, like pitch bends. You can use the soundboard like a drum, you can thread paper in between the strings, that makes it really rattly. You also have beautiful harmonics that are like pearl drops. I think the more ethereal side is the more well-known side of the instrument, that’s the image people have. But the harp is incredibly versatile and quite percussive and strong and physical. It can take lots of different characters. I think a lot of people have got this narrow image in their mind when they think of the harp. People either go like: “Oh, harp – lovely!” or, if they're not in the mood: “Oh no, I don't want any more of that mush!” But actually, there's loads of stuff out there, weird and wonderful stuff.
You used to be the Official Royal Harpist to the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III. What are the origins of this tradition?
Queen Victoria had a harpist, John Thomas. After her, the position went dormant. Then, the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, made the decision to bring the position back as a way of supporting young Welsh musicians. The harpist doesn’t necessarily have to be Welsh, but part of the ethos of the role is to be an ambassador for Welsh music and the harp in Wales. So naturally, it lends itself to someone of that background. The selection process is slightly unusual: you have to be nominated to apply. Once you’ve been nominated, the process is like a normal job application. I had to send off my CV and some references and do a couple of rounds of interviews and auditions.
The then Prince of Wales wanted to help support a harpist at the start of their career. He brought back the tradition for Catrin Finch, who, at the time, had just won the Lily Laskine harp competition in Paris. She’s a brilliant musician and has inspired a whole generation of Welsh artists. The profile from that position gave her and everyone who's had the position so far, a boost. The role already has that legacy. Now that he's king, it's changed slightly. My successor in the position, Mared Pugh-Evans, is now official harpist to The King.
What was your most memorable performance as royal harpist?
There are a couple that really stand out. I was lucky to get to go to Tokyo for the enthronement of the new emperor. His Royal Highness was going out there to attend and I was invited to go out and perform for him and to tour the country to strengthen cultural links between Wales and Japan. It was just incredible. I visited lots of different schools and concerts and cultural centers. It was the trip of a lifetime. My last engagement in the post was for the Japanese state visit here in the UK, back in June, it was nice to round off my time with another Japanese link.
Another memorable performance was obviously the coronation. That was a really special day, a really special weekend. I just felt privileged to be there, to work with so many amazing musicians, both in the orchestra and the composers who had written all these wonderful new works. Getting to share them with the world for the first time was really exciting, and Antonio Pappano conducting us, he's one of the greats. We sat in the organ loft; we had a bird's eye view of everything happening. We literally saw history happen in real time in front of us, the BBC cameras were nestled amongst us. It was a bit of a pinch me moment. It was a complete honor to have been asked to be a small part of it, to be there and get to witness it all.
What was the biggest challenge, playing at the coronation?
It was challenging from the beginning. I got asked to play several months in advance, and I wasn't allowed to tell anybody! People kept asking: “Oh, you must be doing something!” I didn't expect to be playing in the abbey itself. I thought I might be involved in a drinks reception or something for the visiting heads of state, which is not unusual in that position. I was getting asked all the time and having to play it dumb for about two months and say: “No, I know nothing.” My close friends and family were asking me, and I literally didn't tell anybody anything. Discretion is part of the role, there are always things you can't go into detail about at the time and afterwards.
Alis Huws. Photo by Cat Arwel Photography
You are also very passionate about outreach work, for example with people living with dementia. How did you get involved in this type of work?
I started doing this when I was a student, I really enjoyed it from the beginning. It's so nice when you can have that connection with someone and make them feel heard and present. If that's through music, then great.
A lot of people don't realize, and maybe don't appreciate: if someone's living with dementia, it's not just that person, but it's the whole family. It affects the wider circle of friends and family. If I’m playing in a care home or a day center, just for an hour, that's only one hour for me, but it’s one hour of respite for those family members visiting their loved ones that day, and also for the staff. It’s time for them to just have a moment. It’s something that I feel really strongly, really passionate about. It’s something that I always make time for. Life is hectic, but every time I have any kind of recital or concert, especially if it's something a bit more established or a small festival, I always try my best to get some outreach in there as well. If they don't have an outreach program, then they might be able to get funding for me to do something either early that same day or the next morning. Last week, I was up in Scotland playing a concert for a festival. I was opening the festival, and then the next day, I spent the whole day in a special needs school. It’s brilliant to be able to reach the wider community. I just love it, and I think it's really important. It's the 21st century. As professional musicians, we shouldn't be the ones expecting people to come and find us in a concert hall. I think you have to go to them. Whether that's digitally or, by reaching the wider community. There are so many ways of doing it, of reaching the people that might benefit the most from hearing live music.
How do you adapt your outreach concerts to the needs of this kind of audience?
There’s an interactive element to my concerts for people living with dementia. It often turns into a request concert, covering anything from Abba to classical pieces. Anything goes, I’m trying to get everyone up dancing, it's a really relaxed environment, to make people feel comfortable, to chat if they want to, or to just feel like they can open their eyes. Because sometimes, that's what a significant reaction looks like in those environments. If someone's particularly unwell, then it might just be that they look at you or turn their head, and that's a significant reaction.
I remember, I was in one place where a lady let me hold her hand just for a few minutes, and then she snatched it away. I thought, she clearly wasn't very on board. But the staff came up to us afterwards and said: “That was really significant, that she let you even touch her. That woman usually bites people, that's her usual reaction of trying to make any physical contact: biting.”
There was one incident that really stands out to me. I was still studying, I was doing a tour of care homes in North England with my good friend and colleague, Carys Gittins; we do a flute and harp duo, she loves this kind of work as well, so we've been doing it a lot together over the years. When we arrived, it had been so stressful, hectic and loud, we couldn't even introduce ourselves. There was screaming, people were very agitated, it was a really unpleasant environment. We just went straight to playing some Debussy, and just got everyone really chilled. Afterwards, this woman came up to us and was crying her eyes out: “I've come to see my husband, George. We've been married 63 years, but he doesn't know who I am anymore. I wasn't going to come today, so my daughter just came with me for support. I'm so glad that I did, because he said my name today for the first time in six months. I thought I'd never get to hear him say my name again.”
When you hear that, it's so moving. She mentioned that at the beginning, he had been really agitated. He was walking around the room; he couldn’t stay still. And then about three quarters of the way through the concert, he motioned to her, and they danced the waltz around the room to “Edelweiss.” She said: “I thought I was never going to have a moment of recognition from him again.” The whole vibe in the room had changed.
This happened six or seven years ago, but when you have things like that, they really stay with you. That’s part of the reason why I make the time to do these things. You never know who you're going to help and who you're going to have an effect on. It has had a deep effect on me as well.
I've just finished a yearlong residency in a special needs school for children who are on the autism spectrum. I would go to the school for one morning each week for the whole year, which was a little challenging because of my schedule. Other schools I’ve been to address other medical needs. In one school, there was a girl who was deaf and partially sighted. She was a wheelchair user, non-verbal, with lots of very complex care needs, but we managed to just about get her hand onto the soundboard of the harp. Her face just lit up, she was smiling and laughing from the vibrations of the instrument.
I think as an instrument, the harp lends itself to that environment. It's versatile, it can be more interactive. Visually, it's something quite magical to look at. And it's so accessible. Quite often, children come up to have a go, they might climb on it, which I'm not a big fan of. But playing that glissando (sweeping across the strings with your hand) is something that anybody can do. It’s really nice to be able to give that opportunity to whoever wants it or needs it.
For those who don’t have a chance to hear you live: you've just released your first EP. Tell us about it!
My debut EP with Decca Classics is out now. It’s called Long Nights and Starry Skies. It's out digitally on all streaming platforms. It’s got a handful of tracks, there’s literally something for everyone. There is a Franz Liszt transcription, it's got a Debussy track, with saxophonist Jess Gillam, who is just wonderful. You've got “Suo Gân,” which is a Welsh lullaby. All tracks have a nocturnal, dreamy feel to them. There's even a Taylor Swift cover in there. There is lots more music to come, but the first EP is out, which is really exciting. So go and listen!
How did you decide on the repertoire for the EP and the title?
The team at Decca are amazing, it's been quite a collaborative process. There was a lot of back and forth of all kinds of suggestions and what kind of vibe we're after. I want to have my own identity in there, and my own stamp, so some suggestions have been mine, and some have come from them, it's been really collaborative.
What are the pros and cons of streaming platforms versus physical record such as CDs or LPs?
I think having something physical is always a bonus. I think it really makes you listen to the full album as a collection, as a collective work. There are albums that I have, CDs that I grew up with, you're so used to listening to them as a complete work that you know exactly what comes next. I think it is a shame that this gets lost sometimes in the world of streaming, because you have playlists, making you sometimes lose the sense of an album as a whole.
But streaming has opened so many doors for me as a classical musician to explore new repertoire. If there's a recording of something for a weird combination of instruments, I can hear it. It’s such an important tool to be able to listen to the works that you want to play, and you can compare lots of different recordings. That's a huge benefit of streaming: there's more room to explore. If you don't know that a work exists, you're not going to be able to find it. Streaming can help you know what exists. You wouldn’t believe the amount of repertoire, especially for my flute and harp duo, that we've found on Spotify! For me personally, it's really opened doors to exploring new repertoire and programming new repertoire and taking risks. We love doing things that are a little bit different and slightly nontraditional. You're not going to be able to showcase the versatility of the instrument on just a traditional classical album. Earlier today, I was on a call about some chamber music that I'm going to be doing next year, and it's all new repertoire for me.