Press Pack

 Catrin Finch – Harpist – Catrin Finch is the most accomplished harpist in the UK. Inspired to learn the harp at the age of five, her rise to prominence started immediately when, studying under Elinor Bennett, she achieved the highest mark in the UK for her Grade 8 exam at the age of nine. After studying at The Purcell School, Catrin went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of Music in 2002 where she studied with Skaila Kanga and received the Queen’s Award for the most outstanding student of her year. She then went on to win the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in France, the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York, and subsequently has been nominated for Classical Brit Awards and has also received an “Echo Klassik” award in Germany. Catrin is the former Royal Harpist to H.R.H. Prince Charles, holding the appointment from 2000-­‐2004, in doing so reviving this ancient tradition that had last been held in 1873. She has appeared with many of the world’s top orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Philharmonia, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Mozart Players, and the English Chamber Orchestra. Festival’s include Salzburg, Edinburgh, Spoleto, Smithsonian Folklife, MDR Musiksommer Festival in Leipzig, Le Domaine Forget and Lanaudiere Festivals in Canada and the Gödöllő Harp Festival in Hungary. Catrin has recorded for all of the major recording companies, including Universal Records, DG, EMI and Sony Classical, in both a solo capacity and with notable artists such as Bryn Terfel, Sir James Galway and Julian Lloyd-­‐
Webber. In 2013 Catrin collaborated with Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita on a record celebrating the harp traditions of Wales and West Africa. “Clychau Dibon” was was outstandingly well received, winning the 2014 Album Of The Year in both Froots and Songlines, sitting atop the World Music charts for a number of weeks. March 2015 saw the release of Catrin’s self composed album “Tides”, in partnership with the charity WaterAid, which included a visit to Ethiopia in February to bring the harp to a wider audience. Catrin's most recent project was a tour to Patagonia with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales to mark the 150th anniversary of the Welsh settlement in Argentinian Patagonia. The tour covered cities including Buenos Aires, Santiago and Montevideo, and amongst other works Catrin performed concertos by Ginastera and Gliere to celebrate the anniversary. In 2016 she will tour the UK with the London Philharmonia Orchestra and be Artist In Residence at The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. 2016 will also see the release of an album highlighting the celebrated traditions of French harp music from the start of the Romantic era.