Performing
Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr is gaining international recognition for her charismatic and engaging performances.
Gwenllian was twice a prize-winner at the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington where she was highly praised for her musicianship and her ability to connect with audiences.
She has also won many prizes more locally, including the Len Lickorish Memorial Prize for a String Player of Promise at the Royal Over-Seas League AMC 2018, as well as becoming an Artist with City Music Foundation in 2017.
career highlights
Gwenllian’s career has taken her across the globe.
She has performed in prestigious venues alongside renowned artists, including Rebecca Evans, Imogen Cooper, Al Jarreau, Matthew Rees and Bryn Terfel. Gwenllian toured the UK to promote the release of her debut album with Sain, ‘Dusk to Dawn’, and her playing was praised for its rare “liquid legato” and “compelling mellowness”. She has since released a second CD, ‘Soliloquies for harp’ with Ty Cerdd, focusing on the wide range of Welsh music that has been composed for the harp.
Gwenllian is becoming increasingly in demand as a soloist with orchestras and choirs, enabling her to demonstrate the wide-range of harp music to more audiences. She was invited to be guest soloist with Côrdydd as they took to the stage of Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and she relished the opportunity to share the music of Welsh composers in this prestigious venue. Gwenllian has also performed the fiery and percussive Concerto by Ginastera with the Milton Keynes Sinfonia, the elegant and much-loved flute and harp Concerto by Mozart alongside Shirley Barningham with the Hallgate Chamber Orchestra, as well as the colourful and contrasting Danses by Debussy with the Orchestra of St. John’s.
Gwenllian has had the pleasure of studying with wonderful teachers in some of the best institutions across the world, with degrees from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, The Juilliard School and the Royal Academy of Music.
In addition to substantial financial support from scholarships and grants, Gwenllian also received many accolades during her studies, including the William Schuman prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music from The Juilliard School. Her studies afforded her with fantastic opportunities to work with other musicians and artists, to develop her love of chamber music as well as expanding the harp repertoire. An avid proponent of new music, Gwenllian has worked with many composers over the past decade, helping musicians and audiences to understand the versatility of the harp and culminating in many world premieres. During her final year at The Juilliard School, Gwenllian worked with composer Sayo Kosugi and dancer and choreographer Eve Jacobs in the performance of Nebula, Blooming for harp and dance. She has also worked on several new chamber music with composition students at Cardiff University, most recently earlier this year alongside the Riot Ensemble with soprano Sarah Dacey.
Gwenllian’s calendar remains varied, from solo recitals to virtual workshops, recording sessions to wedding fairs. Her private harp studio is thriving, with students achieving fantastic results in exams and competitions, including places in the National Children and National Youth Orchestras of Great Britain. A sample of programmes for the upcoming year is available in her Electronic Press Kit.