Through illustrations taken from wall paintings, sculpture, mosaics, pottery, and stone carvings Sarah will explain the fascinating history of the harp and its journey along the Silk Road to Asia, and into Europe.
Using an early medieval harp Sarah is able to explain the structural development of these early instruments. Illustrating how the triangular shaped harp which was born in Greece, came to arrive in the British Isles, where it has been cherished ever since.
Sarah Deere-Jones
About the Lecturer
An outstanding performer of traditional & original music for harp and voice, Sarah has been a guest artist at the major harp festivals around the world. Often accompanied on guitar by husband Phil Williams, her music is an exciting blend of subtle & dazzling arrangements of traditional tunes and haunting singing of folk songs.
She was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music but has ever since, sought to break down the barriers between the two genres, and her research into the medieval harp in England has reclaimed the harp's role as a wholly appropriate instrument for English traditional music.
Born and brought up in Dorset, her material is mostly traditional from southern England, but with many of her own songs and tunes, and occasionally some Celtic jigs & reels.