FORMER royal harpist Hannah Stone will be one of the stars illuminating a top music festival.
The gifted virtuosa will be playing a harp concerto written by Anglesey composer Gareth Glyn at the North Wales International Music Festival at St Asaph Cathedral on Saturday, September 17.
The piece tells the story of Amaterasu who is the goddess of light in the Japanese Shinto religion.
The concerto was commissioned by the festival and premiered back in 2015 by Hannah Stone and she will once again be accompanied by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.
The performance will launch this year's festival, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and runs until October 1.
Among the other highlights are performances by early music group Red Priest, award winning Welsh folk band Calan, the spectacular Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, and resident orchestra NEW Sinfonia who will be performing with the National Youth Chamber Choir of Great Britain.
Hannah has been a regular performer at the North Wales International Festival and says she loves playing in cathedrals and churches.
"Acoustically, St Asaph Cathedral is brilliant and I think the harp blends itself to that kind of setting and it’s probably one of my favourite places really to play.
“Sometimes in concert halls, especially modern places, people try and play with the acoustics and sometimes get them right and sometimes they don't but with older buildings like churches and cathedrals you're on to a winner."
SEE: Get set for baroque and roll at St Asaph Cathedral!
Hannah, a National and Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod winner, studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, the University Mozarteum Salzburg and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff.
She was the official harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2011 to 2015, and has performed at many prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff, as well as appearing as a guest soloist with many leading orchestras.
In addition to performing for members of the Royal Family, she also played for Barack Obama, Angela Merkel and David Cameron at the 2014 NATO Conference at Cardiff Castle.
Currently, she is busy with concerts and recitals, some of them with her husband, opera superstar Sir Bryn Terfel.
More details about the festival can be found online at www.nwimf.com
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