Here’s  a  song I wrote for my gorgeous grandson Idris, whose equally marvellous mum is from Louisiana, hence the Cajun swing.........

Upcoming events for 2024

The first signs of Spring are here in Galloway and I am gearing up for a busy 2024 with all the things I love -  family, gardening, singing and of course, harping………

March

• I`m returning in March 22nd - 24th to the bonny village of Gardenstown (locally known as Gamrie) on the North East coast of Aberdeenshire overlooking the Moray Firth. Along with pocket dynamo that is Irene Watt, I`ll be teaching a varied mix of tunes and a few songs and there will be plenty of time for sessions, chat, dog walking and maybe even (watching) wild water swimming !

  More info - nesclarsach@gmail.com

april

• April 5th to 9th, brings the annual gathering that is the Edinburgh International Harp Festival with a wealth of players young and (slightly) older offering a huge range of harping experience. I’ll be teaching Scottish music at elementary / intermediate level. One Zoom course – 9am BST – for the 4 days and the same material in person over the weekend in the afternoons at 1pm and 4.30pm.   Delve into the online brochure here –

  https://view.publitas.com/edinburgh-international-harp-festival/eihf-2024-brochure/page/1

may

• May is a more local month with much gardening to catch up on, no doubt, but also full of such delights as the Moniaive Folk Festival May 10th - 12th where I`ll be out and about helping with the young folks events, singing sessions and maybe even doing a spot at the open mic stage. See Facebook page for updates.

• May 23rd and 24th sees two performances  of our community choir`s new project `Galloway SangStreams` with Cairn Chorus and local luminaries such as Emily Smith, Jamie McClennan and Hugh McMillan, and the world premiere of my peatbog song in 4 part harmony !   More info soon on Facebook page and www.cairnchorus.com

• At Loch Arthur , Cresset Hall, Beeswing on the 25th  May, I`ll be joining a host of fantastic musicians for a Whitsun concert of Gavin Marwicks Quarterdays project which we recorded last year and performed at Celtic Connections this January on Candlemas. Lots of wondful background info and EPs for sale www.gavinmarwick.co.uk

june

• June 8th at the Bridge Centre, Dumfries,  I`ll be helping at our local Fèis or festival of Gaelic music and culture. Fèis an Iar Dheas (Festival of the West and South) is a great day of fun for Primary school age children.  See Facebook page

• On the 16th  June at 2pm I`ll be sharing the bill with the lovely Susan Lambert and local harpers at a concert for Harps North West at the Kirkgate Theatre, Cockermouth, CA13 9PJ. More info from the venue and www.harpsnorthwest.org.uk  festival@harpsnorthwest.org.uk

• Finally in a busy June I`ll be off the USA from 22nd to 28th where I`ll be teaching and playing at the 46th Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS) as well as adjudicating at the nearby Highland Games.  I’m really  looking forward to being together for this fun week on the campus of Baldwin Wallace University.

july

• July 11th to 14th sees a return to the Isle of Lewis , where I used to teach regularly , but this time for a lovely weekend on the west coast seeing old friends and making new ones no doubt. Limited to 12 places, Harp in the Hebrides is organised by the wonderful Carole Miller .

  More info – www.harp2ew.net 

• The Harps North West 20th Anniversary Festival will be held at Higham Hall from 19-21 July. This gathering is very popular and is almost full. Do contact Higham Hall if you are wanting to be part of this event www.highamhall.com  If you are not attending the Festival perhaps come along to the concert on the Friday evening. With the festival tutors myself, Mary Dunsford, Stephen Dunstone and Shelley Fairplay  - there are treats in store ! Venue: Higham Hall, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cockermouth, CA13 9SH.

  festival@harpsnorthwest.org.uk

august

• August 9th to 11th sees me returning to my annual course and meet up with a great bunch of fellow harpers at Brancepeth Castle, County Durham www.northernharps.co.uk

Hope to see you somewhere , sometime……..and do keep an eye out for my compilation CD and downloads, with sheet music , which will hopefully be out this year. Spanning the 3 recordings I made with the wonderful Ian Green of Greentrax records, it’s a pick of my favourite tracks, plus the dots. The range is from lower intermediate to advanced but hopefully with something for everyone.

About Wendy

Wendy Stewart is a leading Scottish harper, a critically acclaimed, world-class performer who connects with the listener at a deep musical level and a renowned teacher who coaxes the budding musician out of the hesitant beginner.

Her musical commitment is both to make traditional harp accessible to all and to explore her own musical ideas through arrangement and composition.

As a player and singer, she re-interprets traditional material in a historically informed yet refreshing way. Her compositions are melodically sinuous, rooted in the tradition but seeking out the creative.

Wendy's relaxed but incisive style of teaching brings praise and results in equal measure. Through her layered arrangements and measured pace, she can bring a group of mixed ability learners together in confident, relaxed harmony.

Wendy lives in, and draws inspiration from, her rural lifestyle in Dumfries and Galloway in South West Scotland.

She is very involved with the rich artistic network here from composing commissions reflecting environmental artworks to singing with her community choir Cairn Chorus.

Event Calendar