Claire Jones (harpist)

Claire Jones (born in 1985) is a Welsh harpist who held the title of Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2007 to 2011.

Career

Jones began playing the harp at the age of 10; she performed for the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh when she was 16. In 2007, she was one of the inaugural winners of The Prince of Wales’s Advanced Study in Music Award,[1] and was appointed as the Prince's official harpist for a 3-year term. During the previous year, she had won the harp solo at the National Eisteddfod of Wales, been a finalist at the Third International Harp Contest in France, and won the Royal College of Music Harp Competition.[2] She performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in 2011[3] and is an ambassador for The Prince's Foundation for Children and The Arts.[4]

Selection of recordings

  • Touching Gold, Kissan Productions, 2008
  • Harp Concertos, Signum Records, 2010
  • Highgrove Suite, Classic FM, 2010
  • The Girl with the Golden Harp, Classic FM, 2012.[3]
  • Live at Classic FM: Sir James Galway & Claire Jones, Global Radio, 2013 [5]
  • Journey: Harp to soothe the soul, Silva Screen Records (under licence from Marshall Jones Music), 2015

Personal life

Jones was born in Crymych, Pembrokeshire and attended school there.[6] In 2012, at Blaenffos Chapel, Pembrokeshire, she married musician Chris Marshall, whom she had met at the Royal Academy of Music.[3] Jones was diagnosed with ME in 2013.[7] She is the face of Clogau Gold of Wales.[8] Together with her husband she founded the Claire Jones Concert Ensemble from student and professional harpists.[6]

References

  1. ^ Prince of Wales Advanced Study Awards at Prince of Wales official website, 18 May 2007. Accessed 27 January 2014
  2. ^ Claire Jones to become new Official Harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales at Prince of Wales official website, 4 June 2007. Accessed 27 January 2014
  3. ^ a b c "Harpist Claire Jones prepares for release of new album and her wedding". Wales Online. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  4. ^ "The Prince's Foundation for Children and The Arts". Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. ^ iTunes
  6. ^ a b "Claire Jones harp ensemble helps Crymych Cylch Meithrin". Tivyside Advertiser. 4 January 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  7. ^ Karen Price (26 February 2015). "Former royal harpist Claire Jones on her ME fight". Wales Online. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Claire Jones: About Claire Jones". Retrieved 2 March 2015.
Court offices
Preceded by Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales
2007–2011 		Succeeded by