Biography

Elen Angharad Heather Edwards was born in Llangynwyd, Maesteg in an old stone farmhouse by a trickling stream. As a young child, she used to cuddle ducks, while her parents were milking the goats. Music has been a large part of her life since early childhood. Influenced by her family, she travelled Wales attending folk festivals watching her parents perform traditional music from Wales and sleeping in a guitar case during performances. Angharad achieved high success at several Eisteddfod’s both singing and dancing, and playing harp and piano. Since primary school, Angharad has been a regular member of the choir at St. Michael’s church, Maesteg, where she attained the Vocal Dean’s Award.

During her time at Llanhari, she was accepted as a harpist with the Four Counties Youth Orchestra, with whom she performed much music, including that of local composers, such as Neil Day & Kevin Adams. She also performed important harp repertoire, including The Nutcracker Suite, Fantasia on Greensleeves, Night on a Bare Mountain and Peterloo Overture. She has continued to perform with the orchestra since secondary school.

After achieving A levels in Music, Media Studies and Art, she then moved on to study a Bachelor of Music degree at RWCMD, studying harp with Valerie Alrich-Smith (BBC NOW) and Meinir Heulyn. Angharad has performed in master classes with Catrin Finch, David Watkins & Isabelle Perrin. Since being at the college, where she is studying for her teaching diploma, she was runner up in the Blue Ribbon competition at the Cardiff Eisteddfod. She also plays as part of the Castle harp ensemble, college symphony orchestra and college woodwind orchestra.

•  Angharad has done session work for the  welsh band ‘Brigyn’ for a welsh radio production, which enabled her to follow her passion for folk music.

• Angharad took part in the European Harp Symposium Festival 2007 where she played for the 100 harps.

• Angharad has played the harp in the pit orchestra for the musical ‘Thoroughly Modern Millie’ at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff in 2009, under the musical direction of John O’Hara.

• Angharad sings with St. Teilo’s church choir in Cardiff, with whom she has performed music by Thomas Morgan, anthems by John Rutter and the ceremony of carols by Benjamin Britten.

She aspires to follow her profession in which she can combine her musical talents with her aptitude for media presentation.