Catrin Finch
Catrin Anna Finch (born 1980) is a Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004[1] and is Visiting Professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music. Finch has given many recitals at different venues throughout the world.
Early life
Finch was born in Llanon, Ceredigion, and began learning the harp at the age of six. She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at the age of ten, becoming the youngest of its members to play at The Proms. [2] She studied harp with Elinor Bennett, who would become her mother-in-law.
Career
In 2000, she won the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York City,[citation needed] subsequently performing at London's Wigmore Hall.[citation needed] She was later appointed Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales, an office unfilled since the reign of Queen Victoria.[1]
In recognition of her musical achievements, Finch was awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the University of Wales in 2006, as well as Honorary Fellowships from the University of Wales and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama in 2005.
In 2010, Catrin Finch appeared as part of the BBC Children's television series ZingZillas, performing a lullaby composed by Chris Banks and Wag Marshall-Page entitled "Drift Away", alongside the other members of the ZingZillas band. The performance was used in Series 1, Episode 10 of the show, entitled "Sweet Dreams".[3]
Personal life
In 2003, Finch married Hywel Wigley, the son of the notable Plaid Cymru, now retired, M.P. Dafydd Wigley, and on 28 December 2007, Finch gave birth to a baby girl, Ana Gwen.[4]
Discography
- Bach, J.S.: Goldberg Variations, BWV 988 (2009)
- Crossing the Stone (2003)
- Carnaval de Venise
- The Harpist
- Catrin Finch Live
- Unexpected Songs (2006) (with cellist Julian Lloyd Webber)
- String Theory
- Little Angels
- Catrin Finch, Harp Recital
- From Coast to Coast
- Drift Away (Not released – in conjunction with "ZingZillas")
- Clychau Dibon (2013) (with Kora Player Seckou Keita)
- Lullabies (2013)
- Tides (2015)
References
External links
| Court offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
(new post)
|
Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales 2000–2004 |
Succeeded by Jemima Phillips |
- Use British English from February 2013
- Use dmy dates from February 2013
- Pages with broken file links
- Articles with unsourced statements from March 2011
- Official website not in Wikidata
- 1980 births
- Living people
- Members of the Household of the Prince of Wales
- People from Ceredigion
- Welsh harpists
- Welsh-speaking musicians
