'Stories of Migration'

'Immaculate playing'
BBC Music Magazine

'Virtuosic'
The Guardian

Join us for a unique evening with internationally renowned harpist Ruth Wall.  Exploring the theme of Migration in it's many forms, Ruth and composer Graham Fitkin have taken old Gaelic songs and tunes from bagpipe and fiddle books to make ‘creative transcriptions’ for Ruth’s three harps - the sitar-like Renaissance bray harp, the beautiful medieval Gaelic wire harp (clàrsach) and the Scottish lever harp. Ruth’s long-term research into the pibroch piping technique - a highly ornamental style underpinned by a drone - informs her playing style and inspires the sound world of this fascinating and unique concert, combining ancient aural sources with modern technology.   Ruth conjures up mesmerising and intricate patterns on these unique instruments, while Graham introduces the evening and talks about the stories of migration connected to the music.

Ruth performs on stages around the world – at the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Berlin Philharmonic, Radio City New York, and as part of the London Olympics celebrations. She has featured as soloist with the London Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra, and toured extensively with the band Goldfrapp, Kathryn Tickell, Ockham's Razor and Graham Fitkin. She appears regularly on BBC Radio and features in films including ‘Loving Vincent’ and ‘The White Queen’.

Composer Graham Fitkin has worked with Yo-Yo Ma, Kathryn Stott, Tokyo Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, New York City Ballet. He has won three BASCA composer awards and the Royal Philharmonic Society Composer Award 2015.