A London harpist for weddings, events and concert engagements

Huw Boucher is a Welsh harpist based in London, currently a postgraduate at the Royal Academy of Music on a full scholarship. He is one of only two people ever to reach the final of the USA International Harp Competition twice, and the first competitor in the history of that competition to win the Concerto Prize twice.

He has performed at the BBC Proms in the Royal Albert Hall with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, at Wigmore Hall alongside the Nash Ensemble, and with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra at the invitation of Anne-Sophie Bertrand. In 2020 he was the only harpist to reach the Strings Final of BBC Young Musician, broadcast nationally.

That background matters for a private engagement in a practical way rather than a boastful one: it means the playing is reliable under pressure, the repertoire is large, and the presentation is that of a concert artist.

Wedding ceremonies, drinks receptions and wedding breakfasts, where the harp provides continuous live music without dominating conversation. There is a dedicated page covering weddings in more detail.

Corporate events, from awards dinners and product launches to private-view evenings and Christmas parties, where an unusual and genuinely accomplished instrument is more memorable than recorded music.

Private parties, milestone birthdays, anniversaries and dinners at home.

Concert engagements as a soloist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player, and appearances at festivals and harp societies.

Memorial services and funerals, where the harp is a long-established and quietly appropriate choice.

The core of the repertoire is classical: the French repertoire that sits at the heart of the instrument, including the Fauré Impromptu that appears in the Media section of this site, alongside Baroque, Romantic and twentieth-century works. Welsh traditional music is part of his background from childhood and features when it suits the occasion.

For events, the programme is built around the room rather than the recital hall. Music during a drinks reception is chosen to sit underneath conversation; music for a ceremony or a set-piece moment is chosen to carry it.

Requests are welcome, and arrangements outside the classical repertoire can usually be discussed.

A concert pedal harp is a large instrument, roughly 1.8 metres tall and weighing in the region of 40 kilograms. It needs an area of about two metres by two metres to play in comfortably, a level floor, and step-free access wherever that is possible.

The harp is acoustic and needs no power for a room of ordinary size. For larger spaces, outdoor playing, or anywhere with significant background noise, amplification is worth discussing in advance.

The instrument should not be left in direct sunlight, in rain, or beside a heat source, since both the soundboard and the tuning suffer. Outdoor playing is possible in settled weather with cover overhead.

Huw is based in London and travels throughout the city and the surrounding counties, and further afield in the United Kingdom and internationally by arrangement.