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.
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]
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]
Princess Michael of Kent is a member of the British royal family who is of German, Austrian, Czech and Hungarian descent. She is married to Prince Michael of Kent, who is a grandson of King George V. Princess Michael of Kent was an interior designer before becoming an author; she has written several books on European royalty.
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Crymych is a village of around 800 inhabitants and a community in the northeast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated approximately 800 feet (240 m) above sea level at the eastern end of the Preseli Mountains, on the old Tenby to Cardigan turnpike road, now the A478.
Patrick Hawes is a British composer, conductor, organist and pianist.
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Catrin Ana Finch is a Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Finch has given recitals at venues throughout the world.
The Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales is a position within the Royal Household. In 2000, King Charles III, the then Prince of Wales, revived a tradition of having Welsh harpists, which was the first time the post has been occupied since it was last granted to John Thomas in 1871 by Queen Victoria.
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