Top harpist swaps Albert Hall for Pendine Park care home

One of the UK's most talented young harpists treated Pendine Park care home residents to a virtuoso performance.

Elfair Grug, 29, swapped the prestigious Albert Hall in London for Pendine Park's Bryn Bella Care Home in Wrexham where she put on an hour-long concert.

Her repertoire included classical music, some Irish, Scottish and Welsh folk tunes and some pop songs from the likes of Elton John and the Beatles as well as numbers from musicals such as the Sound of Music.

The concert came about as the result of a partnership between the Pendine Arts and Community Trust and Arts and Business Cymru who provided additional funding via their Culture Step programme and the music teaching centre, Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias in Caernarfon.

It was the first in a series of 15 concerts at Pendine Park's care homes in Wrexham and Caernarfon and at other venues in the community.

The project will culminate with a concert by former Royal Harpist Catrin Finch at Pendine's Bryn Seiont Newydd centre of excellence for dementia care on April 18, ahead of her performance at the 2019 Wales Harp Festival concert at Galeri in Caernarfon.

Elfair, who hails from Mynytho, in Gwynedd, is a former pupil of the renowned harpist, Elinor Bennett, at the William Mathias Music Centre at Galeri, Caernarfon, and went on to study at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

She was a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain for a number of years playing in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall.

And in 2008 she was one of 60 harpists who played at the Royal Opera House when Prince Charles celebrated his 60th birthday.

Elfair went on to spend two years living in Bangkok in Thailand where she worked as a harp teacher and harpist in residence at the Tamnak Prathom Harp Centre which is supported by the Thai Royal Family and is twinned with the William Mathias Music Centre in Caernarfon.

She said: "I always enjoy performing in care homes - it's intimate and so rewarding. I work freelance as a harpist and perform with full orchestra's or chamber groups but the reaction you get as musician from many care home residents is amazing."

"There has been lots of physical stimulation today and eye contact and it was nice to see how residents reacted to different pieces of music. I have played some classical and folk pieces alongside songs by Elton John and the Beatles."

To find out more about Arts and Business Cymru please visit: www.aandbcymru.org.uk