Described by MusicWeb International as playing ‘with character and total understanding’, harpist and composer Harriet Adie is known for her intense musicality, creativity, and focus.

Harriet’s introduction to the harp was far from conventional: she first began lessons in Oman in the Middle East, where fishing wire proved a suitable replacement for any broken harp strings! 3000 miles later, she was awarded a place at the Junior Department of the Royal College of Music under the tutelage of Daphne Boden. This was followed by reading Music at Balliol College, Oxford where she was an Instrumental Exhibitioner. Harriet then completed her studies with Imogen Barford at Trinity Laban Conservatoire, supported by awards from the Musician’s Benevolent Fund, the Countess of Munster Musical Trust, and the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund.

An accomplished chamber musician, Harriet is a founding member of the internationally recognized ensemble 4 Girls 4 Harps, whose music has been broadcast on Classic FM, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio 4, as well as across the world as far as Australia and the USA. In duo with Jessica Burroughs, Principal Cellist of Opera North, she reached the Finals of the Royal Over-Seas League competition, was selected as Recommended Artists for Making Music, and performed many recitals under the auspices of the Countess of Munster Recital Scheme.

Alongside her career as a professional harpist, Harriet is also a composer whose compositions and arrangements have been broadcast on Classic FM and BBC Radio 3 in the UK, and for radio stations across the world. Her arrangements of Christmas Carols for harp quartet were described by BBC Music Magazine as ‘sparklingly energetic’.

Her critically acclaimed composition, Sun, Moon and Stars for harp quartet, was selected for performance at the 9th World Harp Congress, and her 2012 work, Elemental for harp quartet, was performed live on BBC Radio 3. In 2017, a video of Harriet’s harp quartet arrangement of Shostakovich’s famous Waltz no.2 went viral across the world, having receiving over 6 million views to date! As a result of this exposure, she was invited to record for the Dutch label STS Digital.

In addition to writing a ground breaking series of sight reading books, Harriet is in demand internationally as an arranger and composer of music for harp students. Some of the ensembles to perform her works include The National Youth Harp Orchestra of Great Britain, the American Youth Harp Ensemble, The Australian Harp Quartet, The Royal Academy of Music Harp Ensemble and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Harp Ensemble.

For more information on Harriet as a performer please visit www.harpist-uk.co.uk