A TOP music festival that’s going virtual for the first time in its history will be paying homage to globally renowned harpist Osian Ellis from Flintshire who died earlier this year. The 2020 Wales Harp Festival had to be cancelled at the last minute following the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic but this year the organisers are determined that the show will go. In a marathon effort of ingenuity and technical know-how, from their headquarters in Caernarfon, Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias (William Mathias Music Centre) orchestrated a way to transfer the entire programme of festival events online. They were more determined than ever that the 2021 festival on March 30 and 31 should go ahead because it is dedicated to the memory of Osian Ellis, who passed away in January, aged 92.
Festival pays homage to Flintshire harp legend leaderlive.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from leaderlive.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Covid-19: Harpist Elinor Bennett teaches across the world online
By Chris Dearden
media caption I think it s great that we can contact other people and that expertise can be shared and knowledge can be shared and love and passion for music The miracles of modern technology have been hugely beneficial during this difficult period, renowned harpist Elinor Bennett OBE has said.
The Welsh musician is teaching Helen Green, 15, who lives 7,500 miles away.
Elinor and other tutors working with Canolfan Gerdd William Mathias, which runs classes in north Wales, saw lessons moved online in the pandemic.
But using Zoom enabled her to extend her reach to Patagonia, Argentina, where Helen lives in a Welsh community.
TRIBUTES have been paid to a globally-renowned harpist from Flintshire who has died at the age of 92, Dr Osian Ellis CBE, who started playing again as he approached his 90th, collaborated with leading British composer Benjamin Britten and performed at the world’s finest concert venues. In 2018 he was honoured at the Wales International Harp Festival in Caernarfon when a new work was premiered to celebrate his 90th birthday. Dr Ellis, a native of Ffynnongroyw who later lived in Pwllheli, leaves his son, Richard and his daughter in law, Glynis; two grandchildren, David and Katie, and his sister, Mrs Elfrys Hughes.