Music » Harpist Angelina

Hazlewood Castle Wedding Harpist

11 November 2024 No Comments

The most recent wedding I had the pleasure of playing for was at Hazlewood Castle. I am a preferred supplier at this venue so it is always a treat to play here.

Weddings come in all shapes and sizes and this particular wedding was quite unusual. It was on a Thursday, and I have been noticing in recent years that weekday weddings are becoming more and more popular. It can be more affordable to get married on a weekday, so it is worth thinking about – if all your nearest and dearest can get the time off work of course.

Wedding Cake with flowers and cuddly toys

Not only was it on a Thursday, I was booked to play from 5:30pm until 7:30pm. This is much later than I normally play for a wedding. Usually by this time I’m back home ready for a peaceful evening with my husband and baby!

I was booked to play for the meal, and it was a lovely, intimate occasion. There was the couple, myself, and seven guests. Hazlewood Castle isn’t the most accessible venue for the harp. There were plenty of narrow corridors to navigate the harp through. But once I was all set up and settled in the Wedding Breakfast room, it looked really lovely.

With such a small group of people, the sound of the harp carried really well without being overpowering. I may be biased but I think the harp is the perfect instrument to set the atmosphere for occasions like this.

We are well and truly in the Autumn season now, and this was my last wedding for a little while. From now until Christmas it is definitely concert season, so I will look forward to sharing these occasions with you. If you’d like to subscribe to this blog and receive the posts straight into your inbox, pop your email in the box below.

If you would like to enquire about having me play the harp at your wedding, click here to contact me. Or you can have a look at my price list by clicking here.

Real Weddings

Everingham Park Wedding Venue

8 October 2024 No Comments

Last Saturday I played the harp for Sharon and Seng’s wedding at Everingham Park. It was about a forty-five minute drive from where I live in York, so a relatively local gig for me.

Everingham Park itself is an ideal wedding venue. It has an onsite Chapel for Wedding Ceremonies, then just a stone’s throw away is a building next to a large pond. This is where the Drinks Reception and Wedding Breakfast take place. Parking was easy and the venue is easy to find. I hadn’t played there before and it was really lovely.

On this occasion I was booked to play for the Drinks Reception and Wedding Breakfast. This was the room where the Wedding Breakfast was. I really liked the flowers and the pop of colour from the red napkins.

Large flower arrangement at Everingham Park

I always like to have a peep at the cake too, even though I attend a lot of weddings, I’m usually all finished and on my way home by the time the cake is being cut.

Considering the fact that this was an October wedding, the weather was absolutely gorgeous. Guests were enjoying mingling outside for most of the afternoon.

My A string above middle C snapped just as I was ready to begin playing. Luckily I always keep my spare strings with me, so I was able to whip another string on and quickly tune it up before I started.

Lovely bride Sharon had requested that I play anything that I think would suit the occasion, so I played my usual mix of light classical, pop, Disney, and film/show tunes. A few of the guests were big Disney fans, so I made sure to include plenty of that. Another guest requested anything by Vivaldi or Bach, so I played an arrangement of Spring from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and Sheep May Safely Graze by J.S. Bach.

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If you’d like to send me an enquiry about harp music for your wedding, click this link.

Real Weddings

Stirk House Hotel | Lucy + Luke

29 August 2024 No Comments

Stirk House Hotel is a venue that I hadn’t played in until this last weekend. As I live in York it is quite a scenic drive over the A59 to Clitheroe, but on this occasion it was an absolutely beautiful drive. That being said, I did arrive in torrential rain.

Upon arrival I was greeted by lovely staff and Dave – Master of Ceremonies. Dave quickly became my favourite person as he showed me around the venue and talked through timings and the best route for getting the harp from the Ceremony room through to the Wedding Breakfast. Not only that, he brought me a cappuccino completely unprompted. We like Dave.

After unpacking my harp and popping the covers back in the car, it was time to change into my dress, tune, and warm up.

I learned quite a few songs especially for this wedding that weren’t on my list before, so I was keen to have a final play through. This is the song that Lucy walked down the aisle to, I didn’t know it before but it’s so lovely. I challenge you to listen without tearing up just a little bit:

The Wedding

The Ceremony was lovely and really personal to the couple. I love hearing all about how my couples meet and how their relationship has brought them to this moment. The Ceremony was taken by Pink and Ginger Ceremonies – who were completely fabulous as their name suggests.

After the Ceremony I moved my harp to the Wedding Breakfast room – which was a bit of a challenge in my floor-length dress on a windy day! Then there was about an hour and a half before I was needed again. I had brought some sandwiches and my book as well as the Saturday paper. I settled down in an armchair (by the fire – in August), had another cappuccino, and enjoyed some quiet time.

With a six-month-old at home I’m sure you can imagine I don’t often get the chance to sit for over an hour and just drink coffee and read. I was in heaven!

Soon enough, it was time for the Wedding Breakfast. I had a list from Lucy and Luke to work my way through, and it ended up being the perfect length to fill the time. A few guests came up to chat, which I always love. The gorgeous couple also gave me this cute little gift bag filled with chocolates and sweets to help me get through the day. I saved them until I got home and (somewhat reluctantly) shared them with my husband.

The Playlist at Stirk House Hotel

I learned a lot of songs especially for this beautiful couple, here are a few of my favourites:

Jurassic Park Main Theme
My Heart Will Go On from Titanic
How Far I’ll Go from Moana
Test Drive from How To Train Your Dragon
Star Wars Main Theme
Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith

These are now all added to my song list, ready to play at future weddings. If you’d like to enquire about booking me as your Wedding Harpist, click here.

Special Occasions

Harpist Angelina plays for Golden Wedding Celebration in Darlington

9 August 2024 No Comments

I recently provided background harp music for a Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration near Darlington, County Durham.

A photo of harpist Angelina in a sage green dress with her harp

This was a very special occasion. Me and my harp were going to be inside the marquee while the guests enjoyed the buffet.

The Playlist

I was requested to play a mix of everything for this special occasion, but with a focus on well-known classical music. There was plenty of Debussy, some Bach as well as Ludovico Einaudi. I was also asked to play a couple of solo pieces for the guests. Memory from Cats was the first solo, and then The White Cliffs of Dover, which was more of a sing-along.

This was a really lovely day, and it makes such a difference when I’m really looked after at a gig. They really had thought of everything. I was given a room to change into my dress, I was invited to enjoy the buffet, I was encouraged to take breaks and mingle with the guests. The guests were lovely and the catering staff were really friendly too. All in all, a lovely day and not too much of a drive either. I live in York so this venue was just an hour’s drive away.

If you’d like to learn more about booking me to provide harp music for your wedding or special occasion, you can view my current prices and packages by clicking here.

To send me an enquiry, click here.

Enquiries are coming in thick and fast at the moment, which is really exciting! July 2024 was the biggest month so far for my business, and I have been freelancing thirteen years. It’s so wonderful to be able to play for lots of weddings and special occasions, so if your wedding is coming up, send me an enquiry with your venue and date and we’ll chat.

Music

How to Safely Transport a Pedal Harp in a Car

15 July 2024 No Comments

Introduction

Transporting a pedal harp can be a daunting task due to its size and fragility. Whether you are a professional harpist or a dedicated student, knowing how to safely move your instrument is crucial. Today I will discuss how to fit a pedal harp into a car without causing any damage to the instrument or the vehicle.

Choosing the Right Vehicle

In order to transport a pedal harp it is vital to select the right vehicle. In my experience, an estate car is your best option. My favourite has always been the Ford Mondeo Estate. But the VW Passat is great too. I recently got my harp into a Toyota Corolla Estate, it is slightly narrower than a Ford or a VW but I managed. I’ve always fancied a BMW 5 Series Estate but to be honest, I’ve never tried to fit a harp in one.

Always measure both your harp and the vehicle’s interior dimensions before attempting to load the instrument into a car that’s new to you. Or even better, take your harp to the dealership and test the cars with your harp. Buying a car is a huge decision and the last thing you need is to discover that it won’t fit your harp.

a photo of a harp in a doorway, in front of some flowers

You’ll need to make sure that there is sufficient width between the wheel arches in the boot of the car. Also, once the seats are folded flat, the floor of the car needs to be smooth, with no ‘lip’ at the back of the car.

Preparing the Harp for Transport

Before placing the harp in the car, it is essential to prepare it properly. Cover the harp in its padded cases to protect it from scratches and bumps. It might be a good idea to have extra padding on hand if you are putting your harp in an unfamiliar vehicle.

Loading and Securing the Harp

Once the harp is prepared, carefully load it into the vehicle. It’s best to have an extra pair of hands to help with this step.

Make sure that when you put the harp in the car, lay it on the side that doesn’t have the mechanism.

The way I do this is to stand in between the harp and the car, and gently lower the harp towards myself (and the car) so I end up almost sitting on the boot of the car with the harp resting on me. I then lean the harp to the side and rest the column on the car before standing up, still holding the weight of the harp as much as I need to. I rest the harp on the edge of the boot and lift from the base of the harp to slide it in.

You may need to move the passenger seat forward, depending on the make of your car. Some cars also have a lip when the back seats are folded down. If your car does, it will need either padding or some sort of surface on top to smooth it out.

Obviously don’t go piling all your suitcases etc. on top of the harp now it’s safely in your car. I wouldn’t put anything heavier than my harpo trolley on the harp itself. I usually also have room for my piano stool and rucksack containing my spare strings, music, and tuning equipment.

Remember to check that the harp is stable and well-supported before starting your trip.

Conclusion – transport a pedal harp with confidence

Transporting a pedal harp is not always straightforward. However there is a knack to it and I can definitely say that by this point in my career I’m used to it. As long as your harp has plenty of protection and you are gentle with it (and you have a suitable vehicle), you can be pretty sure your harp will be fine.

Follow this link to enquire about hiring me as your Wedding Harpist.

Read next: Life as a Wedding Harpist recently.

Real Weddings

Bollywood Harpist

8 July 2024 No Comments

Today’s blog post is looking back at a recent wedding in Bradford. I have been getting a lot of last minute enquiries lately, which is exciting! This particular gig was an Indian wedding. My job was to play for the welcome drinks. The request was to make the playlist 50% Bollywood, and 50% a mix of classical, pop and Disney. So I was ready to be a Bollywood Harpist for the day.

a photo of harpist Angelina at an Indian Wedding in Bradford

Learning Bollywood Music on the harp

In all honesty I hadn’t played a lot of Bollywood before, so I spent plenty of time before the big day downloading the music and learning it. I found Bollypiano to be a really good resource of Bollywood arrangements. They had most of the songs I was looking for. I also like to hear the music I’m learning, so I made a playlist on Spotify and Youtube. This helped so much to give me a flavour of these tunes. Now I feel much more prepared just in case I’m asked to play Bollywood at future weddings. ‘Bollywood harpist’ seems like a good extra string to my bow if you’ll pardon the musical pun.

This was a much larger wedding than any I’ve played for recently – over 200 guests!

A photo of a harp ready to play for welcome drinks at a recent wedding.

The venue was the Walton View Hotel in Bradford and it was an absolutely stunning day, really warm and sunny.

One of the things I love about my job is how varied it is. I get to see all different sorts of weddings and I love feeling like I’m helping to set the atmosphere of a couple’s special day.

If you’d like to enquire about having me as your wedding harpist, click here. The couple for this wedding just wanted background music for the Drinks Reception, but I also have packages available for your Wedding Ceremony or Wedding Breakfast, click here to have a look at the different options.

One final thing: if you enjoy these blog posts, did you know that you can subscribe and get the posts straight to your inbox? Just pop your email address in the box on the top right of the page (next to where it says ‘subscribe’) to sign up.

Music, Orchestral Gigs

Harrogate Harpist

1 July 2024 No Comments

Angelina in the car before setting off for Harrogate

A few weeks ago I played for The National Festival Orchestra for their concert in Harrogate. I’ve performed with this orchestra for many years and it’s always lovely to be invited back for another concert.

a photo of Angelina's harp at St. Wilfred's Church, Harrogate

We were accompanying Harrogate Choral Society and the programme was very varied indeed.

The Playlist

Eric Whitacre – Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine

Vivaldi – Four Seasons

Cecilia McDowall – Da Vinci Requiem

The only piece with a harp part was the McDowall, in the second half of the concert. I decided to sit in and watch the first half and the pre-concert talk with Cecilia herself. The Whitacre was a really interesting piece that I hadn’t heard before. I love when a choir uses their voices in unusual ways that the audience isn’t expecting. The violin soloist for the Vivaldi was fantastic, her name is Sara Trickey and if you get a chance to see her, definitely go.

The McDowall is one of those great pieces where the parts aren’t particularly difficult, but they are very effective and every part comes across. The harp is an easy instrument to cover up completely if too much is going on. Not in this piece. I got some lovely feedback that the harp came across really well, and that is a real compliment to the skill of the composer.

The Day as a Harrogate harpist

I was needed for the first half of the rehearsal, and the second half of the concert. This meant I had a long break in between, in which to amuse myself as a Harrogate harpist around town. I was planning to go on an epic walk as I’m trying to get my steps in at the moment. However, it was pouring with rain pretty much all day, as well as being really cold for this time of year. Despite the rain I spent an hour wandering around the beautiful Valley Gardens in Harrogate.

a photo of a fountain in the middle of a pond at Valley Gardens, Harrogate

All in all, it was a lovely day and a successful concert. I love a 7pm concert start as it means I get home to my husband and baby a little bit earlier.

If you’d like to enquire about hiring me for your wedding or special occasion, click here to send me an enquiry.

Music

Wedding Harpist – behind the scenes

24 June 2024 No Comments

A wedding harpist does a whole lot more than just put on a pretty dress and play music for weddings on Saturdays. I thought I’d use this blog post to give you an insight into what has been going on recently.

I’m at a very unique place in my life at the moment. I have my gorgeous 4-month-old daughter to look after, which means I’m on maternity leave from my ‘day job’. I’ve been working in a field totally unrelated to music since the pandemic – just a few days a week. It was so scary losing all my income during Covid that I promised myself I would never be so vulnerable again.

Now that my baby is out of the newborn phase I’m able to focus more on building my business. I’m recovered from my Caesarean section and able to move my harp around again. If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know that I’ve played a few gigs since having Sophie, and more enquiries are coming in all the time.

A Wedding Harpist Juggling Act

On Mondays and Tuesdays I have childcare (thanks Nana), so that is when I see my students. During the rest of the week it’s still a juggling act. I’m learning as much as I can about marketing, branding and business so I can try and reach more people. I’m finding pockets of time to practice and learn new music for my brides (thanks to my lovely husband and I working together to carve out time for the things we need to do). There are emails to answer and enquiries to respond to. I’m sending contracts and invoices and keeping my finances in order. Oh and there’s the small matter of staying on top of housework and cleaning too.

Once we get to the weekend I’ll either have a wedding, or if not, Tim and I will have some quality family time with Sophie. We’ll try and find some time to rest – not easy with a baby in the picture!

However, on some days, my baby requires my attention pretty much non-stop. I’m aware that I’ll never get this time back with her when she’s this little, so at the end of the day, she is my priority. Anything else that gets done is a bonus. I’m doing all of this so ultimately I’ll be able to be home with her more. She is my motivation.

Angelina cuddles her baby after getting home from a gig

If you’d like to send me an enquiry about being your wedding harpist, click here.

Music, Real Weddings

Woolas Barn Wedding – Lucy + Rob

17 June 2024 No Comments

For this beautiful wedding at Woolas Barn, Appleton Roebuck, I played for the Drinks Reception.

a harp at Woolas Barn ready to play for a wedding reception

Fortunately for me, I just live fifteen minutes from this venue, so I love it when I get to play here. I arrived just as the guests were heading into the Ceremony, and used that time to set up the harp, pop my harp covers back in the car, and then park. You wouldn’t believe it from looking at this photo, but it was actually a lovely sunny day.

Once the harp was all set up it was a waiting game until the Ceremony finished and the Drinks Reception began. I had a little look at the Wedding Breakfast set-up and the cake:

The Playlist for Woolas Barn

I played from my setlist that is very unimaginatively named ‘Background, no Christmas’. Time goes very quickly during these events, but I still had time to play plenty of music. I’ve added a few tunes by Ailie Robertson to my playlist and am really enjoying having something fresh and new on the setlist.

I intermingled these gorgeous pieces in amongst a mix of Disney, classical, and musical theatre. One gentleman approached me and said his grandmother used to sing Danny Boy to him as a child. He hadn’t heard the song since then, seventy years ago! I bet that brought back some memories.

As it was such a beautiful day, I ended up positioning the harp right in the doorway. This allowed the harp to be sheltered from the elements but also meant that the guests outside could still enjoy the music. It can be hard to know upon arrival exactly where the guests are going to mingle, but I can usually move the harp to where the crowd is, if necessary.

Huge congratulations to the happy couple. I snuck a photo of the dress from just before the ceremony. It was absolutely stunning. What a special moment, waiting to walk down the aisle.

bride and father of the bride waiting before the ceremony

If you’d like to enquire about hiring me as your wedding harpist, click here to contact me.

Music

Wedding Ceremony Songs – don’t bother with classical music

10 June 2024 No Comments

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I’m sure you are deep into wedding planning right now, and with that comes the important job of choosing your Wedding Ceremony songs. I’m here to help.

Yorkshire Wedding Harpist Angelina at Manchester Jazz Festival

My name is Angelina and I’ve been a wedding harpist for over ten years. I’ve played for hundreds of weddings, and each one has been unique. One of my favourite parts of my job is curating a playlist for the ceremony that you LOVE. A playlist that really means something to you is so special and you’ll always remember it.

I’m writing this blog post to say: if what you love isn’t classical music, have something else instead.

a photo of a wedding ceremony venue. A table with flowers is in front of a harp

Yes, I’m a harpist, and the harp is seen as a classical instrument. But I’ve also played lots of pop covers and film music at weddings, and it has worked so well. It works so well because it is personal to you both as a couple. I’ve even played music from video games! I would absolutely love it if a future couple requests the music from Tetris or Super Mario. Those were my favourites when I was younger!

Wedding Ceremony songs – make it personal

The more personal touches you can add to your wedding ceremony, the more memorable it is going to be for you and your guests. So choose something outside of the box if that’s your style!

A harp ready to play for a wedding ceremony

Conversely, if you love classical music and have pieces that are meaningful for you – absolutely have those as part of your ceremony. Just don’t feel bound by tradition or what you feel you ‘should’ have. Have a look at my previous blog posts for inspiration. I try to report back from weddings that I play for and include their Wedding Ceremony songs. It might just give you some ideas.

If you are planning your wedding and looking for a Yorkshire Wedding Harpist – click the link to get in touch. I’ll email you my repertoire list, and if the song would like isn’t on there – I’ll do my best to learn it for you. To see a list of my packages and prices, head over here.