How To Harp presents
A Day with
Catrin Finch
Three masterclasses, a live podcast recording and a room full of Camac harps. Tuesday 13 October 2026, at the Stirling Court Hotel.
Reserve your place Pay what you can on the day. 30 places only.
11.15am to 5.45pm
Stirling
on the day
Booking closes 5 Oct
Everyone is welcome
If you play the harp, are thinking about taking it up, or simply love listening to one, this day is for you. You do not need to play pedal harp, and you do not need to know the music.
Young harpists especially, do come. There is a great deal to be gained from watching a musician like Catrin work, and it is the sort of listening you can take straight back to your own lessons. Under 16s are very welcome with an adult, and please book a place for the grown-up as well, as we are limited by the size of the room.
Our guest
Catrin Finch
Catrin grew up in Llanon on the west coast of Wales, and is the most gifted classical harp virtuoso of her generation. She was appointed Royal Harpist to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales in her early twenties, and has since played with many of the world's leading orchestras, among them the New York Philharmonic, the Royal Philharmonic, the Boston Pops, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and the English Chamber Orchestra.
She has performed at Salzburg, Edinburgh, Spoleto and MDR Musiksommer in Leipzig, and toured across Europe, the Americas, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. Her recordings for Universal, Deutsche Grammophon, EMI and Sony Classical include a number one rendition of Bach's Goldberg Variations, alongside work with Bryn Terfel, Sir James Galway and Julian Lloyd-Webber.
Catrin is also endlessly curious about what else a harp can do. Her collaborations with the kora maestros Seckou Keita and Toumani Diabaté, the Colombian joropo virtuosos Cimarron, and the Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain have taken her somewhere else entirely. She and Seckou Keita won Best Group at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019.
The day
The day at a glance
Come for the whole thing. Tea and coffee on arrival, three masterclasses, an hour for lunch and a live podcast recording in the middle of the afternoon.
Three masterclasses
Watching Catrin teach
Catrin will work with pedal harp students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland across three masterclasses. Repertoire includes the first movement of Hindemith's Sonata for Harp and Pearl Chertok's Around the Clock Suite.
Do not be put off by the titles. What you are really watching is how a great musician listens, and how she takes something good and makes it better. That travels to whatever you play, at whatever stage you are at.
2pm
The podcast, recorded live
We are recording an episode of the How To Harp Podcast with Catrin in front of you, with questions coming from the room. If there is something you have always wanted to ask her, this is your moment.
There is a box on the booking form to send your question in ahead of time, which is handy if you would rather not put your hand up on the day.
Also on the day
Harps, and a concert the night before
Telynau Vining, with Camac
Telynau Vining will be with us with an exhibition of Camac harps. It opens at 9am, well before we start, so come early if you would like a proper look. Plenty to try, and exactly the right people to ask about them.
If you own a Camac harp, you can book it in for a service while you are there. Email [email protected] in advance to arrange a slot, as they do get taken. Servicing is booked directly with them, not through us.
Notes to Self, Monday 12 October
Catrin is playing in Stirling the night before. Notes to Self, her solo project, is at the Tolbooth on Monday 12 October.
Tickets are through Stirling Events rather than through us. Book at stirlingevents.org.
A note on cameras
We will be filming, recording audio and taking photographs through the day, and we will have a photographer with us.
Some of it becomes the podcast episode, and some of it we use to show people what our days are like. If you would rather not appear, that is completely fine and you do not need to give us a reason. There is a box on the form, and we will give you a coloured sticker at registration so the photographer and the cameras know to keep you out of shot.
If you are bringing someone under 16, there is a box for you to answer on their behalf.
Reserve your place
The day is free to book. We ask for a donation on the door, whatever you feel able to give, and it goes towards the cost of putting the day on. Tea and coffee are included.
Places are limited and we would rather they went to people who can definitely come. If your plans change, just reply to any of our emails and let us know. We will not mind one bit.
Reserve your place
Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Stirling Court Hotel
Lovely. Telynau Vining will be there all day, so you could get your harp serviced while you're with us. Email Elen at [email protected] to book a slot, as they do fill up.
Booking will add you to the How To Harp newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time and it won't
affect your place.
Reserve your place
Tuesday 13 October 2026 · Stirling Court Hotel
Lovely. Telynau Vining will be there all day, so you could get your harp serviced while you're with us. Email Elen at [email protected] to book a slot, as they do fill up.
Booking will add you to the How To Harp newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time and it won't
affect your place.
Bookings are closed
We're full for A Day with Catrin Finch.
Thank you to everyone who booked. If you'd still like to come, email us at [email protected] and we'll let you know if a place frees up.
Useful to know
Before you come
Getting there and parking
Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling, Airthrey Road, Stirling FK9 4LA.
Free parking for 150 cars in the hotel car park, with Pay and Display across the university campus if that fills up. The bus connections are excellent too, if you would rather leave the car at home.
What to bring
Nothing but yourself. The masterclasses are for watching and listening, so there is no need to bring a harp.
Tea and coffee
Included, and there are two breaks for it. One when you arrive at 11.15am and another at 4.15pm.
Lunch
Lunch is not provided, and we break from 1pm to 2pm. You can get a sandwich in the hotel lounge, there are more options across campus, and you are very welcome to bring your own.
Do stay close by, though. We start again at 2pm with Catrin and the podcast, and that is not one to be late for.
Arriving
Come to Reception and we will point you the right way. Tea and coffee from 11.15am, and the first masterclass starts at 11.45am, so please do come along in good time.
If you cannot make it
Just reply to any email we send you and tell us. There are only 30 places, and someone else will be very glad of yours.
Any questions at all, email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you.
Useful to know
Before you come
Getting there and parking
Stirling Court Hotel, University of Stirling, Airthrey Road, Stirling FK9 4LA.
Free parking for 150 cars in the hotel car park, with Pay and Display across the university campus if that fills up. The bus connections are excellent too, if you would rather leave the car at home.
What to bring
Nothing but yourself. The masterclasses are for watching and listening, so there is no need to bring a harp.
Tea and coffee
Included, and there are two breaks for it. One when you arrive at 11.15am and another at 4.15pm.
Lunch
Lunch is not provided, and we break from 1pm to 2pm. You can get a sandwich in the hotel lounge, there are more options across campus, and you are very welcome to bring your own.
Do stay close by, though. We start again at 2pm with Catrin and the podcast, and that is not one to be late for.
Arriving
Come to Reception and we will point you the right way. Tea and coffee from 11.15am, and the first masterclass starts at 11.45am, so please do come along in good time.
If you cannot make it
Just reply to any email we send you and tell us. There are only 30 places, and someone else will be very glad of yours.
Any questions at all, email us at [email protected] and we will get back to you.