Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr, a prize-winner at the USA International Harp Competition and the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, is becoming increasingly in demand as a solo performer
Alongside her busy freelance performing and teaching career, Gwenllian has enjoyed working in a variety of roles at the Royal Academy of Music.
Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr has performed across the globe in prestigious venues alongside artists including jazz legend Al Jarreau, pianist Imogen Cooper, and opera singer Bryn Terfel. Her debut solo album Dusk to Dawn was praised as “magnificent” and “powerful,” and she toured the UK in both concert halls and community venues as part of her work for Live Music Now. She is regularly invited to lead workshops and masterclasses at festivals and conservatoires across Europe.
Gwenllian studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, The Juilliard School, and the Academy. Supported by scholarships and awards, she received Juilliard’s William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership. These studies gave her opportunities to collaborate widely, develop her passion for chamber music, and expand the harp repertoire. A strong advocate for new music, she has worked with many composers, premiering numerous works. Highlights include performances of Nebula, Blooming with composer Sayo Kosugi and choreographer Eve Jacobs, as well as chamber projects with Cardiff University composition students and the Riot Ensemble.
In 2017 Gwenllian joined the City Music Foundation as an Artist, which led to the formation of the Aliara Duo with flautist Sirius Chau. Together they have performed Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto, given school concerts, and explored new repertoire for their instrument pairing. In 2025 the duo were awarded the UKHA Commission Fund to commission a new work by Sun Keting, to be toured in 2026 as part of their poetry-inspired programme The Peace of Wild Things.
Inspired by her students, Gwenllian has also composed for the harp, with works broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Radio Cymru and featured on ABRSM and Trinity syllabuses. Her arrangement of the Welsh hymn Calon Lân appears on her Ty Cerdd CD Soliloquies for Harp. Alongside performing and composing, she works at the Academy, where she is now Head of Year for undergraduates.