Timeline

1957
Born in Liverpool to a family from Anglesey.

1962-8
A pupil at Blackmoor Park County Primary School, West Derby, L12.

1968-75
A pupil at St Margaret’s CofE High School for Boys, Aigburth, L17.

1973
First heard Alan Stivell performing and decided to play the Celtic Harp. Started lessons on the harp in Liverpool with Margaret Anwyl of Tywyn.

1975
Went to University College of Wales Aberystwyth to read Celtic Studies.

1977
First heard Dafydd and Gwyndaf Roberts of the pioneering Welsh folk group Ar Lôg, and decided (as a Welshman) he should be playing Triple Harp.

1979
Graduated from UCW Aber in Welsh Language and Literature, and bought his first Triple Harp from Merlin Madog, Pontycymer. Came to know Dafydd and Gwyndaf of Ar Lôg, who readily offered their help to start him off playing the Triple.

1980
Joined the staff of the Manuscripts department at the National Library of Wales, and had the opportunity to research into Welsh Folk Music over nearly seven years.

1981
Met Edith Evans ‘Telynores Eryri’ (a friend and student of Nansi Richards ‘Telynores Maldwyn’) and learned some melodies and arrangements from her.

1983
First foreign trip to perform (representing the Welsh Folk Museum and the Welsh Tourist Board) at the Ridderkerk Pinkstermarkt, Netherlands.

Second foreign trip (representing the Welsh Tourist Board) at the Minnesota State Symphony Orchestra Charity Ball, Minneapolis, MN, UDA.

1986
Escaped from the National Library to become a full-time Triple Harpist, joining Siwsann George’s folk group Mabsant. Started to tour North America and several European countries, and had experience of the folk scene in England with Mabsant.

1988
Bought his present Triple Harp (‘Gwaun – perpendicular’ made by John Weston Thomas of Pembrokeshire) which has travelled everywhere with him since.

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1989
Left Mabsant to follow a solo career.

1991
Joined the accoustic contemporary group Cusan Tân, with Anne Morgan Jones, Sue Jones-Davies and (in 1995) Howard Evans.
Met Eldra Jarman and learned the Welsh Gypsy repertoire and style from her.
Met Llio Rhydderch, and learned some melodies and arrangements from her.

1994
Started to work with Nancy Carlin Associates of San Francisco, and started to tour often and extensively across North America.

1995
Started to work with the agency Just Shows to Go of Victoria, and did five national tours of Australia between 1995 and 2000.

1996
Founded The Society for the Traditional Instruments of Wales with other traditional musicians Huw Roberts, Andy McLauchlin, Llio Rhydderch, Stephen Rees, and Wyn Thomas of the Music Dept., UCW Bangor.

1997
Started to work with Christian Daether of Thüringen as his agent, and started to tour regularly in Germany.

1997
Started to work with the Dell’Amore agency of Cesena, and started to perform occasionally in Italy.

1998
First met Ange Hauck of Würzburg, who since 2010 now works as his present agent in Germany.

1999
Formed the Welsh folk ‘Super-group’ Crasdant with Andy McLauchlin, Huw Williams, and Stephen Rees.

2000
Was awarded the Glyndŵr Medal at the Machynlleth Festival for ‘an outstanding contribution to the arts in Wales.’
Formed Rhes Ganol (the first Triple Harp Choir since the days of the Llanofer Triple Harpists in the early 20th century) with Rhiain Bebb, Huw Roberts, Wynn and Steffan Thomas, and Eleri Turner.

2002
Won a BAFTA (Cymru) award for his original music for the S4C TV-film Eldra.

2004
Was honoured with the order of ‘Druid’ (the Gorsedd White Robes) at the National Eisteddfod at Newport (Gwent), and received the bardic title ‘Telynor Cymru II’.

2006
Was chosen to be joint Music Director of The Clerorfa (The Welsh Folk Orchestra).

2007
Celebrated twenty years of professional touring as a Welsh Triple Harpist.

2008
Opened the show (solo!) for La Grande Nuit de la Saint Patrique at the Palais d'Omnisports de Bercy, Paris, in front of 25,000 French people, just as it was announced that Wales had beaten France to win the Six Nations Grand Slam. First time for me to get booed walking up on stage... (I won however!) Shared the stage that night with Alan Stivell. Who would have thought, all those years ago in 1973... ?

2009
Part of the national delegation for 'Wales at the Smithsonian', Smithsonian Folk Life Washington DC-USA

2011
Participated in the 'Magic Harps' Project at TFF Rudolstadt, DE, alongside Sixto Corbalán (PY), Tom Daun (DE), Park Stickney (USA), Lamin Djobarte (Gambia), and Kyaw Myo Naing (Myanmar)

2013
First visit ever to Latin America through Sixto Corbalán to the Festival Mundial del Arpa, Asunción, Paraguay - First ever European harpist to receive a standing ovation during the Festival.

Back in Wales, was invited by Cerys Matthews to perform with fellow Welsh Triple harpist Rhiain Bebb in the Welsh Gala Concert at WOMEX in Cardiff, to critical acclaim

2014
After having been thoroughly 'background-checked' and vetted (!), played to greet arriving delegates at Cardiff International Airport for the NATO Conference in Cardiff

2015
After success in Paraguay in 2013, was invited to the Festival Latino Americano del Arpa, Durango, Mexico

2016
And again! Y Viva!

Musical director for the 'ExtravaCambria' concert at the Edinburgh International Harp Festival - an ensemble performance of Welsh music on seven Triple Harps and twelve Celtic, described by one punter as "Great! Real music. No gimmicks."

Performed for an historic event during the National Eisteddfod in Abergavenny, 'Yn ôl i Lanofer - Back to Llanover', with six other Triple Harpists* in Lady Llanover's own drawing room at Tŷ Uchaf on the Llanover Estate, Monmouthshire - the first time for a Triple Harp performance to be given at Llanover in over 100 years. Performed on Lady Llanover's own Triple Harp
(*Rhiain Bebb, Meinir Olwen, Huw Roberts, Gareth Swindail-Parry, Cerys Havannah, and Gill Madley)

Returned to the Festival Mundial del Arpa in Asunción Paraguay, as a special guest for the festival's tenth anniversary.

Performed for a second historic event, this time at Gregynog, Powys for the 'Telynor Cymru' weekend, celebrating the 200th anniversary of John Roberts 'Telynor Cymru', along with six other Triple Harpists and other musicians*. Performed on John Roberts' own Triple Harp (*Rhiain Bebb, Meinir Olwen, Huw Roberts, Cerys Havannah, Gareth Swindail-Parry, Angharad Young, Andy McLauchlin, and Howard Potter)

2017
Accompanied Demelza (Eleanor Thompson) singing in a scene in Poldark BBC, Series 3 (to be broadcast Autumn 2017), wearing the full 18th century regalia, including scratchy wig!