Harpist
Kirsty Whatley

Kirsty Whatley is a young freelance harpist whose varied work takes her across the UK.   

She began learning the harp at the age of ten on a small instrument, hand-made by her mother. 

After transferring to the classical concert harp she won a number of awards and prizes, toured America as principal harpist with the Hampshire Youth Orchestra and gave several solo recitals.  She graduated in 2000 with a First Class Honour’s degree from the University of Manchester, where she studied the harp with Eira Lyn Jones and in 2001 went on to gain a Master’s Degree with distinction, specialising in issues surrounding the harp in the Twentieth Century.  She received first prize at the Leamington Spa Harp Festival and also gave the premiere in the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall of a new work for solo harp (Sacred Time by Andrew Keeling) – a piece which was written especially for her.  

 In 2002 she travelled to Prague to give performances of Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto and to Belfast to play with the Moscow City Ballet.   

Her musical experience is diverse: from the traditional, appearing at top venues such as the Manchester Bridgewater Hall and Hampton Court; to the bizarre, as a ghostly on-stage harpist in contemporary music theatre.

Next Harpist