& multi-instrumentalist
Chris Knowles plays a variety of instruments; his two main instruments are celtic harp and Irish bouzouki.
An established solo celtic harpist, with several recorded albums, Chris has worked as a freelance musician for over 22 years with celtic harp as his main instrument, specialising particularly in traditional celtic music including much Irish, Welsh, and Scottish material and also some Breton , Manx and Cornish music.
As well as his many solo performances, Chris has worked in a number of duos and bands in collaboration with some fine musicians, including Welsh singer Heather Jones, fiddler Mike Lease, acoustic guitarist Anthony Griffiths, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Walker.
Both solo and in various combos, Chris has performed in widely varied venues
including arts centres, concert halls, theatres, arts festivals, folk festivals,
castles, hotels, museums, folk clubs, restaurants, on TV and radio programmes,
at a large number of ceilidhs and weddings, and at open air concerts, green
fairs, and 2 Glastonbury festivals.
He was the official harpist at Caernarfon Castle in North Wales for 9 years,
for CADW.
Chris lives in North Wales in the UK. He presently plays solo harp performances
and also in various duos- mainly with Ben Walker, or fiddler Gary Matthewson.
He also plays with local North Wales-based ceilidh band Mooncoin.
Recent new collaborations include performances and recording with singer/songwriter Catrin O'Neill .
Chris is available all over the UK and beyond for both public performances and private bookings such as weddings, corporate events etc.
CONTACT: For more info or bookings, please email
chris
chrisknowles.org
- see Gigs page for info. on dates available.
(The terms "harper" & "harpist" have the same meaning, broadly speaking- though 'harper', being the older word, is often used to distinguish a player of the styles and techniques of traditional music, as opposed to a player of classical style; rather like "fiddler" may be used to distinguish a player specialised in traditional styles of music from a classical violinist.)e
Top Image courtesy of Chris Hanley