Alis Huws is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

harpist from

Powys Powys ( , ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county and Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county in Wales. It borders Gwynedd, Denbighshire, and Wrexham County Borough, Wrexham to the north; the English Ceremonial counties of England, ceremo ...

, the sixth and current

Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales The Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales, or King's Harpist, is a position within the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. History The harp is an important national instrument in Wales. The role of Official Harpist had fallen out of use since ...

Education

Huws is from Foel near

Llanfair Caereinion Llanfair Caereinion () is a market town and community in Montgomeryshire, Powys, Wales upon the River Banwy (also known as the River Einion), around 8 miles west of Welshpool. In 2011 the ward had a population of 1,810; the town itself had a p ...

in Powys, where she attended

Ysgol Uwchradd Caereinion Caereinion High School () is an 11–18 mixed, bilingual community secondary school and sixth form in Llanfair Caereinion, Powys, Wales. It was established in 1894. Spanish and French are offered up to A-Level, and A-Level students are also giv ...

. Having received harp lessons at school, she continued her studies at the

Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama () is a conservatoire located in Cardiff, Wales. It has three theatres: the Richard Burton Theatre, the Bute Theatre, and the Caird Studio. It also includes one concert hall, the Dora Stoutzker Hall, and ...

in Cardiff, where she has since graduated with both undergraduate and master's degrees. Whilst there, she was awarded the Midori Matsui Prize for music, the

Royal Welch Fusiliers The Royal Welch Fusiliers () was a line infantry regiment of the British Army, and part of the Prince of Wales's Division, that was founded in 1689, shortly after the Glorious Revolution. In 1702, it was designated a fusilier regiment and becam ...

Harp Prize and the McGrennery Chamber Music Prize. Retrieved 04 July 2019 Retrieved 05 August 2019 Huws was a member of the

National Youth Orchestra of Wales The National Youth Orchestra of Wales (NYOW, ) is the national youth orchestra of Wales, based in Cardiff. Founded in 1945, it is the longest-standing national youth orchestra in the world. Organisation The orchestra numbers around 115 young ...

and in 2016 was principal harp in the WNO Youth Opera production of ''

Kommilitonen! ''Kommilitonen!'' (''Young Blood!'', or ''Student Activists'', literally ''Fellow Students!'') is an opera by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies. The libretto is by David Pountney, who was also the director of the premiere performances in March 2011. Gen ...

'' by

Peter Maxwell Davies Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music. As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Music ...

Career

In 2017 Huws performed alongside

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Only Men Aloud Only Men Aloud is a male voice choir from Wales. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the ''Last Choir Standing'' competition run by BBC television during 2008. Overview The choir was formed by Tim Rhys-Evans, a classi ...

at an event celebrating the

UEFA Champions League Final The UEFA Champions League is a seasonal football competition established in 1955. Prior to the 1992–93 season, the tournament was named the European Cup. The UEFA Champions League is open to the league champions of all UEFA (Union of Europe ...

in Cardiff. Having performed for the Royal Family on several occasions, Huws was appointed the

in July 2019. Following the accession of

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

in September 2022, Huws' role became that of Royal Harpist, and in February 2023 she was chosen to play at Charles' coronation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huws, Alis 1995 births Living people Welsh classical harpists Alumni of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama British women harpists 21st-century Welsh women musicians 21st-century British classical musicians People from Powys Members of the Household of the Prince of Wales