Talynau A Chan - Folk Songs & Harps, album cover

Elinor Bennett, Baroness Wigley,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(born 17 April 1943) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

ist who has an international reputation as a soloist, master instructor, and founded the Harp College of Wales.

Biography

Bennett was born in 1943 in

Llanidloes Llanidloes () is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn), Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third ...

, Wales. When she was six, her family moved into a house known as Gwyndy on the White Hall estate of Owen Morgan Edwards at Llanuwchllyn near

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India *Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...

. She was a student at the local primary school and then attended the Bala Girls' Grammar School. Her father bought Bennett her first harp when she was six, though she did not begin lessons until age 11. Upon graduation from high school, Bennett studied law at

University College Wales, Aberystwyth , mottoeng = A world without knowledge is no world at all , established = 1872 (as ''The University College of Wales'') , former_names = University of Wales, Aberystwyth , type = Public , endowment = ...

and after completing a Bachelor of Laws, she moved to London, where she was employed in a law office. Wanting to continue her education, she applied for and won a scholarship to attend the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke of ...

, studying with

Osian Ellis Osian or Osiyan may refer to: * Osian art fund, an arts fund started in Mumbai (2010). *Osian, Jodhpur, a city in Rajasthan, India * Osiyan, Unnao, a village in Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India * Osian (name), a name common in Wales, derived f ...

. Graduating three years later, she later completed music therapy courses in Australia. Bennett's debut was at Wigmore Hall, London and then she worked from 1967 to 1971 as a freelance artist playing with the English Chamber Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, and the

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, W ...

. She has performed many recitals on BBC Radio 3 and BBC television. Though known most for classical music, Bennett has also played with some of Wales' most renowned figures from rock music. She has recorded twelve solo albums, and is one of the organisers of the Wales International Harp Festival. She founded the ''Coleg Telyn Cymru'' (Harp College of Wales) and is known for her instruction. Her students have included Catrin Finch, who later married her son Hywel. In 1996, Bennett was made an Honorary Fellow at her alma mater in Aberystwyth; and in 2002 she received the White Robe of the

National Eisteddfod of Wales The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh language, Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Eur ...

, the festival's highest honour. She was the recipient of the Glyndŵr Award in 2003 and in 2006, she was honoured for her service to Wales with her music, receiving the Order of the British Empire. She published ''Tannau Tynion'', her autobiography in 2011.

Family

Bennett married the Plaid Cymru politician, Dafydd Wigley, later Baron Wigley, in 1967. Two of the couple's four children predeceased their parents, dying from an inherited genetic condition, Sanfilippo syndrome."Elinor Bennett Wigley talks about her new autobiography, Taut Strings"
''Wales Online'', 9 March 2012; accessed 12 May 2014.

References

External links

elinorbennett.co.uk
Official site {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Elinor 1943 births Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Llanidloes Living people Welsh harpists Welsh-speaking musicians Wigley Spouses of life peers