A library book about choosing an instrument for your child, left lying around the house, is where this whole story starts. Heather's guest is Rachel, who read it at 11, came downstairs the next morning asking for a harp, and has since been named BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2026.
Heather asks her about the years in between, from a first rented harp in Aberdeenshire to a masters at the Berklee campus in Valencia, and about how quickly everything changed once the result was announced for the Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year.
In this episode:
- How the Clàrsach Society rental scheme made that first harp possible
- Why she wrote a conservatoire application and never sent it
- Two years on pedal harp, and what pulled her back to the lever harp
- Where her tune Number 43 came from, and why it's really about Glasgow
- Applying for the competition on a whim, and the boxes we put ourselves in
- Letting go of feeling she had something to prove, and what that did for her nerves
- The concert and workshop she's bringing to the How To Harp membership
Host:
Heather Downie - Harpist, Principal Lever Harp Tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Founder of How To Harp
Guest:
Rachel Groves - Professional Harpist, Composer, BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year 2026, and How To Harp Guest Tutor
Learn with us:
https://www.HowToHarp.com (membership, courses, retreats)
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