Unexpected pleasures at Festival of Chichester harp-guitar concert

Composer/experimental guitarist Jon Pickard offers the harp-guitar in concert for this year’s Festival of Chichester.
Jon PickardJon Pickard
Jon Pickard

He will be sharing the delights of the instrument in concerts at Christ Church Methodist and United Reformed Church, Old Market Avenue, Chichester on Saturday, June 26 at 1pm and then again in the evening from 7.30-9pm (two times 40 minutes).

Entry is £9 with tickets from the Novium box office.

Jon promises a fascinating journey through classical, Celtic and Spanish guitar into the magical and uncharted new worlds of the harp-guitar.

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“Harp-guitars are extremely rare instruments with a beautiful and unique sound – an extended guitar with extra banks of harp-like strings creating a wonderful fusion of sonic textures and possibilities.”

Jon has a background in classical, folk, rock and jazz.

“Harp-guitars are not new, just very rare, says Jon who is one of only a handful of performers in the UK.

“These beautiful instruments come in infinite variety and produce an amazing epic sound in the right hands. Combined with crafted storytelling, each tune comes alive and takes the listener to a beautiful and unexpected place full of inspired imagination.”

Somerset-based classical/Spanish guitarist and jazz pianist Jon discovered the world of harp-guitars ten years ago “with their infinite variety of design, new musical textures and endless possibilities.

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“This was a mind-opening and life-changing experience. I realised you can bend and expand the rules of instrument design, and every time you do it creates something musically unique, yet still connected to tradition.”

He has since designed from scratch and modified existing harp-guitars in search of new soundscapes and musical possibilities: ““The result is a breathtakingly beautiful and immensely big sound for a guitar, its 23 strings plumbing new depths and reaching new heights, creating new worlds and musical landscapes, and evoking a mesmerising effect for the listener.”

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