Catrin Ana Finch was born in the Ceredigion village of Llanon and began learning the harp at just six years old. A prodigious talent, she passed her Grade 8 harp exam by the age of nine and joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain at ten, becoming its youngest member ever to perform at the BBC Proms. She trained at the Purcell School before studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London under Skaila Kanga.
In 2000, aged just 20, Finch was appointed the first Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales since the post had lapsed during Queen Victoria's reign, holding the role until 2004. She has since built an internationally celebrated career as a soloist, composer and collaborator, recording Bach's Goldberg Variations for solo harp, releasing the mythology-inspired album Annwn, and forming a long-running duo with Senegalese kora player Seckou Keita that produced the acclaimed albums Clychau Dibon, SOAR and Echo.
Finch is a visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music, and continues to tour and record internationally, including her recent collaboration with Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain on the 2023 album Double You. In 2018 she was diagnosed with breast cancer and continued performing throughout treatment, completing a UK tour with Seckou Keita weeks after her surgery.
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First Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales since Queen Victoria's reign, and one of the world's foremost concert harpists.
Catrin Finch
Harpist
Born and raised in Llanon, Ceredigion; a fluent Welsh speaker who has drawn deeply on Welsh mythology and music throughout her career.
Finch's discography spans classical repertoire, contemporary composition and cross-cultural collaboration, including the Welsh-mythology-themed album Annwn and her acclaimed partnership with kora player Seckou Keita. She has performed at the Aberfan Memorial Concert in Karl Jenkins' Cantata Memoria alongside Bryn Terfel and Michael Sheen, and remains closely associated with the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where she is a visiting professor.
Career Highlights
Appointed first Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales in 2000, serving until 2004
Won the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in France, 1999
Long-running recording partnership with kora player Seckou Keita, including SOAR and Echo
ℹ️ Born 24 April 1980 in Llanon, Ceredigion, Wales.
Born and raised in Llanon, Ceredigion; a fluent Welsh speaker who has drawn deeply on Welsh mythology and music throughout her career.