Wendy Stewart biography

Over 30 years of playing the Scottish harp have taken Wendy Stewart all over the world, actually and musically, and the influence of this, combined with her innate Scottishness, add up to a unique repertoire of traditional and original material. Wendy has played the Scottish harp since the age of twelve, learning from one of Scotland's finest teachers, Jean Campbell, in Edinburgh. Over the many years since she has established herself as one of Scotland's foremost traditional harp players and as a highly skilled musician of great sensitivity and feeling.

As part of the revival of interest in the instrument in the 70s, Wendy competed in many Mòds and music festivals, and developed her performing skills through regular Clàrsach Society events in Edinburgh and appearances at the Festival Fringe. In 1977 Wendy appeared on Clàrsach pioneer Alison Kinnaird's groundbreaking album 'The Harp Key' (available from Temple Records).

Having completed a science degree in the same year Wendy began to travel and perform more widely in Britain and Europe, becoming over the years a member of several traditional bands including Donal Maguire's 'Occasional Band', and the splendidly titled 'Fat Hen'.

Through this work and the thriving session scene in Northwest England, her interest grew in Irish, French, Scandinavian, and Cajun music. Over these years she also developed, with the help of many wonderful pupils, her teaching skills, recorded a cassette and LP, and found time to produce two lovely boys with her husband Alan!

In 1990 the family moved to Edinburgh and Wendy was recruited into the ranks of the well-established Scottish band 'Ceolbeg'. The band's blend of modern instruments (drum kit and keyboards) and traditional (pipes, harp, flute and whistles) helped widen her musical horizons still further, enhanced her arranging and compositional skills and doing wonders for her concertina playing. Major tours, radio and television work and four Ceolbeg CDs followed - the last of which was 'Cairn Water'. Wendy is now concentrating on other solo and collaborative projects and has released three solo albums 'About Time' , 'About Time 2' (what else!) and the most recent 'Standing Wave', which along with three companion music books of the same names have been received with great critical and popular acclaim. (All these band and solo albums are available from Greentrax Recordings).

During this time her teaching horizons also expanded, and she is now in great demand as a teacher at harp courses in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland, and North America, not to mention Lewis! Wendy now lives in deepest Dumfriesshire, on the banks of the aforementioned Cairn Water, continuing her solo work, her many teaching commitments including tutoring on the BA degree course in Scottish Music at the RSAMD in Glasgow, as well as other musical adventures. She is firmly established as a performer, teacher, writer and communicator of some of the finest and most enduring harp music in Scotland today.

See also Wendy's own website www.wendystewart.co.uk