Rachel Hair

Rachel Hair is a folk harpist from Scotland. She plays the Celtic harp, also known by the Scottish Gaelic word clarsach.

For the hairstyle, see Rachel haircut.
Rachel Hair
Hair in 2010
Background information
OriginUllapool, Scotland
GenresFolk
Occupation(s)Recording artist, performer, music teacher
InstrumentsHarp
Years active2007-present
Websitewww.rachelhair.com

Early life and education

Of mixed Scots-Irish parentage, Hair was born and brought up in the village of Ullapool. At ten years old, she was exposed to the harp through the Scottish organization Fèis Rois, which organizes schools and festivals to teach traditional music and Gaelic.[1] She studied music at the University of Strathclyde, where she gained a first class honors degree.[2]

Career

In 2007, Hair released her debut harp album, "Hubcaps and Potholes", and has since performed at many festivals including Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh Fringe.[2] She has traveled throughout Europe, the United States, and New Zealand performing and teaching.[3] According to music reviewer David Pratt, Hair "is recognised as the world’s leading expert in Manx Harp music."[4]

Hair also helps coordinate the annual Edinburgh International Harp Festival. In 2020, the festival's 39th year, the festival was forced to cancel its in-person activities because of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading Hair to coordinate the Virtual Edinburgh International Harp Festival. Over five days, 18 different harpists performed and led workshops online.[5]

Additionally, Hair has published several books of music that she has arranged for the harp.[3]

Discography
  • Hubcaps and Potholes - 2007
  • The Lucky Smile - 2009
  • No More Wings (as the Rachel Hair Trio) - 2012
  • Tri (as the Rachel Hair Trio) - 2015
  • Sparks (as Rachel Hair & Ron Jappy) - 2019

References
  1. "What We do". Feis Rois. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  2. "Ullapool showtime for rising star Rachel". Ross-shire Journal. 13 June 2008. Archived from the original on 30 September 2010.
  3. "Manx Music and Dance: Going global during the lockdown". Isle of Man Courier. 2020-05-24. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  4. Pratt, David (2019-06-04). "RACHEL HAIR & RON JAPPY: SPARK". folk radio. Retrieved 2020-09-29.
  5. Rudden, Liam (2020-03-31). "Edinburgh's International Harp Festival goes global as it reinvents itself as a virtual online event". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 2020-09-29.


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