Arts / Harpist to head north for series of performances
A HARPIST and singer who has performed across the globe is heading to Shetland next month for a series of concerts and workshops.
Esther Swift, who explores “ritual, connection, isolation and the natural world” with pedal harp and voice, will start her run of performances at Mareel on Thursday 2 April.
This will be a ‘Soup and a Show’ performance at the venue which begins at 1pm.
Swift will then head to Unst for a concert in the Viking longhouse on 3 April at 7pm, before playing at the Walls Regatta Club the following night from 7.30pm.
She will also perform at Hymhus in Bigton at 4pm on Sunday 5 April before holding a harp workshop at the St Magnus Hall in Lerwick on 6 April at 5.30pm.
Swift tours internationally with her own music as both a soloist and with her band and large ensembles.
She has previously performed in Shetland as part of the group Twelfth Night.
Having studied at Edinburgh’s St Mary’s Music School and the Royal Northern College of Music, as well as with harp pioneer Catriona McKay, she has received numerous prestigious commissions and featured in many international collaborations.
Swift has travelled to the likes of Vietnam, New Zealand, Malaysia and Mongolia and beyond with her music.
Her debut solo studio album, Expectations of a Lifetime, was released in June 2024, with the sister EP Moon Dreams released in November 2025.
Tickets for the Mareel performance can be bought from the Shetland Arts box office, while the other performances are pay on the door. Anyone interested in the harp workshop is asked to contact sunitaharp@gmail.com.
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