Cerys Hafana at Royal Albert Hall

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Cerys Hafana showcases her folk-inspired innovations in the Elgar Room as part of Independent Venue Week, with support from Owen Spafford and Louis Campbell.

Mangling, mutating and transforming traditional music, Cerys explores the creative possibilities and unique qualities of the triple harp, and is also interested in found sounds, archival materials and electronic processing. She comes from Machynlleth, Wales, where rivers and roads meet on the way to the sea.

She has won over audiences from Green Man to the Eisteddfod and from BBC 6 Music Festival to Celtic Connections with her magical, progressive sound.

Edyf, her second album, drew inspiration from material found in the Welsh National Library’s online archive, including fragments of Psalm tunes, hymns about doomsday and philosophical musings on the length of eternity, along with some original compositions, and was selected as one of The Guardian’s Top Ten folk albums of 2022. Cerys’ latest EP, The Bitter, released earlier in 2024 is an innovative exploration of some dark English and Scottish ballads.