Chris Knowles

Chris has worked as a full-time freelance professional musician for 36 years, with the Celtic harp as his principal instrument. He also plays a variety of other instruments, including Irish bouzouki, whistle and saxophone. He has performed at a large number of Arts Centres, Arts Festivals and Folk festivals all over the UK and beyond, and on a number of TV & radio programmes, both solo and in various duos and bands. He has played at many public events for the Welsh government organisation CADW at various castles and historic sites throughout Wales, and was their official harpist playing at Caernarfon castle for 9 years. Chris has also played at a huge number of private events such as weddings, garden parties and corporate events. Chris specialises particularly in traditional Irish, Scottish, Welsh and other Celtic music, but he also has a large repertoire of popular music on the harp, which he often plays for weddings and corporate functions etc. In addition he has a repertoire of mediaeval & renaissance music, plus a small number of light classical pieces, and can offer some original improvised solo harp music too. He has recorded 22 albums as a principal artist, mostly with harp and Irish bouzouki as his main instruments. Chris currently plays solo, and also with multi-instrumentalist Ben Walker (duo), singer Catrin O'Neill (duo), and north Wales-based Mooncoin Ceilidh band (4-piece + caller). Some of Chris's previous TV appearances include: 'Perfformiad Heather' Special featuring Heather Jones- S4C 1994. 'Heno' on S4C 1995 with group 'Hafren'. 'The Slate' music programme BBC 1 Wales 1995, with Hafren. Special on Welsh folk music scene 'Petersen' HTV 1995 with Hafren. 'Gwerin Y Werin' folk music programme S4C 1996 with Hafren. 'Codi'r To' S4C 1996, with Hafren. Series of 4 programmes 'Cerdd Y Chan' S4C 1997 with Heather Jones. Live TV programme 'Y Goets Fawr' in Holyhead for S4C- 2011, with fiddler Gary Matthewson.