This piece of seasonal music was composed by my very close ‘harp sister’, Anna Dunwoodie from New Zealand, for her volume called ‘Harp Moments’ for intermediate harp which she brought out in 2021 (please see the final link at the end of this writing). The World Harp Congress brought Anna to the UK in June this year and she came to stay with me for a few days before holidaying in Europe and before the Harp Congress all started. 

We couldn’t resist playing the harp together with a view to creating something for you for this Advent Calendar, but what should we play? Anna emailed me the copies of this and other pieces from her laptop whilst she was here; I printed them out and we tuned my Grecian harps and off we went with Anna performing the written piece and me embroidering around it. It was all recorded in two takes and a very impromptu but oh so joyous manner! I have to say that I think our sound matches very well because we think very much the same way as harpists and musicians.

I am delighted that Anna is contributing so much to the harp canon – especially with regard to student repertoire as her style is very attractively approachable and her lucky students get these pieces written specifically for their needs. This special harpist is a real innovator, mover and shaker within everything harp and thinks creatively outside the box. Many players in New Zealand owe a great deal to her for the massive energy which she puts into organising harp events. 

Anna first became deservedly well known for her harp writing due to the very comprehensive sight-reading books which she produced with her colleague Lisa Williamson and which quickly found a following worldwide. For this new piece, Twinkling Lights, Anna wrote three possible ensemble parts and we are playing two of them – the slightly more difficult ones!