Royal Wedding Harpist Claire Jones Recovers from Chronic Illness to Perform at Swindon Arts Centre

Claire Jones will return to the stage wowing audiences with her platform this spring, with a tour promoting her new album, ‘Journey’.

She’ll arrive at Swindon Arts Centre on Sat 16 January for an evening of beautiful music taken from the world of classical music, film score favourites and well-loved national airs and folk melodies from across the British Isles. These will be interspersed with stories and anecdotes from her life as an international harpist, as well as her own personal journey of recovery from chronic illness.

Since taking up the role of HRH the Prince of Wales’ official harpist in 2007, Claire Jones’ has hardly stopped to take it all in. She performed regularly at royal and state functions, at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding in April 2011 in addition to becoming a household name through the international media frenzy surrounding it. In September 2012, Claire released her classical chart- topping album, ‘The Girl With The Golden Harp’ with Classic FM, and a week later walked down the aisle to marry fellow musician and composer Chris Marshall. Only still young and in her mid 20’s she was living the dream, taking on the challenges of international travel and high-pressure performances, seemingly with ease. Just over six months later Claire’s life changed dramatically when after months of debilitating illness, she was diagnosed with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). The past eighteen months have been a journey towards wellness, and her new album, ‘Journey’, released on March 1 this year, is a collection of beautiful classical music arranged for harp that became the soundtrack to her own very personal odyssey of recovery.

Speaking of the forthcoming performance at Swindon Arts Centre, Claire said:

I’m looking forward to sharing my story and the music that has become so important to me during these past few years. My hope with these concerts is to delight audiences and transport them from their busy lives for a few magical, musical hours. I also want to raise awareness of ME Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, a debilitating illness that affects at least 250,000 people of all ages in Britain today. I have been very fortunate to find treatment that worked for me. Not everyone is so lucky, but I want to help change that, and show that it is possible to recover from this condition and lead a full and vibrant life. This evening of music is a celebration of the joy and vibrancy of life, I hope you can join me.”

Sat 16 January 2016 – Claire Jones performs at Swindon Arts Centre, SN1 4BJ