Decca Classics has announced the exclusive signing of harpist, Alis Huws.

The 29-year-old is currently the Official Royal Harpist and was personally selected by His Majesty King Charles III to perform at the Coronation last year.

Hailing from a farm in west Wales, Huws trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, where the then-Prince Charles was President. It was on a royal visit in 2019 that she was appointed Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales. As the monarch ascended to the throne in 2023, Huws was made Royal Harpist. Now London-based, she regularly performs at royal events, juggling her time between her work for the royal family, performances for heads of state and career as a soloist.

Huws played the official royal harp, made by Salvi Harps, at the coronation alongside the Coronation Orchestra performing Tros y Garreg (Crossing the Stone) by Sir Karl Jenkins, describing it as the ‘pinnacle’ of her five years in the role, saying ‘Watching history happen in front of my eyes felt surreal; it was such a privilege and honour’.

As well as her official duties, Huws is heavily involved in ensuring music is part of local communities, regularly giving interactive concerts in care homes as well as working with children with special educational needs. During the Covid lockdown, the harpist performed for shielding families and has worked extensively with Live Music Now!, a charity that works to create social impact through music and Music in Hospitals and Care. Speaking on her outreach activities, Huws reflects ‘As an artist, I feel that you have a responsibility to reach people who can't reach you rather than expect them to come and find you in a concert hall. Often, my most rewarding and uplifting experiences come from bringing music into the community and finding the people who can really benefit from hearing live music’.

Her first single, an arrangement of the Welsh folk song Tra Bo Dau (As long as two remain) is available to listen below, and her debut EP will be released later this year.