How it started
Yorkshire-based harpist Kathryn Mason’s love for the instrument began as early as the age of three, when she saw the harp featured on an episode of the popular children’s television programme ‘Barney & Friends.’ After years of searching for a teacher, she finally began formal harp lessons with Pamela Radford at the age of seven. She was later accepted into Yorkshire Young Musicians, a specialist music service based in Leeds College of Music, and began learning with Rachel Dent.
In 2014, Kathryn received an entrance scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music, and moved from Wakefield to Manchester to begin studying with Eira Lynn Jones. She received a Bachelor of Music with first class honours in 2018, then continued study at the RNCM for a further two years on the Master of Music Performance programme, from which she graduated in November 2020.
A Freelance Career
As a freelance professional harpist, Kathryn enjoys a varied career which explores a breadth of musical genres in a variety of settings and ensembles. As a soloist, she has performed across the UK in several concert series and competitions and has played in masterclasses for esteemed harpists such as Sivan Magen, Maria Luisa Rayan, Marie-Pierre Langlamet and Caroline Lizotte. Kathryn is particularly passionate about contemporary music, and in recent years she has performed in many UK and world premieres of new works either as a soloist or as part of an ensemble or orchestra.
As an orchestral player, Kathryn has worked with several internationally renowned conductors, such as Vassily Sinaisky, Jac van Steen, Sir Andrew Davis and Vasily Petrenko. In March 2019, she performed with the RNCM Symphony Orchestra, whose concert featuring Gustav Mahler’s ‘Symphony No. 5’ was broadcast on BBC Radio 3 as part of their ‘Young Artists’ Week.’ However, Kathryn’s experience does not end with classical orchestral repertoire - she has also performed with several opera and theatre companies, several contemporary music ensembles, and she even performed with the Black Dyke Brass Band during the RNCM Brass Band Festival 2020.
Kathryn performs regularly across the North West as part of the Rascallity Harp Duo (founded in 2015 as the Septentrion Duo and subsequently renamed.) Rascallity not only seeks to explore new and obscure classical repertoire for two harps, but also creates original arrangements and compositions which fuse elements of jazz, Latin, folk and world music.
Kathryn has been performing at weddings and events for over fifteen years, and as such she is comfortable performing and arranging repertoire from a variety of different genres. Her work has taken her to many beautiful wedding venues across the North of England, and she always appreciates being able to contribute to special events.
Finally, Kathryn has experience teaching harpists across a wide range of ages and abilities, both in a one-to-one setting and in larger scale workshops. She finds great joy in nurturing a love for the instrument and growth not just as a harpist but also as a musician.