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ages 6-19
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Grade 0 – 8+
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No previous ensemble experiences necessary
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Course Dates & Times
Sunday 14th December 2025
9.30am-5.00pm
Course Location
Routh Hall, Bromsgrove School
Worcester Road, Bromsgrove B61 7DU
Course Cost
£47.50 per student
Bursaries available – please e-mail esoyouth@eso.co.uk for more information.
Get ready for a spectacular day filled with magical music and exciting learning at our Christmas Harp Day with Rita Schindler, Emily Hopper and Natasha Gale. You will have the chance to meet and learn from these inspiring harpists who will share and help you develop techniques and ensemble playing. Come and play your favourite seasonal tunes, join in with fun harp discussions, and make new harpist buddies!
We are pleased that Telynau Vining Harps (Camac Harps) will be joining us on the day – https://wales.camac-harps.com/en/
Harp tutors:
RITA SCHINDLER
Hungarian harpist Rita Schindler enjoys a varied career as performer and teacher. Since 2019 she has been Principal Harp Tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
As an orchestral musician she works regularly with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet, Ulster Orchestra, English Symphony Orchestra and Orchestra of the Swan, and has performed with Opera North, Welsh National Opera, the CBSO and others. Her career also includes solo and chamber recitals, BBC broadcasts, appearances at the Proms, and recordings for Signum Classics and Naxos.
A recipient of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Sir John Barbirolli Award, Rita studied at Birmingham Conservatoire with Catherine White and at Guildhall School of Music & Drama with Imogen Barford. She later became an Honorary Junior Fellow at Birmingham, where she now teaches in both the senior and junior departments.
Her students have gone on to win prizes in national and international competitions and to join leading youth orchestras such as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and the CBSO Youth Orchestra, with many continuing their studies at top UK conservatoires.
EMILY HOPPER
Emily is a harpist and passionate teacher based in Birmingham. She is Head of Harp at Warwick Preparatory School and Kings High School, has a busy private teaching practice. Her students have achieved notable successes, including prizes at the Leamington Spa Competition Festival and Bristol Harp Festival, places on orchestral schemes such as NCO and ESO Youth Orchestra, and a 100% pass rate in ABRSM and Trinity exams.
Winner of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Pedagogy Prize in 2021, Emily is dedicated to making music education accessible and inspiring for all. She regularly tutors on English Symphony Orchestra’s Youth Courses, has worked with Orchestra of the Swan’s education projects, and has worked as the Learning Coordinator at Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. She is also closely involved in outreach work with Cheltenham Music Festival and RBC’s LEAP ensemble.
Alongside her teaching, Emily is an active performer. She has appeared as performed across the UK in venues such as Symphony Hall Birmingham, Royal Festival Hall, and Cadogan Hall, and made her concerto debut in Canterbury Cathedral with Handel’s Harp Concerto. She has also had the honour of performing to the Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Edward. As an orchestral harpist, she has performed with ensembles including Opera North, English Symphony Orchestra, and the British Sinfonietta, with notable broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Emily also enjoys chamber music-making as part of The Cherry Stone Duo (harp and guitar) where she has commissioned new music.
NATASHA GALE
Natasha gale is professional harpist from Kent graduated from The prestigious Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. She has performed as a solo and orchestral harpist around Birmingham, London and the West Country, frequently playing with The British Police Orchestra, Birmingham Philharmonic, Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra and Solihull Symphony Orchestra. She is the current harp tutor for several schools across the Cotswolds and Cheltenham area, including Cheltenham College, Where we have lauched the Cheltenham Harp Hub for all local schools, which has just been nominated for Classic FMs Music Teacher of the year 2025. She has studied under Gabriella Dall’olio, Catherine White and Katherine Thomas (principle of CBSO). From her work within the United Kingdom Harp association in co-organising the’ Wild strings pop and harp festival 2018’, Cheltenham Harp day and her work with Camac harps at the Cardiff Festival 2019 and 2024. She has found a passion for finding new ways of teaching new harpists and experimenting with jazz, pop harp, meditation and exploring the full range of what is possible on the harp. Natasha also is a pioneer in live harp and yoga, Collaborating with Cameo Studio Cotswolds at the Farncombe Estate.
All tutors and pastoral staff are enhanced DBS-checked.
