423 – Strings of Light – Secrets of the Harp Guitar

International award-winning guitarist and composer Jon Pickard presents a rare solo performance on the extraordinary 23-string harp guitar. Fresh from headlining the 5th International European Harp Guitar Festival in Saujon France, and winning the prestigious ‘Best Guitar Composition’ at the Å iroki Brijeg Guitarist Festival in Herzegovina. Jon blends classical, folk and original music, creating shimmering textures and lyrical storytelling with an immersive, transporting experience. ‘Weaves a flying carpet on the strings’¦ almost unbelievable, technically and stylistically.’ ‘” Akustik Gitarre Magazine.

The performance invites audiences into a deeper, more attentive way of listening, echoing an older tradition where music and storytelling were inseparable. Sound unfolds magically, allowing resonance and silence to shape the experience as much as melody. The effect is mesmerising and deeply physical, filling the space and encouraging the imagination to wander freely, as if stepping briefly outside modern time.

At the heart of the programme are not 1 but 2 of the rarest instruments in the world, with over 300 years of history, whose origins trace back to early European music-making, yet whose voices still feels startlingly fresh. In Jon Pickard’s hands, the harp-guitars become vessels for atmosphere and narrative, capable of conjuring vast inner landscapes from a single performer. Audiences frequently describe a sense of journey and transformation, captured by BritishTheatre.com: ‘In Pickard’s hands the ability of the instruments to teleport the listener is breath-taking.’

Emotion runs powerfully throughout the music. Rather than demanding attention, it draws listeners inward, offering moments of reflection, wonder, and a rare depth. The Fine Times Recorder describes the experience as ‘Beautiful, atmospheric’¦.profoundly emotional and spiritual…You want to close your eyes and let the pictures created by the musician take you.’ Each listener is free to discover their own stories within the sound.