Event M23: 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. Blending classical, folk and original music, shimmering textures and lyrical storytelling create an immersive, transporting experience. “Weaves a flying carpet on the strings… almost unbelievable, technically and stylistically.” — Akustik Gitarre Magazine.

International award-winning guitarist and composer Jon Pickard presents a rare solo performance on the extraordinary 23-string harp-guitar, an instrument whose extended range and resonance create a soundworld unlike anything else in contemporary guitar music. Melody, harmony, and deep sympathetic bass lines unfold together, surrounding the listener in layers of sound that feel both ancient and alive. The programme moves between classical, folk, and original compositions, shaped into music that feels less like a conventional concert and more like a shared experience. There is an echo of older traditions here — when musicians were storytellers, and music carried memory, place, and meaning. The performance invites stillness and attention, drawing audiences out of everyday time and into something slower and more elemental.

Rooted in an instrument with over 300 years of history, the harp-guitar carries traces of early European music while opening up textures that feel strikingly modern. Pickard’s approach is immersive and cinematic, allowing resonance and silence to work together. Audiences frequently describe a powerful sense of journey and transformation, with BritishTheatre.com observing, “In Pickard’s hands the ability of the instrument to teleport the listener is breath-taking.”
Emotion lies at the centre of the music. The performances are quietly intense, offering moments of reflection, wonder, and emotional depth. As The Fine Times Recorder writes, “Beautiful, atmospheric….profoundly emotional and spiritual…You want to close your eyes and let the pictures created by the musician take you.”

Widely respected on both sides of the Atlantic, Pickard is recognised as one of the foremost harp-guitarists of his generation. In 2025, he won Best Guitar Composition at the Široki Brijeg Guitarist Festival, affirming his voice as both composer and performer. Critics consistently highlight the rarity of the experience, with Akustik Gitarre Magazine praising his playing as “almost unbelievable, technically and stylistically.”