Strings Of Light

Event information

International award-winning guitarist and composer Jon Pickard presents a rare and spellbinding performance on 23 string ‘Harp-Guitars’. Classical, folk and original compositions. Shimmering textures, lyrical storytelling. A truly immersive musical journey. “Weaves a flying carpet on the strings… almost unbelievable, technically and stylistically.” — Akustik Gitarre Magazine.
Bar refreshments available.
‘Strings Of Light’ will transport audiences back to a time when bards would play music and tell stories around a fire. The music creates atmosphere as much as it creates form, surrounding the listener and encouraging imagination to take over.
Rooted in an instrument with over 300 years of history, the harp-guitar carries echoes of early European traditions while revealing possibilities that still feel startlingly new. Many audience members describe a vivid sense of journey and transformation, an effect captured by BritishTheatre.com: “In Pickard’s hands the ability of the instrument to teleport the listener is breath-taking.”
Emotion lies at the centre of the programme. The music speaks directly, offering moments of reflection, wonder, and stillness. The Fine Times Recorder describes it as “Beautiful, atmospheric….profoundly emotional and spiritual...You want to close your eyes and let the pictures created by the musician take you.” Each piece becomes a space for personal interpretation, where images and stories arise naturally in the mind.
Jon is respected and sought after on both sides of the Atlantic as one of the foremost Harp Guitarists of his generation, both for his playing and his beautiful compositions. He designed both of his instruments himself (inspired by others), and still continues to work on new variants.
Critics and venues consistently highlight the rarity of the experience itself:
“A rare musical treat… a consummate musician… a sensitive and versatile player.” — Buxton Fringe
“I have been involved with music all of my life and have never seen nor heard anything to match this. The harp guitar is really quite amazing and your mastery of it is simply staggering.” — The Old Theatre Royal, Bath
For audiences seeking something authentic, immersive, and quietly powerful, this performance offers a chance to reconnect with music as storytelling — intimate, evocative, and unforgettable.