Claire Jones readies the Highgrove Suite

Claire Jones, conductor Sir Neville Marriner and The National Youth Strings Academy will perform The Highgrove Suite for the first time publicly this Saturday (August 13) at St John’s Smith Square, London. The four-movement suite was composed by Patrick Hawes to celebrate HRH The Prince Of Wales’s 60th birthday.

The first performance was at Highgrove House, HRH The Prince Of Wales and Duchess Of Cornwall’s family home, in June 2010, at a charity event hosted by Prince Charles. Claire Jones, who performed on the album and at the private recital, will now bring the composition to London.

"The creation and premiere of the Highgrove Suite was without a doubt one of the highlights of my time as Official Harpist to HRH the Prince of Wales. I'm really excited to be performing this wonderful Royal Commission at its public premiere on Saturday. Performing it under the baton of Sir Neville Marriner feels like a great privilege - I can't wait”.

Claire will also be wearing a dress [see picture] inspired by the gardens at Highgrove, created by students of Fashion and Design at Wales’s Gwent College.

“This is a new royal music commission and a great opportunity to raise the profile of the talents of other young people in Wales”, continued Claire. “I would probably have been looking to buy a special dress for the occasion, but working with the students of the Fashion and Design department at Gwent College is so much more satisfying and meaningful than just choosing something off the peg.”