The DangerousHarpist

Trailblazing, Ursula Burns has been smashing the stereo-typical image of the harp for 30 years by performing and touring the world with her music through Songwriting, Theatre, Circus and Comedy. Having played everywhere from the Albert Hall to every size and shape of venue, in Ireland, Uk, Europe, America and Oz.

 

 Her debut album in 1998 According to Ursula Burns gained her a nomination at the hot press award. Burns  self -financed and self-released 6 solo studio albums including The Dangerous Harpist and Deep in the Dreaming and Thanks to the Arts council NI is currently working on her first harp album that demonstrates her unique technique, compositions and style. A groundbreaker in performance harp, Ursulas innovation and courage to challange and expand the image beyond traditional and classical music.  Ursula has composed a wealth of music for Theatre and Circus including soundtrack albums for 

The Assistants Revenge by Cahoots and Inventors by Kabosh, . Ursula specialises in composing for children's theatre with shows like Little Red Riding hood (lyric Theatre) The snail and the Whale and  Leon and the place between (Cahoots)…….and many more! Ursula spent 3 years on the road with Tumble Circus performing Damn and

Circus. This dangerous harpist actually ran away FROM the circus........

 

Ursula accidentally fell into comedy when she won the Irish Musical Comedy Awards 2012 and since has been touring her comedy show, which got nominated for the Malcolm Hardee Award for comic originality on its first trip to Edinburgh festiva

In 2023 Ursula was presented wtih an Everywoman Global TV Awards for Outstanding Innovative Harpist of the Year.

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  Ursula is completely independent and for the last 30 years all her income is from playing live Harp! Thats rather a lot of plucking. From Theatre's to  Festivals, from  Flee Pits to the London Palladium, Ursula is an original artist who challenges the conventions and extends the boundaries of harp beyond classical and folk. Playing the harp on Stilts and as a Figurehead of Lagan Curraghs. 2019 BGT semifinalist and 2020 Tedx Speaker and participant on Collaborations with The Wood Burning Savages on BBC2. Ursula is an artist who is not afraid to take risks and challenge herself to boldly bring the harp, where no harp has gone before. Thanks to the support of the Arts Council NI 2024 Ursula is working on compositions, that document her style for an instrumental album that documents her self- created ornate mode of harping. Also in 2024 to celebrate 30 years of breaking the mould, Ursula is writing a new show "How many bardic harpers does it take to change a lightbulb? This is a journey through the meaning of Ursulas Backcatologue and  also a discussion on what got lost in Harping history and drawing a correlation between the social changes of the 16o0s and what we are experiencing now with cancel culture as humanity stands on the cusp of transhumanism............Imagine Festival Belfast March 22 2024 

• 2024 Supported by Help Musicians and  the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland’

 

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Burns is a perceptive writer with the ability to capture the profound and the profane with equal clarity. Hot Press

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Ursula Burns has invented her own wild style of harp playing and Spell is a mini masterpiece, pitch perfect, it deserves our fullest attention. – The Irish Times

 

She is enchanting and funny in equal measure with a lovely lilting voice that makes the falls road sound like Brigadoon  Kate Copstick Wow 27

 

Ursula Burns’ third outing is one of the few albums since Astral Weeks to mess with notions of temporal, spatial and cosmic displacement. Hotpress 

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To Book Ursula for Comedy, Commisions, Shows or Backround harping OR The Cloud Truck Theatre Irelands smallest mobile venue ...... Please fill in the Contact form and Ursula will provide Quotes depending on travel, time and the nature of the performance. Ursula does a high volume and diverse range of gigs every year and best book the date early if you require

Live harp