Celtic harp player
Celtic harp player
Celtic Harper · Boston
Celtic harpist from Japan, now based in Boston. Trained in Scottish traditional music in Glasgow, major-label debut in Japan, and today performing and teaching across New England.
From Osaka to Glasgow, a prize in Scotland, a major-label debut in Japan, and Boston since 2024. A harper's story so far.
Read the profile
Two albums, Celtic Breeze and New Beginnings, and live performances on YouTube.
Listen & watch
Concerts, festivals, church services, weddings and private events across Greater Boston and New England.
Repertoire & formats
Celtic harp taught by ear, in the Boston area and online. Group workshops for harp circles, festivals and schools.
See lessons
Recent and upcoming performances, releases and workshops.
See what's on
Questions about lessons, collaborations, recordings, press and interviews. In English or Japanese.
Contact
Profile
Riko Matsuoka is a Celtic harper from Japan. She performs Scottish and Irish traditional tunes in her own contemporary arrangements, alongside original compositions coloured by Japanese folk music. She was the first Japanese graduate of the Master's programme in Scottish Music (Scottish harp) at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow, and in 2018 won the Princess Margaret of the Isles Memorial Prize for Senior Clàrsach.
Her first album New Beginnings (2020) reached No. 1 on the Apple Music traditional folk chart in Asia, and in 2022 she made her major-label debut on King Records with Celtic Breeze. She has appeared at Celtic Connections and the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, on national television in Japan, and as soloist with the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra in the world premiere of a Celtic harp concerto. She has lived in Boston since 2024.
In 2023 she produced a three-city Japan tour for an Irish harp ensemble from Music Generation Laois. Read the story.
Music · YouTube
News & Events
Performances, releases and workshops. For the full archive in Japanese, see the news page.
Lessons & Workshops
Learning by ear, the way harpers in Ireland and Scotland do. I teach Celtic (lever) harp in the Boston area and online, in English and Japanese. Adult beginners are welcome, and so are players coming back to the harp after years away.
For harp circles, festivals and schools I offer group workshops: Scottish and Irish tunes taught by ear, ornamentation and rhythm, and a first-touch introduction to the harp for people who have never played.
Performances & Booking
Solo Celtic harp for concerts, festivals, church services, weddings, memorials, receptions and school programs. Based in Greater Boston and available throughout New England, and in Japan during visits. Lecture-recitals and workshops can be combined with a concert.
Formats & repertoire
Contact
Performance inquiries, lessons and workshops, collaborations, recordings, press and interviews. Write in English or Japanese. I usually reply within two days.
Where I play and teach
