Aisha Palmer
Harp, Royal Academy of Music
Aisha is an emerging young harpist who has performed across the UK in venues such as Cadogan Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the BBC Hoddinott Hall and the House of Lords. A passionate orchestral player, Aisha has performed with a variety of orchestras including Odyssey Orchestra, London City Philharmonic, Folkestone Symphony Orchestra and the Hastings Sinfonia, working with the conductors Ryan Wigglesworth, Timothy Weiss and John Wilson.
Recent successful awards have included winning the Blue Ribbon Instrumental Award aged 19, receiving the Peggy and Maldwyn Hughes Scholarship at the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol, and winning the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra Young Soloist Competition. Previously she has won the Nansi Richards Scholarship in the Wales Harp Festival 2022, which was followed by a guest performance on the Llwyfan Encore at the Eisteddfod Genedlaethol. Aisha has also been awarded the MMSF Philharmonia Fellowship.
Aisha has been awarded the Larry Adler Award for the 2023/24 academic year. She is also a recipient of the Olive Jenkins Memorial Bursary, the Peter Simon Award for Harp and has been presented with the Guinness Award by the Royal Academy of Music.
Aisha is establishing herself internationally, receiving a Diploma from the Glowing Harp International Competition. She has won the Professional Duet at the Hong Kong International Harp Competition and the ‘Walled Town’ International Harp Competition, and been awarded second place at the Wales International Harp Festival and the Infinity International Harp Competition.
A creative soloist, Aisha has performed Tailleferre’s Concertino with the Eastbourne Symphony Orchestra, Glière’s Harp Concerto with Enigma Orchestra and Debussy’s Danses sacrée et profane with the London Youth String Orchestra.
Aisha graduated from Royal Academy of Music with a BMus First Class Honours and Regency Award under the tuition of Karen Vaughan. She is currently studying on a scholarship towards a Master of Arts at RAM under the tuition of Catrin Finch. Aisha teaches at the Thames Youth Orchestra.
