About Kirsty
Kirsty Whatley is a classical harpist, creative coach and therapeutic writing guide whose work sits at the intersection of wellbeing and artistic practice. Drawing on many years as a professional musician alongside trainings in therapeutic writing and listening skills, her work embraces expressive, reflective and creative processes and what these mean for human nature.
“For many years, I’ve worked as a harpist, performing and recording with leading musicians across Europe. This exacting and varied work honed my capacity to listen, respond, craft, communicate and perform. As a writer, a deeply-felt private practice became more public in 2023 when I won the Nature Writing Prize for Working-Class Writers. This was symptomatic of change in my life generally. I have since completed trainings in advanced creativity coaching, active listening, and qualified as a trauma-informed writing guide with the Swedish organisation, Write Your Self. This background is enabling me to now develop work involved with creative process and people more broadly.
As a person, I’m kind, deep-thinking and reflective, warm and approachable. I have an eclectic background that makes me open and non-judgemental. I combine my artistic sensibilities with human enquiry and am currently studying counselling and psychotherapy alongside my creative work. For me, understanding people and creative practice is the same work.”
Professional Music Biography
Kirsty Whatley studied in Manchester and Switzerland, and has worked as a performer, recording artist and teacher for many years. She has performed live on BBC radio and television, and on national radio stations abroad. After completing an MMus at the University of Manchester focussing on contemporary harp, she went on to postgraduate study in Basel, Switzerland, specialising in harps of the Renaissance and Baroque. With these, she appears on recordings such as the Taverner Consort’s L’Orfeo and their Gramophone-Award-winning Western Wynd; Alamire’s The Anne Boleyn Songbook; Musica Secreta’s Mother, Sister, Daughter; Fretwork’s In Chains of Gold; and I Fagiolini’s Leonardo: Shaping the Invisible, amongst many others. She has performed with groups such as The BBC Singers, Moscow City Ballet, London Handel Orchestra, English Touring Opera, I Fagiolini, Alamire, Taverner Consort, Musica Secreta, Ensemble Leones, Tetraktys, Stavangar Baroque, and Courtiers of Grace. With modern harp, over the years she has covered much of the standard orchestral and choral society repertoire, regularly supporting music-making in her local communities.