Jean Kelly is now clearly established as Ireland's most outstanding young harpist to have appeared for many years. This is hardly surprising, as she comes from a family which for many generations has provided the greatest wealth of creative musical talent in that country's history. Her grandfather T.C.Kelly collected traditional folk tunes, and became a national figure in the mid-twentieth century, by setting these in a classical famework, which then became "standards" for an entire generation. Jean's father, an outstanding cellist, studied with the great French cellist Paul Tortelier, and her mother is the broadcaster and brilliant flautist, Evelyn Grant. Jean won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music in London, and upon graduation spent her first professional year performing 40 concertos and recording two compact discs, as well as fulfilling many international engagements ! This year, she has already performed in a solo capacity in Leningrad and Moscow, regularly presented programmes at The Royal Festival Hall in London, and enjoyed a close performing relationship with the Locrian Ensemble, playing baroque music by Handel and her own arrangements of beautiful 16th century harp music by the blind Irish bard, Turlough O'Carolan. Audiences consistently warm to her unique style of playing, recently reviewed as : " the harp was just as if an angel had arrived and was touching the evening with her fingertips."