Harp Festival: Forgotten Roads - A Journey Through Music and Story with Joy Smith

Forgotten Roads is a live performance and storytelling event by Joy Smith that brings historical harp music to life. Using historical harps and informed performance practice, Joy Smith presents songs rooted in their original contexts 97 including laments, dances and songs of love, loss, devotion and defiance 97 and traces the paths those melodies have travelled before returning them to the present.

Joy Smith, Guildhall Professor of Historical Harps, combines narrative and music in a troubadour-style programme that explores the worlds behind the repertoire. The event is free with no tickets required; a free digital programme is available via the Guildhall programmes link.

The performance takes place in the Lecture Recital Room at the Guildhall School (Silk Street/Barbican) on 22 June 2026 from 1:00pm to 1:45pm (local time).