Jazz Harp at Christmas - live @Insole Court (2026)

After a sell out 2025 Festive concert jazz Harpist Ben Creighton Griffiths returns to Insole Court with his band. This will be a festive treat of well-known jazz standards, latin Bossa Nova, and of course Christmas classics. He will be joined by Joseph Van Parys on guitar, Ashley John Long on bass, and Sam Green on drums.

Doors will open to the public at 15:30 and the music will start at 16:00. There will be a bar selling a selection of alcoholic and soft drinks before the performance and in the short interval.

Tickets are available on Eventbrite for £15 and, due to previous concerts selling out, we highly recommend that you purchase tickets in advance. Spare tickets will be sold on the door for £18. Under 12s Discount Tickets are available on Eventbrite for £7.50 with spares available on the door for £9.50.

About Ben Creighton Griffiths

Benjamin Creighton Griffiths is an Internationally touring jazz and classical harpist based in Wales. He made his International debut at the 2004 1er Concours International de Harpe in Nantes, France where, aged 7, he came second in the Under 18 division. In 2006 he won the Under 13 Division of the Wales International Harp Festival before going on to win the 2008 Junior Lily Laskine competition in Paris, winning a concert harp in the process.

Originally classically trained with Catrin Finch, Elinor Bennett, and Ann Griffiths, he now specialises in jazz both as a soloist and with his bands – the Transatlantic Hot Club and Chube. His career has taken him across the world including to America, Australia, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia, China, the Caribbean, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, and across Europe and has seen him collaborate with excellent musicians in both the classical and jazz world including Dennis Rollins MBE (jazz trombone), Tatiana Eva-Marie (vocals), Adrien Chevalier (jazz violin), and Catrin Finch (harp).

As well as a performer he is a composer, most recently developing a concert schedule for his own Concerto for Jazz Harp & Symphony Orchestra. This has included performances with the The Chandos Symphony Orchestra (who commissioned the work), The Cardiff Philharmonic, Stratford on Avon Symphony Orchestra, Swindon Symphony Orchestra, and Trowbridge Symphony Orchestra. It received its first international performance in Tasmania with the Student Music Collective of Tasmania University.

Upcoming appearances at the time of writing include another UK and Corsican tour with the Transatlantic Hot Club, a UK tour with vocalists Tatiana Eva-Marie, and a North American debute with Chube in Toronto at the One Harp World Festival.

About Joseph Van Parys

Joseph Van Parys is a guitarist from North Yorkshire with a passion for swinging jazz. He’s played in and around South Wales/England, becoming a well known jazz guitarist on the scene after completing his studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. His particular focus is on the swing era of jazz, and his creative soloing and sensitive accompaniment alike has been praised by audiences across the South of the UK.

About Sam Green

Sam Green is a drummer based in Cardiff, Wales, best known for leading his own group - Rivers And Lakes, alongside working with award-winning musicians Nils Kavanagh and Ursula Harrison in their respective bands. Sam grew up in West Yorkshire before moving to Wales in 2021, where he met close friend and collaborator Joseph Van Parys and also joined the JVP trio which can be heard regularly around the country. Alongside his gigging work, Sam teaches and does session work, appearing on radio, ITV, and the BBC.

About Ashley John Long

Ashley John Long is an award-winning virtuoso double bassist and composer active in a  diverse range of musical idioms including jazz and improvisation, early and contemporary  chamber music, and as a soloist. He has performed and recorded internationally with some  of the UK's leading Jazz musicians, as well as accompanying visiting international artists,  whilst his work as a soloist has seen the premiers of numerous new works for solo bass.  As a composer, Ash has carved a reputation as a creator of innovative scores that balance  fine detail with freedom and flexibility whilst retaining a strong melodic sense. 2018-2019  saw him participating in the London Philharmonic Orchestra's young composers scheme  which culminated in the orchestral work Lunea (2019). He studied at RWCMD (BMus) and  Cardiff University (PhD) where he undertook research into contemporary performance  practice and composition where he also lectures in musicology, performance, and  Composition.