Edward Harte

Edward Michael Harte is an Irish organist and pianist. He was born in 2008 in Dublin. He started the organ when he was ten in St Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin with Stuart Nicholson. Before he became an organist, he was in the choir of St. Patrick's Cathedral. Currently, he attends St Patrick's Cathedral Grammar School. Currently, Edward mainly plays in St. Patrick's Cathedral in morning services and has been doing so since 2021 when he was awarded the position of Junior Organ Scholar.

Edward is the organist at Dun Laoghaire Presbyterian Church, as of 2024. He has been to many organ courses in England, for example Oundle for Organists and RCO The Organ Student Experience. Through these courses, he has come into contact with many world class organists such as Daniel Moult, Ann Elise Smoot and Erwan Le Prado. Edward has played in church services in many churches across Ireland and the United Kingdom.[1]

In piano, Edward has achieved ABRSM grade 8. He began learning with Ernest Dines in August 2016 when he joined the St Patrick's Cathedral Choir. Currently, he is learning with Izumi Kimura, a Japanese pianist living in Wicklow.

Early life

Edward became a chorister when he was seven. He quickly progressed through the ranks, being the first boy in his year to become a Junior Cassock Boy. He became a chorister on the 3rd of December 2017, aged 9. During his time as a chorister, he performed to the president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins and performed the War Requiem with the National Symphony Orchestra. He also went on tour to Sweden and performed in Lund Cathedral. Unfortunately, his time as a chorister was cut short in its prime due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, this gave Edward time to improve significantly at the organ. Very shortly before lockdown, Edward had been promoted to a Senior Senior Boy. By the time the pandemic was over, Edward's voice had broken.

Charitable work

In 2023, Edward became aware of the current situation in South Sudan. He became very interested in South Sudanese culture and the ways of life of the many different tribes. He decided that he should try and help. He has spread awareness about the widespread problems in South Sudan such as famines, violence and drought by giving talks to over 400 people in his school and in churches around Dublin. In October 2024, he launched a critically acclaimed fundraising organ recital series called Organ for Africa which gives all profits to UNICEF.[2]

Repertoire

Edward is known to play a lot of German music, particularly Bach. However, this doesn't stop him from having a wide varied repertoire with many different styles. His repertoire includes German Baroque, French classical, Belgian 20th century and much more. During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Edward worked hard on improving his sightreading. As a result, Edward's sightreading is surprisingly sharp, allowing him to pick up new repertoire quickly.

Personal life

Edward has always been very interested in travel and the cultures of countries around the world. When he was ten, he got the opportunity to visit Sweden. As a result, he decided to learn Swedish. While Edward has never travelled outside Europe, this is something he is very keen to do as soon as possible.

Edward has always liked cars, however he is still patiently waiting until he is old enough to get a driving license. Edward especially likes German and American cars. In July 2024, Edward travelled to Germany specifically to experience the vibrant German car culture and visited the Autostadt in Wölfsburg twice.