Tanya Houghton, originally from Birmingham, studied music at the University of Cambridge before pursuing advanced studies in the harp at the Royal Academy of Music, London and the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris. Now a freelance professional in both England and abroad, she is in demand across a wide range of genres; orchestrally, in chamber groups and as a collaborative accompanist to choral and vocal music.

Recent orchestral engagements have included performing with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at this year’s Proms, recording and performing with Ulster Orchestra for the BBC, and playing for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She appears frequently in the CBSO’s Symphony Hall concerts and works regularly for the English Symphony Orchestra and Southern Sinfonia. She has also played for the Moscow Chamber Orchestra, in concerts at the Salle Pleyel, Paris, and London’s Barbican Centre, and the RPO and RPCO. She greatly enjoys the operatic repertoire and is about to take part in this coming season’s tour of Rusalka and Carmen for English Touring Opera. She has been the resident harpist of Opera East Productions for over 7 years and has also played with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and English National Opera.

Her work with choirs has included performances with St. John's College Choir, Cambridge, under David Hill, and appearances accompanying Birmingham, Leeds and Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral Choirs. She was delighted to be involved in the premiere of Carl Rutti’s Requiem with the Bach Choir, and was honoured to play Rutter’s Requiem under the baton of the composer himself.

A keen chamber musician, she forms half of the Narcissus Duo (flute and harp) with Jane Mitchell, who have recently been accepted on the Live Music Now! scheme. She is also part of the Venn Trio (flute, viola and harp), and has a duo, Duo Bezique, with violinist Pedro Meireles She also plays in larger ensembles, recently performing Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with the Pepys Ensemble. Tanya has given several solo recitals in venues ranging from the Gethsemane Kirche, Hannover to the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. She also features on a new release of music promoting with world’s smallest saxophone, the soprillo.