Saturday April 27
1:30pm -9:30pm
Wesley Music Centre, National Cct Forrest
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The Harp Festival opens the doors to the Harp Centre activities, and includes performances by Harp Centre students, special “Meet the Harp” workshops, and solo performances from Alice Giles. “Engaging with the community in this way allows us to share the many wonderful aspects of the harp”, says Alice Giles, founding director. “During the Festival, audiences can listen, learn and experience the harp first-hand through performances, workshops and lectures. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to share our passion for the harp with new audiences”.
The Festival opens with the Student Concert at 2pm, with performances by local harp students, and is a great opportunity to support our local talented students. “Meet the Harp” workshop participants will explore the harp in this question and answer session with local teacher Elizabeth Biggs, as well as having the opportunity to play the harp. Sessions run at 3pm and 3:30pm. Later in the afternoon, Alice Giles will give a presentation on the history of the harp at 5:45pm. The Harp Centre Shop will also be on display during the Festival, with a range of harps, music, strings and accessories.
A special feature of the Festival is not one, but two exquisite solo recitals by Internationally renowned performer Alice Giles, at 4:30pm and 7:30pm. The first concert will feature the Australian premiere of Toccata by New Zealand composer Gillian Whitehead, alongside traditional harp repertoire from two of the great harp composers, Carlos Salzedo and Marcel Tournier. The second concert, Alice in Antarctica is a breathtaking and unique performance, developed by Giles whilst in Antarctica in 2011 as an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow at the Davis and Mawson Stations.