Harpist Emily Granger has performed around the world but says nothing compares to the welcome she receives from regional Australian towns.
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Born in the United States, Emily moved to Australia six years ago after falling in love with both the country and composer Tristan Coelho.
On Friday, November 11, Emily will perform contemporary works from her first solo album, In Transit, that unearth the breadth and beauty of harp music at St Saviour's Cathedral.
"My favourite thing in the world now is touring regionally and connecting with regional audiences," she said.
"I've always just found regional Australia so welcoming, and just absolutely beautiful."
Emily said she first heard the harp on a CD of Celtic music when she was 10 years old.
"I had no idea what the instrument looked like or what I was getting myself into," she said.
A year later, when Emily entered her first harp lesson, she realised, "this is what I'm gonna do with my life."
In the 24 years since then, she has appeared alongside the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah Blasko, and Renée Fleming. However, she said her first performance at Carnegie Hall in New York was her personal "I've made it" moment.
Emily said the aim of her solo album In Transit was to shine a light on some of the underrepresented composers in the United States and Australia. The album also reveals some of the stylistic differences in composition between the two countries.
"I feel like Australians are way more in touch with nature, and the beautiful landscape that we have here, and I feel like that absolutely comes through in a lot of the music that I have played and a lot of the music that I'm playing in this program," Emily said.
"In the United States there's a long tradition of contemporary classical composition, so it's really kind of coming from that really long lineage.
"I feel like a lot of American composers kind of know what their sound world is, whereas Australians are still trying to figure out what their voices are."
Audiences can expect a warm and intimate recital at St Saviour's Cathedral including the opportunity to explore the 2000 moving parts that make up a harp.
"It's a very up-close and personal experience with the harp and with me, I talk about my own connections with all the pieces that I play," Emily said.
For tickets to Emily Granger's, In Transit, on Friday, November 11 please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/in-transit-goulburn-tickets-439302183657
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