Presenter: Robyn Allen Goudge
Title: Harping On
Abstract:
How can one instrument tell a musical story stretching back thousands of years?
“Robyn the Harper” presents a lively and engaging journey through the history and evolution of the harp, from ancient civilisations to the modern day. Through live singing and performance, Robyn showcases a range of remarkable instruments including a beautifully carved 36-string standing electric harp, 22-string lap harp, 12-string lyre, and 44-string double-strung harp.
Exploring musical traditions from the ancient Middle East, Egypt, Greece, and Israel through to medieval, Celtic, classical, and contemporary harp music, this session brings the rich history of the harp to life through storytelling, performance, and sound.
Key Takeaways:
- Discover the extraordinary history of the harp: Explore how the instrument has evolved across cultures and centuries, from ancient civilisations through to Celtic, classical and contemporary traditions.
- Hear the story through live performance: Experience the distinctive sounds of several different harps and related instruments, and see how their design, character and musical possibilities have changed over time.
Date:
This World of Music Workshop will run on Wednesday 21st October from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm.
Venue:
We're pleased to be hosting this workshop at Symphonia Hall, an intimate performance venue in the heart of Auckland. With its exceptional acoustics and welcoming atmosphere, it provides a wonderful setting for music, creativity and shared learning.
About the expert
Robyn Allen Goudge
"Robyn the Harper" is an Auckland musician, singer, composer and Celtic harpist. The daughter of a singing teacher, she has been immersed in music from childhood, learning classical singing, the piano and violin before specialising in the Celtic harp. She has a wide background in many genres of music including: classical, folk, contemporary, choral and musical theatre. Robyn is the conductor of the Hibiscus Coast Singers, the convenor of the Birkenhead Acoustic Music Club and the Music Director for a North Shore Presbyterian church. She has several harps of varying sizes and performs regularly at folk clubs, community groups, retirement villages, schools and churches, as well as for private functions, birthdays, funerals and weddings.
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