In Transit Emily Granger

• Tristan Coelho: In Transit:
• 1 Coelho: In Transit 07:01
• Ross Edwards (b. 1943): The Harp and the Moon:
• 2 Edwards: The Harp and the Moon: I. Lento e molto languido 04:49
• 3 Edwards: The Harp and the Moon: II. Allegro grazioso 02:31
• Laura Zaerr: River Right Rhumba:
• 4 Zaerr: River Right Rhumba 05:18
• Sally Greenaway (b. 1984): Liena:
• 5 Greenaway: Liena 02:32
• Libby Larsen (b. 1950): Theme and Deviations:
• 6 Larsen: Theme and Deviations 05:28
• Elena Kats-Chernin (b. 1957): Blue Silence (Transcribed for Harp by Emily Granger):
• 7 Kats-Chernin: Blue Silence (Transcribed for Harp by Emily Granger) 08:34
• Kate Moore (1979): Spin Bird:
• 8 Moore: Spin Bird 03:52
• Augusta Read Thomas (b. 1964): Eurythmy Etude “Still Life”:
• 9 Thomas: Eurythmy Etude “Still Life” 03:55
• Tristan Coelho: The Old School:
• 10 Coelho: The Old School 04:12
• Sally Whitwell (b. 1974): Undiminished:
• 11 Whitwell: Undiminished 05:00
• Nancy Gustavson (b. 1956): Great Day:
• 12 Gustavson: Great Day 02:29
• Deborah Henson-Conant (b. 1953): The Nightingale:
• 13 Henson-Conant: The Nightingale 04:30
• Total Runtime 01:00:11

Info for In Transit

Inspired by her life as an American artist living in Australia, Emily Granger makes her solo recording debut performing contemporary works that reveal the breadth and beauty of harp music from the two countries. With themes of travel and isolation, serenity and solitude, this music paints a vivid portrait of an artist's life In Transit between opposite sides of the globe.

Memories and moods infuse Tristan Coehlo's evocative title track as well as the composer's The Old School, recalling an artists' residence in Australia's Blue Mountains where he first met Emily. Laura Zaerr's rhythmical River Right Rhumba is inspired by West African drumming, whilst Sally Greenaway's Liena, named after Melbourne-born harpist Liena Lacey, draws upon jazz and Latin dance music. Ross Edwards evokes a fantasia in his hypnotic The Harp and the Moon, whilst Libby Larsen's bold Theme and Deviations is a tease on the traditional musical form. Sally Whitwell's Undiminished is just that both harmonically and in spirit. Emily's virtuosity is on full display in Kate Moore's soaring Spin Bird, inspired by Jonathan Livingston Seagull, and in Nancy Gustavson's Great Day, steeped in colourful glissandi showing off the harp in all its glory.

Turning her hand to arranging, Emily has adapted Elena Kats-Chernin's Blue Silence, originally for cello and piano, underscoring the works calming, healing and meditative properties; and Augusta Read Thomas' Eurythmy Etude "Still Life", originally for solo piano, stemming from the Greek meaning for beautiful and harmonious rhythm. Emily closes the album with Deborah Henson-Conant's The Nightingale, one of her earliest musical memories as a young harpist.

Emily Granger has established herself as one of the leading harpists in Australia. She has performed as Guest Principal Harp with the Chicago, Sydney, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Opera Australia Orchestra, and presented chamber recitals at Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Centre, Melbourne Recital Centre, and Sydney Opera House Utzon Room. Emily has collaborated with top ensembles and instrumentalists in Australia and the US, including the International Chamber Ensemble, Flinders Quartet, Ensemble Offspring, Omega Ensemble, and Nexas Saxophone Quartet. She was a finalist in the 2021 APRA Art Music Awards for Performance of the Year. Emily studied harp performance at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the Chicago College of the Performing Arts with Susann McDonald and Sarah Bullen.

"impressed with some spectacular playing, both skilled technically and emotially poignant a performance that wasn't just brave, but also brilliant" (Limelight)

"harpist Emily Granger effortlessly straddles the worlds of classical and popular music." (Melbourne Recital Centre)

"Emily is Chicago's great loss and our great gain since coming here [she] has firmly established herself as an outstanding addition to the Australian concert scene." (Sydney Arts Guide)

Emily Granger, harp

Emily Granger
Growing up in Kansas City Missouri, Emily began playing the harp at age 11. She has performed across the world including as Principal Harp of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Orchestra Victoria and Opera Australia Orchestra. Some of Emily's most notable performances include performing for the French President and Australian Prime Minister and recitals at the Sydney Opera House Utzon Room with recorder virtuoso Alicia Crossley and as a founding member of the Chicago Harp Quartet at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, Curtis Institute of Music and Lyon & Healy Hall. Chicago Harp Quartet continues to commission, record and perform works for harp quartet across the United States and abroad. CHQ has released two albums to great acclaim.

Emily has performed at the Sydney Festival, Ravinia Festival, Craven Creek Festival, Bellingen Festival, Ear Taxi Festival, and Lyon & Healy 150th Birthday Festival. She has collaborated and performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Jonas Kaufmann, Janelle Monáe, Sarah Blasko, Diesel, International Chamber Artists, Flinders String Quartet and Nexas Saxophone Quartet.

Emily's interest in new music began during her studies at IU where she spent three years performing with the IU New Music Ensemble. While living in Chicago she performed with Ensemble Dal Niente, Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble and at the Ear Taxi Festival. Emily has premiered works by Richard Mills, Bernard Andrès, Alfredo Rolando-Ortiz, Hilary Purrington, Nicholas Davies, Elliott Bark, Tristan Coelho, Mark Oliverio, Andrew Batt-Rawden, Martin Kay and Marguerite Lynn Williams.

Emily has taught privately for over 10 years. Emily’s students have been awarded prizes at the Mexican International Harp Competition, American Harp Society Chicago Solo Competition and have held positions with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Midwest Young Artists and Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. Emily served on the faculty at VanderCook College of Music, British School of Chicago, and Chicago Harp Ensemble. She has taught at the Interlochen Center for the Arts and presented masterclasses and educational residencies at Indiana University, New York University, Kansas University, American Harp Society Lyra Chapter, Play on Philly!, Vanderbilt University and American Harp Society National Conference with the Chicago Harp Quartet.

She earned her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music where she studied with famed pedagogue, Susann McDonald, and her Masters of Music from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts studying with Principal Harp of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Bullen, who later served as the Principal Harp of the Chicago Civic Orchestra.

As an avid hiker, Granger successfully walked the Te Araroa - a 3,000-kilometer trail across New Zealand taking 138 days to complete the journey from Cape Reinga to Bluff. In addition, Emily has walked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago (900-kilometers) in January 2018 as well as a through hike of California's John Muir Trail (400-kilometers), climbed 14 of Colorado's highest mountains in one week and Australia's 15 highest mountains.

Booklet for In Transit