There’s something about having live music throughout your wedding day that just creates the perfect atmosphere. It’s something that the average Spotify playlist can’t compete with.
And while the guitar and keyword may be the 2 obvious picks for live wedding music, we’re a little more in love with the magical sound and presence of a harp. Not only does the plucking of those elegant strings create a sense of serenity, but the movements of the Harpist are just as elegant and peaceful.
It’s the perfect instrument to compliment your special day, especially during the more formal moments such as your ceremony and signing. Of course, you will also want to have your DJ or Spotify playlist at the ready when it comes to the late night reception dance floor.
The Best Wedding Harpists
There’s a much smaller pool of harpists and even traditional orchestral musicians when compared to the likes of guitarists or pianists. However, regardless of where you’ll be celebrating your wedding, there’s going to be a few amazing options for you.
We’ve put together a short list of some talented wedding harpists across each state of Australia to help you find the perfect fit for your wedding day.
New South Wales & ACT Wedding Harpists
1. Kate Moloney
Kate is an experienced harpist and teacher based in Southern Sydney but available to service the entire Sydney region. She loves to create beautiful harp music for intimate and large-scale weddings alike.
Along with the harp, Kate also sings and plays the flute/piccolo. And while she’s available as a solo wedding harpist, she’s also part of the flute and harp duo known as Classical Elegance, servicing weddings and events throughout Sydney.
Website: http://katetheharpist.com.au
2. Harper Adams
Harper Adams services weddings across the Greater Sydney region and is also available to travel further out including the South Coast and The Southern Highlands. He has an extensive repertoire which includes a range of both classical and popular tracks.
He also loves to match his attire to your wedding and takes pride in wearing suits, tail tuxedos or an attire specific to your special day.
Website: https://www.harperadams.com.au
3. Karen Hickmott
A classically trained singer and harpist, Karen is available to add a sense of romance and elegance to your wedding through the harp. She’s available to attend weddings throughout Sydney and surrounding regions, something she’s done for the last 30 years.
Website: https://www.weddedtotheharp.com
4. Freddy Aguilera
Freddy is one of the top male harpists in Australia and has performed at numerous weddings, events and functions across Australia and New Zealand. You may also recognise him from his amazing performances on Australia’s Got Talent back in 2007.
Website: https://www.freddyaguilera.com.au
5. Sylvia Legowski
Sylvia, an accredited member of the Australian Bridal Service, is a professional cocktail and wedding harpist. She has over 26 years of experience performing at weddings across Sydney and has an extensive repertoire inclusive of classical, pop, jazz and love songs.
Website: http://www.harpology.com
Victoria Wedding Harpists
1. Emily Rosner
Emily is both a soloist harpist and small chamber musician based in Melbourne.
With more than 20 years of experience, she’s a seasoned wedding entertainer and has a repertoire that covers classical, traditional and modern music while also being available to explore additional genres and styles.
Website: https://www.theharplab.com
2. Michelle Doyle
Michelle is an experienced harpist having performed at hundreds of weddings since the young age of 12. Fast forward to today and she has over 19 years of experience and is available to attend weddings across the Melbourne, Geelong and Daylesford regions.
Website: http://www.michelleharpist.com
3. Deon Entwisle
Deon is both a harpist and pianist with a wealth of experience as both a soloist and small chamber musician. She has a versatile style and covers multiple musical genres which includes popular music, classical and contemporary.
Website: https://www.melbourneharppiano.com
4. Claire Patti
Claire is an experienced performer and has extensive skills as a harpist, singer, horn player and choral coordinator.
She’s available to perform at weddings throughout the greater Melbourne region as both a soloist or as a violin, cello or flute duo.
Website: https://www.clairepatti.com.au
5. Glavier Aldana
Glavier is a classically trained harpist available to perform at weddings and events across Melbourne. She has an extensive repertoire and loves to create bespoke sets to suite weddings. This includes classical, jazz, ballads and both processional and recessional hymns.
Website: http://www.glavierharpmusic.com.au
Queensland Wedding Harpists
1. Harpist Cindy
Cindy is a Brisbane based harpist and has performed at weddings and events across the South Eastern parts of Queensland as well as the North Eastern coast of New South Wales.
She has an extensive repertoire which includes most popular wedding music, pop, classical harp and even celtic music.
Website: https://harpistcindy.com
2. Bart Seaton
Bart is a professional harpist and teacher based in and servicing Brisbane and surrounding areas. He’s available for weddings and can play as part of a duo or trio.
Bart also often allows musically inclined brides to get a photo with his harps.
Website: http://www.harptidings.com
3. Kathleen Campbell
Based in Mckay, Kathleen is a multi-talented musician and, when not performing, runs a private music studio where she teaches guitar and vocals.
While she’s available as a wedding harpist, Kathleen also plays the guitar, Irish tin whistle, bodhran, and is also a singer.
Website: http://kathleen-campbell.com
4. Tijana Kozarcic
Tijana is an experienced harpist and has performed extensively as a solo, orchestral and chamber musician.
She performs at weddings as a solo harpist or is also available in a vocal, saxophone, cello and harp trio alongside the 2 other members of Artela.
Website: https://www.artela.com.au
5. Susannah Fletcher
Susannah is a classically trained harpist from the Darling Downs region of Queensland. She enjoys performing at a range of events including weddings and also in therapeutic settings such as hospitals and aged care facilities.
Website: https://susannahfletcherharp.wordpress.com
Tasmania Wedding Harpists
1. Emily Sanzaro
Our only inclusion for Tasmania, Emily, based in Launceston, is a versatile harpist. She’s also an experienced vocalist, violinist and loop artist.
Emily has a wide repertoire including folk, jazz and classical, and particularly enjoys creating contemporary arrangements along with original compositions.
Website: https://emilysanzaro.com/
South Australia Wedding Harpists
1. Emma Horwood
Emma possesses a strong repertoire that features classical, contemporary and celtic music. Additionally, she often performs as an ensemble singer, soprano soloist, Celtic harp soloist, and enjoys pairing her beautiful voice with the sound of her enchanting harp.
Website: https://www.emmahorwood.com.au
2. Carolyn Burgess
Performing at her first wedding at the young age of 16, Carolyn has a wealth of experience entertaining and mesmerising audiences with her harp. She’s working alongside some of the largest names in the industry including Olivia Newton-John, Kanye West and Josh Groban.
Website: http://harponalot.com.au
Western Australia Wedding Harpists
1. Eliza Bourgault
Eliza is a classically trained harpist, pianist and singer from Perth. She has a strong repertoire with a wide range of music including pop covers and classical tracks, alongside her original music.
Website: https://www.crowdpleaser.com.au/Eliza-Bourgault
Northern Territory Wedding Harpists
1. Erna Jarvis
With over 15 years of experience as a harpist across Darwin, Erna is available for your wedding or event. Her repertoire includes classical, folk, contemporary and easy listening music, and can play as a soloist or as part of a flute or violin duo.
Website: https://www.crowdpleaser.com.au/The-Occaisional-Harp
Best Wedding Ceremony Harpist Songs
After you’ve decided that a harpist is the right choice for your ceremony, or wedding as a whole, the next step is to pick the perfect list of music.
Your chosen harpist will be able to guide you on this, and many will even provide their repertoire to choose from. However, many will also be just as receptive to learning and playing a song(s) of your choice.
With that in mind, the following are some of the more popular tracks that you’ll often hear played on a harp during a wedding day.
1. A Thousand Years – Christina Perri
2. All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
3. Canon In D – Johann Pachelbel
4. All Of Me – John Legend
5. Perfect – Ed Sheeren
6. Marry You – Bruno Mars
7. Bridal Exit March – Mendelssohn
8. Somewhere Only We Know – Keane
9. Everything I Do, I Do It For You – Bryan Adams
10. Everything – Michael Buble
Wedding Harpist FAQs
How much does a wedding harpist cost?
There’s no real fixed cost for a wedding harpist and each musician will often have their own prices based on experience, style, availability and personal preference.
Can a wedding harpist play in the rain/during wet weather?
Harps can and are often played outdoors However, they do have many delicate elements and mechanisms which means they can’t be played in the rain, mist, fog or times where there is a higher than usual amount of moisture in the air. Additionally, they do need to be protected from the harsh rays of the sun, so shade is a requirement when booking a wedding harpist.
This content was originally published here.