Supported by Ainsley Walter & Mark Stewart

Carolyn's passion for the harp began at the age of five. Since then, she has continued to share her love for the instrument with audiences across the globe.

Section Principal Harpist of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra since 1989, Carolyn studied in Boston and Tanglewood with the legendary Lucile Lawrence. She has performed with the Dallas and Houston Symphonies and was Principal Harpist of the Orquesta Sinfonica de Mineria in Mexico City.

Carolyn has been a soloist with several New Zealand and American orchestras and has performed throughout Europe, Asia, South America and Australia. She even became the world's southernmost harpist when invited as a Guest Artist aboard the MV Marco Polo for its Antarctic Grand Circumnavigation tour in the 1990s!

Her recorded discography includes the album 'Song of the Black Swan' with violinist Dawn Harms and her two solo CDs, 'Mirage' and 'Preludes & Romances', all released on Atoll Records. In 2000, Carolyn joined forces with NZSO Section Principal Flute Bridget Douglas to form the duo Flight. Their debut CD, also released on Atoll, was nominated for Best Classical Album at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards.

Numerous distinguished composers have written works specifically for Carolyn, encompassing a variety of genres, and she continues to bring these pieces to life both on the concert stage and through her recordings.

Because a concert harp has – unbelievably – around two thousand moving parts in its mechanism (not to mention forty-seven strings and seven pedals), I stay pretty busy on my days off, trying to keep track of what my instruments are doing!