MEET THE HARPIST
Hi, I’m Sarah! I began studying harp when I was 6 years old- and by the age of 8 I was performing as a soloist, was a member of the SFA Harp Ensemble, and was Principal Harpist for the Piney Woods Youth Orchestra. Over the years I have been a member of numerous orchestras and ensembles including string, symphony, and pit orchestras, as well as accompanying choirs, solo vocalists, and solo instrumentalists.
I played my first weddings, public gigs, and private events at age 15 in Waco, Texas. From then on I began consistently gigging alongside schooling- and officially became a full-time musician upon graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with my Bachelor’s of Science and Arts in 2023.
Currently residing in Austin Texas, I continue to play as a soloist, accompanist, and with a variety of ensembles across Texas, the US, and Internationally. I am a member of @sssheartstrings, an all-female keyboard and string ensemble based out of Los Angeles, as well as Élan Strings and the Dallas String Quartet. Living and working in Austin, the "Live Music Capital of the World", I enjoy the opportunity to work with musicians from all genres of music, both in bands and as a session musician. I regularly perform in the bands of local musicians Mélat and Kate Heron, and you can also hear me on the records of fellow Austin musicians- including Kitty Coen, Radio Company, and JaRon Marshall, among others.
While classically trained from the age of 6 through college, I also enjoy playing contemporary and pop music, creating and utilizing backing tracks in my live music, and performing in more intimate settings. I have a passion for bringing the harp into as many unique spaces and playing for as many people as possible, and believe that the more unconventional the situation I can get the harp in: the better. I arrange for harp and ensemble, as well as compose.
I have studied with Mollie Marcuson Schiffer, Sarah Oliver Ladd, Emily Mitchell, Dr. Louisa Ellis Woodson, Alison Reed, and Delaine Fedson Leonard.
When not arranging music or playing gigs, you can find me baking, doing lagree, fostering shelter dogs, and taking long walks on Town Lake trail. ♥︎
While away at the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar in Georgia at age 15, I experimented with playing pop on harp for the first time. From that moment on, I was passionate about bringing harp out of the classical music realm and into new spaces.
Two Different Worlds of Music
Classical Training
Through sixteen years of study with various teachers and professors, I have the technique and training required to bring advanced classical pieces to life.
Modern Twists
Through a decade of experimentation, passion, and creative risks, I also have the ability to adapt any genre of music to the harp, and create arrangements that translate melodies between vastly different instruments.
What is ‘harparie’?
harparie : of, relating to, or a place for harps
When trying to incorporate a business name and stage name into one, I experimented with different ways to use my name and ‘harp’ to create an identity. The suffix ‘-ary’ means ‘of’, ‘relating to’, or ‘a place for’- but stylized as ‘-arie’ it is also the last four letters of my middle names, Anna Marie.