FRANCES THIELE

Frances Thiele is well-known as a mesmerizing performer on the harp. A highly expressive and accomplished player, she is an expert at shaping each note to convey the spirit and culture of traditional folk music from the British Isles. She is also a genuine and approachable performer who merges a wealth of historical knowledge with an innate understanding of her instrument to create something special and unique for audiences. Frances began studying the harp at age nine and it has remained a lifelong vocation. She was mentored in classical harp playing by the celebrated Australian harpist Xanya Mamunya but it was the Celtic harper Moira Lawry who instilled in Frances a love of all things traditional and folk. She has performed extensively at music festivals and other events in Australia and played with larger classical ensembles such as the Adelaide Youth Orchestra, Melbourne City Opera Company, Bendigo Orchestra and the Melbourne Harp Ensemble. Frances is a dedicated teacher of music to senior secondary school students as well as having a private harp studio in Macedon, Victoria. She gives regular workshops to local harp groups and runs several student and adult ensembles. She has been actively involved in the Australian harp community and was Academic Coordinator and a member of the Organizing Committee for the Sydney World Harp Congress. With high-level training in both double-action pedal and lever harp playing, Frances is a vocal advocate for the development of a separate lever harp teaching and technique pathway. As Frances explains: "The lever harp is not the lesser of the two harps but a historically very interesting instrument that requires a di?erent approach to technique and playing to allow, and hopefully inspire, lever harp players to pursue this instrument to the highest possible level." She continues to push her own playing to the edge of what is possible for lever harp performance and is driven to provide the repertoire and instruction necessary for others.