Emily Granger
Biography Emily Granger
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.
