More about Harps Australia
Harps Australia has been handcrafting and developing Celtic Harps since 1994, using non-endangered woods -primarily our unique and beautiful Australian timbers.
And, yes, the picture to the left was from 25 years ago!
How did Jacquie get involved with the harp?
Jacquie, a native of the Pacific Northwest resident in Australia for 35 years; became fascinated by the Celtic harp when first loaned an instrument by a colleague in the Melbourne Symphony in the late 1980s. The next step was to own one, but there was little choice of instruments in Australia in those days. She built an imported kit from the US.
Gradually the harp became an obsession; the French horn (her first career) was phased out. In 1994 she embarked on a study tour of harp building on the USA West Coast, meeting with many craftsman. She also studied several large scale harp building factories both the Triplett Harps in California and Dusty Strings in Seattle, with research/resourcing trips to Robinson’s Harp Shop outside of San Diego.
On her return, she and husband Warwick worked as a team to produce the 30 string Waratah model harp featured in the nationally run workshops Pull Your Own Harpstrings. Following years of development, Harps Australia released a unique re-design of the 30 string new Waratah in 2001, the 34/36 string Lyrebird Harps and the 23 string Rosella for workshops.
After 700 harps hand-built, we now import all the harps we market.
Warwick‘s eclectic past includes 10 years at the ABC in Sydney as a sound engineer/editor, while operating several recording studios on the side. Then he “retired” and built/renovated houses for 20 years in Melbourne.
His knowledge of acoustics, building, recording and electronics have all come together first building harps at Harps Australia and then ensuring the best quality harps are sourced for sale and rent. In his spare time he co-produced the CD of "Seasons Within" with Lyrebird Productions.
Harps Australia’s Melbourne home
In September 2007, Jacquie and Warwick returned to live primarily in Australia.
Harps Australia’s finishing and developmental workshop in the Dandenong Ranges is named after the 12th century mystic and musician Hildegard von Bingen’s Veriditas (the verdant green energy of Creation), and overlooks a miniature Ferntree gully and stream.
