American-born, Australian-based Emily Granger effortlessly straddles the worlds of classical, popular, and art music – including glittering reviews for her “vibrant musical personality” (Harp Column Magazine). Emily’s considerable talent finds her equally at home in intimate chamber recitals and thrilling performances of daring new works. She has performed recitals from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center and UKARIA Cultural Centre and has appeared with the Chicago, Sydney, and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.

In 2023, Emily was appointed Principal Harp with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra. She is currently on faculty at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and a member of Ensemble Q.

In 2022, her debut solo album, In Transit (AVIE Records), was Featured Album on ABC Classic and 2MBS Fine Music Sydney. The album was praised by BBC Music Magazine as “beautiful” and Limelight Magazine as “an impressive debut” and has so far reached more than 800,000 people through 3,500,000+ streams. In 2023, she followed up with her second album, “Something Like This,” with flautist Sally Walker. Praised by The Australian as “intoxicatingly beautiful”. 2024 will see the release of two more albums: “Suite Mágica” on ABC Classic with guitarist Andrew Blanch and “Magic Sound” for the HUSH Foundation with percussionist Claire Edwardes.

Recent performances include appearances with Ensemble Offspring, guitarist Andrew Blanch, Sydney Dance Company, Omega Ensemble, Nexas Quartet, Sydney Art Quartet, Sydney Chamber Choir, Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, Brisbane Philharmonic Orchestra and many more, in performances for Melbourne Recital Centre, Musica Viva Australia, Musica Viva Tasmania, Sydney Festival, Canberra International Music Festival, Brisbane Music Festival, Sydney Fringe Festival, Orange Chamber Music Festival, Oberon Festival, Music in the Regions, Bellingen Muse, Lyon & Healy 150th Birthday Festival, Ear Taxi Festival, and more.

Dedicated to expanding the repertoire for harp, Emily’s interest in new music began during her studies at Indiana University (IU) where she spent three years performing with the IU New Music Ensemble. Later, while studying in Chicago she performed with Ensemble Dal Niente, Fulcrum Point New Music Ensemble and at the Ear Taxi Festival. Emily has premiered works by Ross Edwards, Anne Boyd, Holly Harrison, Elena Kats-Chernin, Tristan Coelho, Paul Stanhope, Sally Whitwell, Sally Greenaway, Jessica Wells, Anne Cawrse, Bernard Andrès, Alfredo Rolando-Ortiz, Hilary Purrington, Nicholas Davies, Elliott Bark, Alex Pozniak, Mark Oliverio, and Martin Kay. She has a close relationship with new music ensemble: Ensemble Offspring and continues collaborating with Artistic Director and percussionist, Claire Edwardes.

As an educator, Emily’s students have been awarded prizes at the Mexican International Harp Competition and American Harp Society Chicago Solo Competition and have held positions with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, Australian Youth Orchestra, Sydney Youth Orchestra, Queensland Youth Orchestra, Midwest Young Artists and Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. Emily served on the faculty at VanderCook College of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, British School of Chicago, MLC School and Chicago Harp Ensemble. Emily has presented masterclasses at Indiana University, New York University, Kansas University, University of Minnesota, Harp Society, Play on Philly!, Vanderbilt University, Queensland Harp Society, Far North Harp Connect and American Harp Society National Conference.

Emily grew up in Kansas City Missouri where she began the harp at age 12. She participated in the Youth Symphony of Kansas City and spent many summers at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. She earned her Bachelor of Music from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music where she studied with Susann McDonald, and her Master of Music from the Chicago College of the Performing Arts studying with Principal Harp of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sarah Bullen. Granger later served as the Principal Harp of the Chicago Civic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra and National Orchestral Institute.

When not traveling the world concertizing, you can find the avid hiker in the backcountry. Granger successfully walked 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, the Great North Walk, Overland Track, and climbed 14 of Colorado’s highest mountains in one week and Australia’s 15 highest mountains in three days.