Biography

Irish harpist Emily Sullivan grew up on the Beara Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland, where she began learning the Irish harp with Marina Cassidy and concert harp with Anne-Marie Papin. Emily completed her undergraduate studies as a scholar at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, under the guidance of Charlotte Seale, Imogen Barford, Keziah Thomas, Bryn Lewis (Orchestral), Helen Tunstall (Contemporary) and Monika Stadler (Jazz). She is now completing her postgraduate studies at the Royal College of Music London with Ieuan Jones and Jana Boušková. As a keen orchestral player Emily has been a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Ireland, the Irish Youth Wind Ensemble and the MTU Cork School of Music Symphony Orchestra, amongst others. She has also worked with many varied chamber ensembles, including harp and flute, oboe, horn and string quartet. Emily has been a multiple prize-winner in Feis Ceoil and Féile an tSamhraidh over the years, most notably winning the Senior Concert Harp Competition (Feis Ceoil, Dublin) and the Arts Award Bursary (Féile an tSamhraidh, Cork). As a soloist she has performed in masterclasses with leading harpists from around the world, such as Helga Storck, Gwyneth Wentink, Sioned Williams, Stephen Fitzpatrick, Manja Smits, Andrew Lawrence-King, and Eleanor Turner. She has also taken part in the Catrin Finch Harp Academy and the Ibacus International Harp Course. Emily has had the pleasure of performing many times for President Michael D Higgins and Sabina Higgins in Áras an Uachtaráin.