Asni

German-born harpist Asni has been an active participant of the European early harp revival since its beginnings in the mid-1980s. Asked what made her pick up such an unlikely instrument, her answer is spontaneous: "Reading too much Tolkien! Disappointed with the decidedly un-elfish unwieldiness of the modern pedal harp, which she had been learning... since a teenager, she took up early harp after finding out about all the fascinating varieties of the instrument that existed during the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque eras. She has established herself internationally as one of the foremost modern performers on early harps. She has bern a member of New York early music ensemble ARTEK/458 strings, and toured the USA with the Mark Morris Dance Group, as well as working with internationally acclaimed ensembles such as Chanticleer (USA) and the Drottningholm Baroque Orchestra (Sweden). Later this year she will be representing New Zealand at the World Harp Congress in Dublin, Ireland, as well as perform and teach in Prague, Czech Republic. In 2003 she came to New Zealand to do some concerts, fell in love with the place and stayed. Currently, she is teaching early harps at Victoria University Wellington, as well as performing with a wide range of music ensembles in the creative capital - covering musical styles ranging from early music to alternative pop, performing with dGare at last year's Fringe festival. In recent years, she has developed a strong interest in popular music styles, folk and world music, and in film music. Her performances usually include many of her own arrangements and improvisations, and more recently she has taken up composing. She is a big fan of New Zealand music and particularly of NZ reggae, and can be found regularly hanging out at Indigo bar and at festivals such as Womad or the Soundsplash!Read More