Alice in Antarctica

News

April 4, 2015

We’re often asked about the effects of temperature and humidity on harps. You can find the answers, and many more, in Elizabeth Jaxon’s fab Camac video guide (above). But you don’t need a video guide to tell you that Antarctica is not what most instrument makers envisage, and in 2011, the blue harp was put through its paces as part of Alice Giles’s amazing Antarctica expedition. We had no idea how it would do, so we were pleased to hear it went “not a bit sharp and was seemingly unconcerned” by the sub-zero temperatures.

Alice Giles is the granddaughter of Arctic meteorologist Cecil Thomas Madigan, and was awarded an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship to create a multimedia performance commemorating the First Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-1914). We helped finance the shipping of harps and equipment to and from Hobart, and also contributed towards the cost of a new work from Australian composer Martin Wesley-Smith. You can read all about Alice in Antarctica here, including information about how to book a concert or a lecture-recital about the project.