Harpist Lauren Swain will be performing a one hour classical music program on Friday, March 31 at 7 p.m., at the Hancock Assembly of God. Swain has qualified to compete at the 2023 Wales International Harp Festival and Competition in April. The upcoming concert will be her final free concert as part of her preparation for the competition.
Her musical journey began with piano at the age of four. At around age 12, she started watching and listening to harp music. She fell in love with the harp and asked about taking lessons. Her mother found a teacher who provided online instruction. After a year of lessons, Swain was referred to her current teacher, Carol McClure, an internationally known professional harpist and harp teacher located just outside of Nashville, Tenn.
In addition to her own performance career, McClure teaches at the university level and also provides online instruction to select students.
Under McClure’s excellent instruction, Swain was one of the three winners at the highly respected Lyon & Healy Harp competition in Chicago in 2022. Swain has now studied harp for more than eight years. Her course of study for certification in harp performance is through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, the UK’s largest music education body. She has achieved the LRSM certificate level and is currently working to complete the highest level of certification, the FRSM, by the conclusion of 2023.
Swain also continues to play the piano. She concluded her piano education under teacher Susan Matson in 2021 by combining with Zakary Reynolds to win the U.S. International Duo Piano competition in Colorado Springs.
All are welcome to this free performance and no RSVP is required. More information is available at laurenswain.com.
