Entertainment
30 May, 2026
Trio will just be harping on
THREE leading Australian harpists will perform in Cairns and Kuranda next month as part of the three-day Luminara Harp Festival.
The festival will run from 5-7 June 2026 and feature concerts, mentoring sessions and creative workshops aimed at harpists, musicians and young artists.
Melbourne-based harpist Katia Mestrović will join Mossman/Port Douglas singing harpist Loni Fitzpatrick and Cairns-based festival director Natalia Mann for two concerts at The Chapel in Whitfield on Friday 5 June at 1pm and 7.30pm.
“This epic concert features three completely different harpists, showcasing just how versatile and colourful the harp can be,” Ms Fitzpatrick said.
The performances will include classical repertoire, original compositions, voice and electronics and Mann’s plant resonance music practice.
Ms Mestrović has also arranged a trio version of Fire Tree, originally composed by Ms Mann and based on resonance from a plant at the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
“We chose The Chapel in Whitfield for its incredible acoustics,” Ms Mann said.
“It’s a small venue and it will be a wonderful experience for listeners to feel the resonance of the big concert harps in that intimate space.”
The concerts will take place shortly before Ms Mestrović travels to the World Harp Congress.
Festival organisers said the event would place Far North Queensland briefly “on the international harp map”.
On Saturday 6 June, the festival continues at the Kuranda Recreation Centre with The Inspired Harp Creative Retreat, hosted by the Far North Queensland Harp Connection.
The retreat will include masterclasses, guided harp meditation, improvisation and resonance-based music exploration for beginners through to professional harpists, as well as other musicians and creative practitioners.
“This is about infusing the Far North harp and music community with a burst of inspirational brilliance, not simply as a performance, but through collaboration, mentoring and shared experience,” Ms Mann said.
The festival will conclude on Sunday 7 June with a Young Artists Studio Day hosted by Ms Mann from 1pm to 4pm.
The session will give harp students the opportunity to work with Ms Mestrović and Ms Fitzpatrick through masterclasses and collaborative creative projects involving composition, improvisation, recording, filming and storytelling.
“It’s about giving children permission to lead creatively,” Ms Mann said.
“They’ll imagine, experiment and shape ideas – and we’ll help them bring those ideas to life.”
Bookings are essential for the Young Artists Studio Day, with tickets and information for all festival events available at Luminara Harp Festival: www.bit.ly/4e3d8R4.
