Carolyn Sykes – Los Angeles Harpist

Carolyn Sykes, Pacific HarpsLos Angeles harpist, harp teacher and harp sales manager, Carolyn Sykes is a talented musician providing high class entertainment at weddings, funerals, celebrations, ceremonies and corporate functions. From her teaching studio and showroom in Southern California, Carolyn has several harps on display to rent or buy, including Camac Harps, Triplett Harps and a variety of other lever and pedal harps.

Visit our exciting new website www.music-for-events.com to organise music for your next function!

Click here to SHOP ONLINE FOR HARPS AND ACCESSORIES with our retail branch, Pacific Atlantic Harps.

About Pacific Harps

Caroyln Sykes is a native of Melbourne, Australia. In 1976, she toured Europe and Asia with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra. Upon her return to Australia, she helped found Melbourne’s Parkville Music School for Children. Her Australian performances include numerous festivals in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. On debut in the United States, she won awards in 1986 and again in 1988 at Lyon & Healy’s International Jazz and Pop Harpfest. As a result, Ms. Sykes received a full scholarship to the University of Arizona, where she studied harp with Carrol McLaughlin.During her summer and winter breaks, she toured around the world performing on cruise ships for Royal Viking Line and Crystal Cruises.

In 1990, she recorded her first album of voice and harp, Tinges of Colour. She has appeared in Massachusetts at the Williamstown Theater Festival and at Jazz in July. She has also appeared at the Soka International Harp Festival and Nippon Harp Competition in Soka City, Japan. Between 1992 and 1995, she performed in the Shoji Tabuchi Show in Branson, Missouri, where she also wrote arrangements and established the company’s music/media library.

Pacific Harps performancesIn 1998, Ms. Sykes received a Masters of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Harp Performance from the California Institute of the Arts, where she studied harp with Susan Allen and was awarded the Harpo Marx Scholarship. Her academic activities included ethno-musicology research in the Northern Territory of Australia, focusing on the songs of native aboriginal women. Ms. Sykes currently resides in Pasadena, California, where she maintains a music studio and teaches approximately 40 students. She serves as a member of the board of directors for the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Harp Society. In addition to solo performances, her recent appearances include recording for the film soundtrack of Paramount’s Rugrats, live performances with Judy Collins and the Torrance Symphony, at the Getty Center Museum with Charlie Haden’s Liberation Orchestra, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, U.K., with Symphony in the Glen conducted by Arthur B. Rubinstein, with the Long Beach Opera Company, and as part of the New Music Festival of Los Angeles and Green Umbrella Concert Series.

Services and Events

Please click below to learn more about what Pacific Harps can do for you.

 

Carolyn at Pacific Harps teaching

Learn to Play Harp

Lessons are avaliable in person at our Pasadena studio in Los Angeles, or almost anywhere in the world via videochat such as Zoom or FaceTime.

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Hire a Harpist

Would you like to hire a harpist for your next special day? Pacific Harps can help create the perfect atmosphere for your event.

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Buy a Harp

Are you ready to purchase a harp of your own? Visit our online shop at www.pacificatlanticharps.com, or contact us to visit our showroom.

Music For Events - Pacific Harps

Book Music for Events

We specialize in not only providing excellent musicians but also event services such as coordinators, venues and more.

About Us

Pacific Harps is a boutique harp instruction, performance, showroom and sales company located in Pasadena, California. Established over 30 years ago by Carolyn Sykes, Pacific Harps has links to France, Australia, Pakistan, Ireland and South America and is continuing to expand, spreading the joy of harp music to an ever wider audience.

 

Learn To Play Harp