Each year the UKHA committee selects three soloists, duos, or ensembles at the beginning of their careers to take part in a collaborative concert series. It then supports them to work together to curate, plan and perform nine concerts across the UK. These concerts are scheduled for this autumn.

The Aura Duo is made up of Clara Gatti Comini and Maria McNamee, who began playing together after receiving the joint John Marson Prize for Outstanding Musicianship in 2020. They completed their undergraduate and master's degrees at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The duo has been performing together at various concerts in and around London.

Clara said:

Maria and I have so much fun playing together. We applied to the Emerging Artists scheme because we wanted to find more opportunities together.

We want to commission a composer to write something for us and continue the project beyond the three concerts to more venues.”

Clara has been playing the harp since she was seven and says she loves the soothing sound it makes and the way the sound keeps ringing and flowing.

Her PhD at UWL is in practice research and focuses on decontextualising the harp from conventional performance venues.

Clara explained:

I think the harp is seen as an elite and expensive instrument. It is far from a lot of people’s reality. I want to place the harp in different contexts and environments and invite new people to listen."

Head of Composition at UWL Dr Simone Spagnolo, said:

Clara is a superb harpist, with great musical sensitivity and excellent collaborative skills. The Emerging Artists Award is a terrific achievement that reinforces her already strong profile. It is a pleasure to have her at LCM."

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