A lot of boxes must be ticked before someone’s compositions can be included in the Trinity College London harp exam syllabus.
It requires the right key, time signature and use of technical, theoretical and musical skills appropriate to each grade level.
It also needs to be the right length, with clear and correct notation and must be easily available.
It’s part of what makes Anna Dunwoodie’s recent news so monumental.
The Thames harpist found out a few weeks ago that not one or two but eight of her compositions featured in the 2025 Trinity College London harp exam syllabus and told The Profile it was “a bit of a surprise”.
“I didn’t even know they were putting a new syllabus out.
“This is a really exciting prospect – to have music written by a Kiwi listed in the syllabus of a very British institution.”
The internationally recognised awarding organisation, established in 1872, specialises in the assessment of communicative and performance skills in music, drama, combined arts and English language.
Anna isn’t a lone kiwi in this experience.
She was joined in the new syllabus by fellow Kiwi friend and principal harpist for the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra Carolyn Mills.
But it was clear that Anna’s enthusiasm wasn’t just for herself.
“Hopefully it’ll just raise the awareness of the harp scene in New Zealand because we’re so far away from the rest of the world.”
Even though Anna reached out to the Trinity College chief harp examiner in 2020 to share her music, Anna said it wasn’t until harp professor of Berkeley College of Music Felice Pomeranz, put Anna’s sight reading books in front of the chief harp examiner and got her attention about “that harpist” from the other side of the world, Anna said.
“There is so much amazing and creative noise happening in the UK, Europe and the Americas, that it’s hard to break into the market, and as often happens, thanks to someone from ‘over there’ that opens doors for those of us on the fringes,” she said.
Anna said it was hard to get international harpists to come to New Zealand
“I’m sure you could relate this to pretty much anything. But, you know, when we sell New Zealand really, really well to them over there [internationally], they all want to come.”
It was evident Anna’s intent to pull the New Zealand harp scene closer to the rest of the world was a big priority.
“I make a big effort to stay connected – I bring international harpists to tour New Zealand, I regularly buy digital music from my favourite harp composers despite the fact that I write enough music to keep my students busy for a lifetime.”
But being this far removed from the main harp communities was something Anna said “I feel we will always have to push to be noticed”.
The passionate harpist said despite being artistic director for Harp Fest NZ, a hugely successful event in 2023, with plans in the works for a 2026 event, and having taught at main harp festivals and events around the world, upholding a constant presence at online workshops and conferences and providing copy for international harp journals and magazines – “there are so many other harpists, teachers, composers who are right there on the ground”.
“We are at a disadvantage due to distance,” she said.
But when international harpists do come to New Zealand – “it enriches the local harp scene”, she said.
“What other student harpists come to realize is that they’re just normal everyday people who have a passion for the harp.
“And they’ve worked really hard to develop that. And they have to practice, too. And they have bad days and good days and bits of music that they like and don’t like,” she said.
“When they start connecting to these people, they realize how much they’re just other humans, too, and have the same wants and needs and ouches and successes and all that sort of stuff.”
