Amelia Romano
An eclectic blend of austere serenity and kinetic vibrancy, Amelia Romano takes what is known about conventional harp and surpasses every time. Pulling from first-hand experiences in South Africa and from her roots in a cultural hotbed in San Francisco, Amelia not only plays music from the repertoire but reprises them and creates originals. Latin, gypsy, jazz are all genres that she touches but her music defines its own path.
A San Francisco native, she began her lessons on a lever harp, at the age of 9, with Diana Stork, who inspired early compositions, improvisation and playing in a variety of youth ensembles, including the Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble. She graduated from the San Francisco School of the Arts High School, performing Laura Zaerr’s “Celtic Concerto,” and releasing her first solo album, “Seeking Peace,” in her senior year. Amelia earned a B.A. in interdisciplinary studies at U.C. Berkeley in 2010, while continuing her music education. She spent the following year working in a township music school outside Cape Town, South Africa, sponsored by the “Playing for Change Foundation.” South Africa deeply shaped her musical creativity and desire to re-conceive her sound. With her return t
o the S.F. Bay Area in 2011, she took up the electric harp and formed “StringQuake,” in 2012 and Luminance Ensemble, Fall 2016. Amelia has been performing in the S.F. Bay Area for over 15 years, and toured in Mexico, the states, and Europe, (June of 2016). In March 2017, she will release her second full length album, “New Perspectives,” featuring the electric harp and local talent. Moving from Latin rhythms to blues and nostalgic storytelling, “New Perspectives” invites the listener to re-imagine the role of the harp in today’s musical landscape.
