Emily (Mirla) Harrison

Photo: Jodie McBride

Shortlisted piece In Search of Lost Time

Inspired by the wartime letters sent from Emily’s grandmother to her sweetheart sailor boy: Arthur, who is lost at sea, then taken as a Japanese POW.

The aching, heartbreaking lament portrays a burning hope and yearning of young lovers thwarted by war. The dreamlike piano and lilting violas reflect a longing to recover their courtship and lost time. It’s an imagining of their souls connecting; a dance of their spirits across the vast oceans of trust.

About Emily Harrison

Emily Mirla Harrison — pianist, screen composer, and contemporary – classical recording artist.

A graduate of the prestigious AFTRS, Emily quickly achieved scoring credits for the ABC’s award winning Bluey, campaigns (UNICEF, Billabong) domestic short films and the feature documentary Undone (2020).

Emily also won the JD Music Prize (AGSC, 2018) to develop her concept album Solitaire – a brooding brew of 11 immersive movements arranged for piano, strings, ambient soundscapes, spoken word and field recordings.

The music explores the resilience of women impacted by violent acts of war and inspired by her grandparents’ love story and war diaries.

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