Biography
Freelance
Since graduating from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2016, I have built a diverse career performing at weddings, with orchestras, composing, and leading workshops. In 2021, I completed a master’s degree at the University of Hull, focusing on the transition from classical to jazz. Since then, I have collaborated on projects involving improvised music over soundscapes with The Broken Orchestra, Stewart Baxter, and Mark Slater. These works have been commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust (FFAT), Sound and Music (SaM), and Hull Jazz Festival (HJF), all performances incorporating visual elements or taking place in unique settings such as Rooted urban farm, Hull’s Tidal Barrier, Ferens Art Gallery, and under Luke Jerram’s Gaia.
Funding
In 2022, I was accepted onto the SaM Composer-Curator programme, where I began blending the harp with Ableton to delve into sound manipulation and composition. As part of the programme, I led workshops with local music groups and staged performances in unconventional spaces to showcase this innovative music. In 2023, I received funding from Hull City Council to write three original songs, produced by Kobby Taylor. These songs became the foundation of a musical further developed in 2024 and performed at the Hull Jazz Festival. The production featured remixes of music by Ebo Taylor, a highly acclaimed afrobeat pioneer and Kobby’s grandfather.
Research
In 2024, I embarked on a period of research, training, and experimentation supported by Arts Council England’s Developing Your Creative Practice fund. During this time, I enhanced my skills in harp improvisation and composition while exploring the integration of electronic elements, pre-recorded sounds, and live manipulation using effects pedals and Ableton. Additionally, I began combining original music with visual effects through Touch Designer, aiming to create immersive live audio-visual performances.
Collaboration
Meridian Music & Sound
Flute and harp duo 'Meridian' Music & Sound, curating unique and immersive sound baths and performances.
The Dyr Sister
The Dyr Sister's Fairy-tales for the Modern Gentleman is an ever-growing compendium of anti-ballads chronicling the banality of modern existence.
Combining contemporary folk with post-hiphop and electronic music genres the Dyr Sister's songs are delivered with driving percussive beats via a backdrop of strings including Viola/Guitar (Sally Currie), Harp (Stephanie Halsey) and Bass Guitar (Sarah Shiels) and layered with haunting and ethereal vocal harmonies. This is a devastatingly beautiful expression of what it means to be alive and kicking and still telling tales in these bleak times.
This project brings together an outstanding collection of musicians from Kingston-Upon-Hull and the surrounding areas.
Projects
I have collaborated on projects involving improvised music over soundscapes with The Broken Orchestra, Stewart Baxter, and Mark Slater. These works have been commissioned by Freedom Festival Arts Trust (FFAT), Sound and Music (SaM), and Hull Jazz Festival (HJF), all performances incorporating visual elements or taking place in unique settings such as Rooted urban farm, Hull’s Tidal Barrier, Ferens Art Gallery, and under Luke Jerram’s Gaia.
In 2023, I received funding from Hull City Council to write three original songs, produced by Kobby Taylor. These songs became the foundation of a musical further developed in 2024 and performed at the Hull Jazz Festival. The production featured remixes of music by Ebo Taylor, a highly acclaimed afrobeat pioneer and Kobby’s grandfather.
If you want to collaborate or hire me to be a part of your project, email stephanieharpist@outlook.com or fill out an enquiry form.