Orchestral or full-time teaching careers didn't seem to fit Kira Gunn, so she became a freelance professional harpist.
"I began my (music) degree with a sense of dread, thinking about what I might do afterwards," says Kira Gunn.
"The professional orchestral or full-time teaching careers didn't seem to fit.
"But it turns out they didn't have to!"
So begins the life of a professional – and freelance – harpist.
Kira says the complete lack of routine this brings is both exhilarating and difficult.
Every day is different.
It might involve rehearsing, gigging, writing music, liaising about gigs or rehearsals, planning a project, practicing, dreaming up new ideas, or getting inspired by someone else's work.
And the work is often seasonal, so there might be a few months of hectic performing, and then a month of nothing.
Riding the freelance wave doesn't always come easy!
A freelance childhood
Kira spent most of her childhood as a 'camp kid' (her description) with her three siblings.
Her dad managed a campsite in the Perth foothills, and her mum homeschooled the kids.
They lived in a house onsite, and Kira spent most of her free time chasing lizards, climbing trees, swimming, longboarding, and creating mischief with the other kids on site.
"I was interested in having fun, and hanging out, which is still very much true of me," she says.
Kira says they never really had music in the house and no one else in her family is musical or arty.
Despite this, music was something she was naturally drawn to.
"I started playing the harp when I was 10, after a harp teacher materialised fairy-fashion at our homeschooling group," Kira explains.
She started performing after a couple of years, did a lot of busking, and was getting paid gigs by the age of 15.
"It just made sense to keep going with the harp. I never really questioned it."
WAAPA Bachelor of Music graduate and harp 'gunn for hire' Kira Gunn with her favourite instrument.
Shaping her trajectory at WAAPA
Kira was accepted to study a Bachelor of Music at the renowned Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
She initially planned to do a year at WAAPA, and then apply for the Sydney Conservatorium to study with Alice Giles - one of the world's leading classical harpists.
“But once I got to WAAPA, my world just opened up,” she says.
"I realised the depth and beauty of classical music was so much greater than I thought, and that the opportunities to pursue other artistic avenues were endless."
Because it was a performance degree, Kira was able to really practice and hone her performance skills.
She also learned how to manage performance anxiety, how to communicate well with an audience, and how to craft a show to create a special audience experience.
"It's about so much more than the music," she says of WAAPA.
"They helped me make industry connections with artists from many disciplines, including acting, theatre, dance, visual arts, jazz, contemporary music, composition and classical.
"Being there, helped to shape my trajectory and learn what I really love and want to pursue.
"My brain was regularly exploding with how cool other people's ideas are," she says.
Many strings to her harp
We think Kira's career sounds pretty cool too.
Her advice to aspiring career musicians: "It takes practice, patience, persistence, passion, punctuality, professionalism, and a willingness to step outside one's comfort zone.
"And saying 'yes!' to every opportunity."
As well as performing, practising, penning and planning, Kira has set up a YouTube channel that includes – of all things – a couple of Disney songs.
Her favourite piece for the harp is Breathing Light by Nitin Sawhney, specifically Helene Grimaud's solo piano transcription.
She says it's hauntingly beautiful (we totally agree).
Watch Kira's recent graduation recital.
