HARPIST Alice Giles may live in the Yass Valley, but she’s known the world over as a leading exponent of her instrument – and, following a long orchestral and academic teaching career, the only one who’s performed in Antarctica.

In a spin-off project, Giles created ethereal sounds through her “wind-harp” experiments after her 2011 trip as an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellow to Davis and Mawson Stations.

Also, as part of the “Musica Viva in Schools” series, she’s presented “Adventures In Antarctica”, guiding students through the frozen wonder of the icy continent with sounds of the harp, seals, penguins, water, wind and ice.

Early next week, in a departure from “straight” music, she and her daughter Moran Wiesel, who now practises as an “embodiment facilitator” in Tasmania, are embarking on a mother-daughter collaboration exploring the relationship between musician and listener.

“We explore how our whole beings and senses – touch, sight, vibration, hearing, movement, you name it – are enlivening us to listen and respond to the beauty, complexity and resonance of music and the harp,” Giles says.

“Maybe you feel more comfortable lying down, or even moving around as you listen?”

In the relaxed space and accommodating acoustics of St James Hall in Curtin, Giles will explore the inner and outer worlds of music, while Moran, using her skills and experience in leading workshops to connect participants with the resonances and music of the harp, will guide a “deep listening” experience through meditation and movement.

“It will be a different kind of listening experience; active, meditative and informal,” Giles says.

“Listening with the Body: A Harp Journey”. Wear comfy clothes and bring a yoga mat or similar. St James Uniting Church, Curtin, 7.30-9pm, Monday, March 29, bookings essential.