With over 39 years of teaching experience, Owen Torr is one of Sydney’s most accomplished and respected harp educators.

Owen began his musical life as a clarinettist, tutoring younger band members while still at school. He grew up listening to C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, narrated and accompanied by the acclaimed harpist Marisa Robles — an early influence that sparked a lifelong love of the harp. However, he didn’t begin harp lessons until after school.

His passion for teaching led him to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where he studied clarinet and completed a Bachelor of Music Education, qualifying him to teach classroom music from Kindergarten to Year 12. During this time, he continued teaching clarinet and began learning harp as a hobby — a hobby that soon became a vocation.

Owen later studied at the Salzedo Harp School in Camden, Maine (USA), under the legendary teacher Alice Chalifoux, whose mantra, “You need to like people to be a good teacher,” stayed with him. On returning to Australia, he began teaching beginner harpists and gradually built a thriving studio alongside a vibrant performance career.

He has performed with many chamber groups — including The Equinox Duo, The Omega Ensemble, and The Arcadia Ensemble — and worked extensively in commercial theatre productions such as Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady (directed by Julie Andrews), and many more.

Owen held contracts and casual positions with major orchestras including the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Opera Australia Orchestra, and the Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, and West Australian Symphony Orchestras, performing the great ballet, operatic, and symphonic repertoire for nearly three decades.

He was also a key organiser for the World Harp Congress held in Sydney in 2014, overseeing the complex task of harp logistics for dozens of performers. Owen is an active member of Harp Centre Australia, regularly involved in teacher workshops and harpist gatherings.

His teaching draws on the Suzuki  method, especially in his work with younger beginners (as young as age 6). He combines strong musicianship and musical games with a clear, effective harp technique. Many of his students have successfully completed AMEB exams and performed regularly.

Owen is a NESA-accredited teacher and currently teaches across several Sydney schools. While he is not currently accepting private students, feel free to reach out if you’d like to be informed when position becomes available.