Retreat Tutors
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Retreat Tutors *
Jillian Mundy PhotographerNatalia Mann
Natalia Mann is a harpist and resonance artist. Her work is contemporary and environmental, centred around the concept that all the world is vibration.
As a resonance artist Natalia explores the languages of art and nature. This has led her to interpret paintings and sculptures, trees, landscapes and stars on her harp. Her project The Sonic Earth studied the resonance of plants and trees. She creates film, poetry and installation as an extension of her musical practice.
Natalia has toured internationally performing her original music for harp; and has played extensively with symphony orchestras, world, pop, jazz and experimental art music ensembles. Her albums Pasif.ist (2011) and Utterance (2017) can be found on Rattle.co.nz.
At home Natalia plays for the children’s show Bulkaway Muruku (Yarning Together). She is a harp teacher and community mentor for the Far North Queensland Harp Connection.
Born in Wellington, Aotearoa to Samoan and Australian parents, Natalia has lived in Los Angeles, Melbourne, Istanbul and now resides in Djabugay Country with her partner Victor Steffensen and extended family, descendants of the Takalaka people of North Queensland area.
www.nataliamann.com
Since graduating with a Bachelor degree from Griffith University Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Loni's career has been one of richness and diversity. She has been guest principal and section harpist for a number of Australian orchestras including Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, Australian Youth Orchestra and Australian and International Symphony Orchestra Institute, and has performed both nationally and internationally on a number of stages from the Sydney Opera House to Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and Melbourne’s Hamer Hall to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing.
In addition to her ensemble and orchestral work, Loni enjoys performing for weddings, corporate functions and events alike, playing genres from classical to jazz, contemporary/popular to modern and everything in between.
Loni also creates immersive sound healing music of harp and song accompanied by singing bowls and meditations.
www.lonifitzpatrick.com
Loni Fitzpatrick
Merindi Schrieber’s artistic practice is grounded with a deep connection to her mother’s land, Kuku Yalanji (Mossman, NQ). Language, culture and history through song, Merindi’s Bama resonance and soulful songs echo her passion to educate and empower through creative musical expression.
Her involvement in various community initiatives and performances has included festivals, gatherings, events, corporate functions and school programs.
From performer to producer, participant to listener, singer to weaver, writer to consultant, Merindi’s experience in the arts sector is reflective of her Yalanji name Jankaji - Wealth of Knowledge.
Bama = People of the Land
Merindi Schrieber
Pippa Samaya PhotographyNaomi Jean is a composer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, and producer celebrated for her innovative and personal approach to music. She creates songs, soundscapes, and repertoires defined by open structures, cross-cultural collaborations, and interactive improvisation.
Grounded in adaptive rhythmic practice, Naomi’s creative process thrives on explorative pattern-making and reverse-engineering spontaneous phrasing. With years of experience collaborating with high-caliber musicians across various countries and diverse traditions—including world music, jazz, electronic genres, and multi-arts alliances (dance, video, circus, and live performance soundtracks)—her multi-faceted musicality finds new expression through the harp. She channels her extensive artistic background into unconventional approaches to the instrument’s melodic, rhythmic, and textural possibilities. Drawing from her deep well of musical expertise, Naomi illuminates the harp through a fresh perspective—one that prioritizes creative freedom, embodied rhythm, and resonant storytelling over traditional conventions.
As a teacher at the 2025 Harp Connection Retreat, Naomi will lead transformative sessions focused on developing a whole-body “inner groove compass,” expanding rhythmic vocabulary, and refining left-right coordination. Participants will explore techniques to create clear, precise, and original phrasing while fostering coherence between creative impulse, somatic awareness, and musical expression.
Naomi Jean
Liza Soenario
Liza Soenario is a Cairns born local who has lived most of her life in Kuranda-the village in the rainforest. She is inspired by the unique beauty of her environment and aspires to be a reflection of the balance, yin & yang that is life.
She works full time as an administrative officer for Queensland Police and in her spare time she nurtures her wellness business, Flow With Nature Yoga & Qigong. Certified to teach and practise: Yoga, Qigong, Soundhealing & Reiki, Songbird (her soul name) weaves together all these healing modalities and offers: private, group & corporate sessions, retreats, workshops & events.
Music has always been a big part of her life, having had piano lessons from an early age, flute & clarinet lessons and the gift that is her voice singing in many choirs and being part of a professional accapella quartet that performed at a wide variety of events & occasions.
Liza is one of our newest members and loves playing & singing intuitively. Liza will be sharing her creative gifts and calming presence as our Retreat Stylist and Wellness Coach, helping to connect our minds, body & spirit so that we can align with the creative & musical beings that we all innately are.
Kat Pring
Kat Pring holds a BMus (Hons) and a PhD in composition from the University of Newcastle, NSW, along with an AMusA in piano performance. A composer and harpist, Kat is also an accompanist for school choirs and instrumental students. Her most recent works include Meditations, an orchestral piece (2021), and Blessings, for violin and piano (2024).
For over 12 years, she ran a thriving Kindermusik and Piano studio in NSW before relocating to Cairns in 2022. Now, she runs Imagine Piano, a creative hub where students are inspired to explore composition, improvisation, alongside piano technique, theory and musicality.
With a deep passion for the transformative power of music and sound, Kat completed a diploma in sound therapy in 2023. She runs a second business, Intuitive Soundscapes, where she offers individual and group sound healing, drumming facilitation, and harp for Yoga, QiGong, and other spaces of well-being. Kat continues to study the fascinating world of sound and vibration, uncovering their profound impact on well-being and creativity.
