Cara Dawson is a Berlin-based freelance harpist working at the intersection of contemporary composition, experimental sound, and embodied performance. Her practice spans pedal and lever harp, electronics, and alternative tuning, exploring the instrument’s hidden resonances, materiality, and tactile possibilities. She performs regularly as a soloist, chamber musician, and ensemble player, with a particular focus on new and experimental music.

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As a contemporary ensemble musician, Cara has performed with the London Sinfonietta, Ensemble Modern, and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra. Alongside this, she is an active orchestral harpist, appearing with ensembles including the Deutsches Sinfonie-Orchester Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and Kammerakademie Potsdam, and performing regularly at the Berlin Philharmonie. She has worked with conductors such as Susanna Mälkki, Ilan Volkov, and Enno Poppe.

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Cara is deeply committed to the creation and performance of new work. She collaborates closely with composers, commissioning and developing new repertoire for solo harp and ensemble contexts. Her solo projects foreground extended listening, intimacy, and presence, including programmes featuring newly commissioned works and experimental adaptations of existing repertoire.

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She is a founding member of the composer-performer collective red panel, which creates immersive concert formats that move between contemporary classical, ambient, and experimental music, and of Ensemble Utak, a flute, viola, and harp trio dedicated to 20th- and 21st-century repertoire for this unique instrumentation. Her work has featured on labels including Da Vinci Classics, Sawyer Editions, and State51 Conspiracy, with appearances at platforms and venues such as NonClassical, Ensemble Modern’s Young Ensemble Academy, and the Dutch Harp Festival.

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Cara is currently completing a Master’s degree in contemporary performance practice at the Universität der Künste Berlin. She previously studied at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Trinity Laban Conservatoire, and Chetham’s School of Music, graduating with First Class Honours in Harp Performance. Her awards include the Ida Carroll Award for Strings, the Henry Wood Trust Scholarship, and the John Marson Harp Award for Outstanding Musicianship.

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Alongside her performing career, Cara is active as a teacher and is available for selected bespoke and luxury events.