KIRSTEN AGRESTA COPELY, Kuruvinda

Though Kirsten Agresta Copely’s official discography extends back to the early 2000s, the multi-talented, internationally acclaimed harpist and composer has made her greatest creative and emotional impact on new age music in the current decade, starting with her multiple award winning album Around the Sun and continuing most impressively with her extraordinary Grammy nominated 2023 collection Aquamarine, which I enthusiastically described as “a spirit caressing, free-flowing straight through immersion. . .which conveys a profound sense of wonder and mystery – and by extension, gratitude.”

One of the most fascinating aspects of Kirsten’s artistry is her ability keen ability to capture the contrast of shadow and light via alternating percussive and angelic approaches to her wondrous strings – and tie them to unique concepts and overarching, thought and soul-provoking themes. She designed Around the Sun as an ever-evolving 365-day journey beginning with the mystical, ambient “Daybreak” and concluding with the atmospheric meditation “Winter’s Bone.”  True to its title, Aquamarine offered soulful reflections on the vast mysteries from the crest of the ocean’s waves to the many fathoms below. The collection was also a beautiful tribute to Kirsten’s dear, recently departed mother, who taught Kirsten to play and love music and helped cultivate the harpist’s enduring love for the sea.

Certainly, the countless eager fans who contributed to the 12M+ streams Kirsten’s music has accumulated on Spotify embrace the ten exquisite pieces of her epic new album Kuruvinda – from the gently strummed graces of “Shadow Light” through the soothing aural caress “Samtosa” - without reference to the project’s dynamic background or thematic thrust. Yet once they understand the artist’s inspiration and vision for the project, and that Kuruvinda in Sanskrit means “flawed but radiant ruby,” they’ll take to heart and appreciate each track as a distinct facet of an imperfect but glorious ruby whose flaws are to be celebrated just as emphatically as the gem’s overall magnificence.

Male harp fans will no doubt enjoy the journey as well, but Kirsten, composing as part of the process of grieving her mom’s loss, clearly has women in mind as she gently guides listeners, as she says, from “raw ache to hard won clarity.” As the musical narrative slowly unfolds, she extends an intimate invitation to women to proudly accept those flaws and wear the years of their lives like jewels. No reason that men can’t use literal and figurative gems like the contemplative, dreamily immersive “Wordless Voice” as an open door to self-introspection as well.

“After Aquamarine, I began a new journey of self-discovery and realizations, stemming from learned patterns and genetics,” Kirsten says. “Through my meditation practice and mindfulness, I learned that imperfections are part of our brilliance. Ruby is my birthstone and I was looking for a title reflective of the gem while alluding to the theme that we are all imperfect gems. It’s important for women (and men) to love and accept the face in the mirror no matter what the reflection reveals.

“As I started seeing changes in my own,” she adds, “I realized that there’s a choice to not only accept but embrace it. Musically, Kuruvinda is similar in genre to my two previous releases, but it is also the result of my growth as a composer. This album is more poised and steeped in a new range of sonic colors.”   

One of the most compelling of these harmonic shadings she features is the breathy, adventurous clarinet of guest artist Ismael Lumanovski, whose intertwining seductive musings on the second track create an earthy contrast to Kirsten’s tender celestial minded harp strumming, to stirring effect. She brings another great musician she has worked with before, legendary jazz, classical and world music cellist Dave Eggar, along with violist Jessica Meyer, into the fold on two pieces. The duo introduces their darker, haunting emotional textures as a contrast to her higher-toned string melody on the majestic, soulfully symphonic (and perfectly titled) “Intertwined” and brings their deep, heartrending gravitas to the unfolding of another facet of the ruby Kirsten’s “Untold Story,” a bold entry into the future that’s still struggling with some of the heaviness of the past.

Though, placed towards the end of the set, this piece serves as the emotional centerpiece among all the great highlights and grand entry points into the Kuruvinda experience – a a sweeping array that includes the lilting, hypnotic title track, the mystical communication of a “Wordless Voice” and the subtle, easy flowing magnificence of “Samskara,” whose title alludes to the mental impressions, recollections and psychological imprints that shape our thoughts, behaviors and experiences.    

Even before its official release, Kuruvinda added to Kirsten’s growing list of accolades, receiving a well-deserved Silver Medal for outstanding achievement in the Global Music Awards, an international competition that recognizes independent musicians. It’s one of the genre’s most consistently engaging, boldly honest and heartfelt releases of 2025.