Jody Harrison is the daughter of Jack Harrison and Marcia Chayter.
Born in 1963, she grew up in City Beach and attended City Beach Primary School and St Mary’s Anglican Girls’ School. In 1984 she graduated from the University of W.A. with a Bachelor of Music (Hons). She played piano, oboe and cor anglais.
In 1985 she was awarded Australian Music Board and Western Australian Arts Council grants to undertake post graduate performance studies at the Zürich Conservatorium of Music with oboist Thomas Indermühle where she studied towards a Soloist Diploma from 1986 – 1987 and attended a Summer School in Provence, France.
On returning to Perth she continued performing with the W.A. Arts Orchestra and in 1988 completed the first year of a Bachelor of Arts (Arts Management), at Edith Cowan University which she deferred to move due to Melbourne.
In 1989 Jody worked for Melbourne Radio 3L0 and in December was appointed as Assistance Orchestra Manager with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. In 1991 she returned to Perth to work in the management of the West Australian Symphony Orchestra where she remained until 2004 when she was made redundant.
In February 2005 Jody became Director of her own company Solo to Symphony and was an agent for jazz and classical musicians until 12013. During this time she successfully applied for several grants, including being awarded an Australia Council Grant – for the Blackwood Project. Blackwood was premiered 2011 Perth International Arts Festival. It was commissioned for Iain Grandage (composer), Kevin Gillam (poet/lyricist) and performers Sara Macliver (soprano), Allan Meyer (clarinet) & Graeme Gilling (piano) and the art of Brendon Darby.
From 2009 until 2012 Jody was employed by U.W.A. as Manager, Festival Baroque Australia.
From 2011 until 2013 she was Online Editor Scoop magazine.
Jody has three children:
Samantha
Jacqueline
Max
She is a passionate genealogist and historian and a promoter of music in Western Australia.