Veronika Lemishenko has joined the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) as co-principal harp tutor, after two years as a visiting tutor. Located in Birmingham, United Kingdom, the harp department’s teaching team now comprises co-principal harp tutors Veronika Lemishenko and Rita Schindler, visiting international artist Catrin Finch, and visiting tutor in jazz harp Amanda Whiting. Students will have the opportunity to work with both principal tutors, with Lemishenko teaching for the majority of the time. Visiting tutors will join the department three times each academic year, alongside regular masterclasses with internationally renowned harpists.
“I am so pleased about this exciting new chapter,” Lemishenko says. “It is a huge honor for me, and since being involved with RBC before, I already feel very connected to this amazing institution, the students, and my wonderful colleagues I have had the pleasure of working with.”
In her new role, Lemishenko says she hopes to “continue developing the harp class in the direction of active and well-rounded musical growth—through thorough work on solo, chamber, and orchestral programs; participation in concerts and competitions; being involved in harp activities; building strong professional connections; and having opportunities for exchange with professors and educational institutions across the country.”
Lemishenko is a renowned Ukrainian harpist with an international career, performing and recording as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. Winner of the World Harp Competition in Utrecht, The Netherlands, in 2026, she is the principal harpist of the Croatian National Theater in Osijek, Croatia. In addition to teaching at RBC, she also teaches online at Kharkiv State Musical Lyceum and Kharkiv National University of Arts (Ukraine). Lemishenko regularly gives masterclasses and workshops worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and the United States, and is frequently invited as a jury member for various harp competitions. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress, the artistic director of the “Glowing Harp” competition and festival (Ukraine), and the vice president of the European Union of Music Competitions for Youth (EMCY).
Together with internationally renowned German harpist Florence Sitruk, Lemishenko co-founded the Ukrainian Harp Festival—In Exile. Through her charitable foundation, Lemishenko continues to support young Ukrainian harpists and other Ukrainian people affected by the war.
Learn more in our cover interview with Lemishenko from the May-June 2023 issue of Harp Column.
