Bridget Kibbey

Classical technique and sound

I would love for you to explore J.S. Bach as a vehicle for you to play with phrasing…there’s so much that he’s written that translates beautifully onto the harp.

In demand as a soloist and chamber musician alongside today’s top artists, harpist Bridget Kibbey is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist Award, a Salon de Virtuosi Grant, the only harpist to win a position with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Chamber Music Society II, a winner of Concert Artist Guild’s International Competition, Astral Artist Auditions, and Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France.

Ms. Kibbey’s solo performances have been broadcast on NPR’s Performance Today, on New York’s WQXR and Q2 Radio, WNYC’s Soundcheck, WETA’s Front Row Washington, WRTI’s Crossover, and A&E’s Breakfast with the Arts. She has toured and recorded with Dawn Upshaw and Placido Domingo for SONY Records and Deutsche Grammaphon; and, her own solo debut album, Love is Come Again, was named one of the Top Ten Releases by Time Out New York. Bridget is featured annually with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Knights Chamber Orchestra, and Camerata Pacifica. She has appeared as featured soloist and chamber artist at the Bravo!Vail, Santa Fe, Spoleto, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton, Aspen, Bay Chamber, Pelotas, Savannah Music Festival, Music@Menlo Festivals, among others.

With a passion for expanding the scope and platform of the harp, Bridget spearheads and tours cross-genre collaborations that reignite an ancient instrument. This season Bridget presents J.S. Bach’s most iconic keyboard works adapted on the harp alongside the Sebastians, “New York’s leading early music ensemble (New York Times).” She travels across the country with a special appearance at the Colombian Embassy with Chalaca, a new trio exploring the cross-pollination of folk music in South America, alongside Colombian clarinetist Benito Meza, and percussionist Samuel Torres.

Bridget recently spear-headed a five orchestra concerto-commissioning consortium with Juno-Award winning composer Vivian Fung. Bridget performed five world-premiere performances with The Karlsruhe Badische Symphoniker (Germany), The Phillips Camerata in Washington, DC, The Alabama Symphony, The San José Chamber Orchestra, and the Metropolis Ensemble. This season Bridget announces a new concerto consortium, with participating orchestras launching performance in 2019/2020, featuring a new harp concerto by Brazilian-born João Luiz Rezende.

Bridget maintains harp studios at Bard Conservatory, The Juilliard School Pre-College Program, and The Curtis Young Artist Institute. Read more about her at www.bridgetkibbey.com.

Explore lessons with

Bridget Kibbey

Learn Bridget's techniques for creating a good sound.

Learn how to create a legato sound using J.S. Bach's "Prelude in C."

Bridget Kibbey teaches how to build a relaxed and steady hand position for creating facility and sound.

Learn Bridget's techniques for reducing tension during practice and performance.

Listen to Bridget Kibbey discuss articulation and phrasing using the third movement of Mozart's Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra as an example.