Ukrainian harpist Veronika Lemishenko is the first prize winner of the 9th World Harp Competition, which took place at the 1000 Strings Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The competition’s semifinal and final rounds took place April 16–18. According to a press release, Lemishenko’s program “Words, Sounds, Thoughts” explores themes of psychological pressure, the restriction of rights, humanity’s reconnection with nature, the impact of lockdowns, the realities of war, and deep reflections on love, death, and eternity. Following the awards announcement, Lemishenko said she is honored to win and enjoyed the supportive atmosphere of the competition. “This competition is a very special one,” she says. Her first prize award includes €5,000 and the continuing support of the personalized Care, Coaching, and Career Development Program (including sessions with a career coach and performance opportunities between the 2026 competition and the next edition of the competition in 2028).
Lemishenko is the artistic director of the “Glowing Harp” competition and festival (Ukraine), the principal harpist of the Croatian National Theater in Osijek (Croatia), and an international visiting tutor at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (England). A prizewinner of international harp competitions in Europe and Asia, Lemishenko currently performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral player across Europe, Asia, and the USA. She promotes Ukrainian culture worldwide and supports young Ukrainian harpists through her charitable foundation.
The jury awarded second prize, with its €2,500 award, to Spanish harpist Anna Amigó. Amigó’s program “Sang de Dona,” based on the Catalan folk song book, explored themes of women’s empowerment and resilience, matrilineality, and women’s daily trials and tribulations. Japanese harpist Motoshi Kosako won third prize and €1,500. Kosako’s program “Harp Explorer” presented the solo acoustic harp as a jazz, blues, and improvisational instrument, primarily using his own works with extended pedals, guitar-like strumming, and new fingering methods. Mexican harpist María Cristina de la Rosa Peralta won the audience award and €1,500 for her program focusing on the son jarocho tradition of Veracruz.
The competition began last fall with a pre-selection round based on audio recordings and written proposals. 25 candidates were then invited to participate in the online quarterfinals, which consisted of short video previews of each proposed program. After 13 semifinalists performed live in Utrecht on April 16–17, the jury named three finalists, who competed for prizes during the 1000 Strings Festival on April 18 at TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht. The other 10 semifinalists were Francesca Campo (Italy), Esther Sévérac (France/Germany), Tara Viscardi (Ireland), Anna Dunlap (USA), María Cristina de la Rosa Peralta (Mexico), Lise Vandersmissen (Belgium), Gabriella Jones (Wales), Léna Jallon (France/Switzerland), Sujata Chapelain (France, performing with her sister Minaya on flute), and Renée Qin (Canada).
Scottish harpist, singer, and composer Rachel Newton served as the chairperson of this year’s jury. Additional jury members included harpists Emmanuel Padilla Holguín (Mexico) and Masumi Nagasawa (Japan), as well as Amsterdam-based Senegalese musician Mola Sylla, Indonesian soprano Bernadeta Astari, and Dutch jazz pianist and composer Rembrandt Frerichs. German television production manager Christine Krüger served as jury secretary.
For more information, visit the World Harp Competition website. Read our cover interview with Lemishenko in the May-June 2023 issue of Harp Column. Check out our recording review of Amigó’s album of Catalan music, also titled Sang de Dona, from our July-August 2025 issue. Learn more about Kosako’s music in our cover interview in the July-August 2014 issue of Harp Column.
