New Orleans harpist Elise McArdle, a.k.a. Mere of Light, released her new album Heat of Ritual on April 24 on the Lighten Up Sounds label. The album features six tracks of acoustic folk harp, analog synthesizer, drum machine, and voice, which McArdle blends using...
Lara Somogyi will release her second album, a [time] patterned, on Aug. 28 via Mercury KX, with the lead single “sojourn” out now. According to a press release, the album is “a work rooted in contemporary classical yet reaching far beyond it, … an intensely human...
The Urban Youth Harp Ensemble (UYHE) is the recipient of a $25,000 grant from the Genesis Inspiration Foundation to support and expand its in‐school and after‐school harp musicianship programs across Atlanta. The foundation, a nonprofit organization focusing on...
The Telynau Cambrian Harps Harp Festival is set to return to the coastal village of Llanrhystud, Wales, from May 15–17, 2026. This year’s festival offers an educational program with masterclasses and workshops led by tutors from the Royal Welsh College of Music and...
The Félix Godefroid International Harp Competition has announced the winners of its 9th edition, which took place April 29–May 3 in Tournai, Belgium. The triennial competition is open to harpists ages 35 and under, divided into four categories based on the length and...
Singaporean harpist Lishan Tan is the newly appointed principal harp of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra. “I’m really excited to be part of an orchestra with such a rich history and a genuine commitment to its community,” Tan says. “Their focus on education,...
We’re talking with featured performers leading up to this summer’s One Harp World (OHW), a joint conference organized by the American Harp Society (AHS) and World Harp Congress (WHC). It takes place July 28–Aug 3, 2026, in Toronto. This month, we’re featuring five...
Harpist, composer, and producer Floraleda Sacchi recently released a new album titled Joe Hisaishi by Floraleda Sacchi on the Amadeus Arte label. According to a press release, this recording is a tribute to the Japanese contemporary composer Joe Hisaishi and contains...
Laurie Ellen Bolvig Buchanan of San Antonio, Texas, died on Feb. 18, 2026, at age 87. Buchanan was born in Brooklyn, New York, on Jan. 28, 1939, to Doris Hevener Bolvig and Col. Lawrence John Bolvig. She earned a degree in harp performance from the Eastman School of...
Spanish harpist Mari Lola Higueras died on March 30, 2026. She was born in Madrid on Aug. 3, 1930, to sculptor Jacinto Higueras and violinist María Dolores Domínguez Palatín. The following tribute is by Spanish harpist María Rosa Navas-Pérez: “Mari Lola Higueras was...
The Korea International Harp Competition (KIHC) has announced the winners of this year’s contest, which took place March 29–April 5 in Seoul, South Korea. Jia Yao (China) won second prize in the young professional division, in which no first prize was awarded. Hei U...
The Conservatory of Music at Wheaton College (Illinois) invites applications for a part-time guest lecturer position beginning in August 2026. Primary responsibilities for this position include teaching applied harp lessons and contributing to studio class offerings....
Irish singer-songwriter and harpist Moya Brennan died on April 13, 2026, at age 73. Born Máire Ní Bhraonáin on August 4, 1952, to her parents Leo and Máire Brennan, she grew up in the Irish-speaking Donegal Gaeltacht area of Gaoth Dobhair, Ireland. She is best known...
The Colorado Ballet Orchestra has announced an opening for principal harp. Applicants must send a one-page resume by email to the orchestra personnel manager by May 11. Auditions will be held in Denver on May 25. Please see the audition listing for more information.
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...
The University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (Austria) has appointed Anne-Sophie Bertrand harp professor, beginning in October 2026. “I’m extremely honored to join the professor team at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz from October 2026, alongside...
Harpist Mariko Anraku is one of four musicians on the JUNO Award-winning album Kevin Lau: Kimiko’s Pearl, named Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble). The other performers on the album are Conrad Chow (violin), Ron Korb (Japanese and Western flutes), and Rachel...
Harpist, educator, and musician entrepreneur Alix Raspé Gray has been appointed to new faculty positions at Phillips Exeter Academy and the Longy School of Music of Bard College. In a press release, Raspé Gray says she is honored to join the faculties of both schools....
We’re talking with featured performers leading up to this summer’s One Harp World (OHW), a joint conference organized by the American Harp Society (AHS) and World Harp Congress (WHC). It takes place July 28–Aug 3, 2026, in Toronto. This month, we’re featuring Erica...
Harpist Stephanie Babirak will release her second album, Rotten Fruit, on June 12, with the lead single, “Hey Cain,” out now. According to a press release, Rotten Fruit is “a meditation on goodness, guilt, and the things we inherit—drawing from biblical imagery to...
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