German harpist Ekaterina Afanasieva recently released her eighth album, Histoire du Tango, featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla. Released on the Arpa Nueva label, the album includes Afanasieva’s solo harp arrangements of Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas, Oblivion,...
Nuiko Wadden will join the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory (her alma mater) as an assistant professor of harp, beginning in the fall of 2026. Wadden says in a press release that she brings teaching insights from her varied career, including orchestral and chamber...
Dublin harpist Emer Ní Scolaí has released her debut album, Aiséirí (Resurrection), featuring both original compositions and arrangements of traditional Irish airs, hornpipes, reels, and O’Carolan tunes. “Aiséirí is a story of resurrection,” Ní Scolaí says. “It is a...
The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in Denmark has appointed Dutch harpist Marianne Hofman principal harp. “It is an incredible honor to become the new principal harp of the Aarhus Symfoniorkester,” Hofman says. “I am thrilled to join this inspiring orchestra, contribute to...
The Las Vegas Philharmonic has appointed Costa Rican harpist María Paula Loría to its principal harp position. Loría says she is grateful for her new appointment and the opportunities it presents. “I am looking forward to playing fun and beautiful repertoire with this...
The Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Symphony Orchestra has announced an opening for principal harp. Applicants must email a one-page resume to tom@harrisburgsymphony.org no later than April 27. Auditions will take place May 12. For more information, view the audition listing.
Harpist Ashley Jackson will release her new EP, Cover Girl, on Feb. 27 on Decca Records US. Cover Girl includes new arrangements of music by female pop artists such as Nina Simone, Whitney Houston, and Arooj Aftab. “Cover Girl allowed me to dig into the depths and...
The New York City Ballet and Music Director Andrew Litton have announced an opening for principal harp. Applicants must email a one-page resume to orchauditions@nycballet.com no later than March 15. Auditions will take place June 8–10. The start date for the position...
The 15th edition of the Concours Français de la Harpe took place Feb. 13–15, 2026, in Limoges, France. The international competition included 12 repertoire divisions. This year, Kaisa Helena Žigurs of Estonia won a unanimous first prize in the top division, Excellence...
Welsh harpist Catrin Finch’s new album Notes To Self marks her first collection of solo compositions in a decade. Finch will release the album on Feb. 27 on the bendigedig, a label run in partnership between ARC Music International Ltd and Mwldan. Finch also begins a...
The Conseil Québécois de la Musique (CQM) has named French-Canadian harpist-composer Caroline Lizotte the recipient of its Prix Opus Concert of the Year award for the 2024–2025 season in the category “Impulsions anciennes, classiques, romantiques, modernes,...
LUCA School of Arts in Leuven, Belgium, has appointed Claudia Lamanna harp professor. Lamanna says, “My aim for the harp class in the lively cosmopolitan environment of LUCA School of Arts in Leuven (Belgium) is to focus on excellence in classical music performance,...
Scottish clarsach player Rachel Groves has been named the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician for 2026. As part of her prize, Groves will participate in a recording session with BBC Radio Scotland and give performances at the Scots Trad Music Awards and...
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 Sharlene...
The China National Centre for the Performing Arts Orchestra (NCPAO) in Beijing has appointed Chinese harpist Qi Han associate principal harp. “After seven years of studying and performing in Europe, returning to my home country feels both meaningful and inspiring as I...
The Kalamazoo (Michigan) Symphony Orchestra has appointed Anna Dunlap principal harp. “I am really looking forward to performing Mahler 3 in February and to the world premiere of a new violin concerto in March with my colleagues in the Kalamazoo Symphony,” Dunlap...
Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, has named Bridget Kibbey associate professor of harp, starting in fall 2026. “I’m excited to join a community with a rich history of excellence, while supporting the next generation of musicians as they prepare for and...
Filipino harpist Lourdes Gregorio passed away on Thursday, Jan. 22, at the age of 91. Born on Feb. 27, 1934, Gregorio was the first Filipino to obtain an artist diploma in solo courses for harp and piano from the Vienna Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts. She was a...
New York-based harpist and composer Zeena Parkins released her album Lament for the Maker in December 2025, titled after a poem by Jack Spicer. Parkins explains, “In 2022, with the closing of Mills College imminent and my bicoastal life coming to an end along with it,...
Irish harper, composer, and songwriter Aisling Urwin recently released her second solo album, The Other Place. Though the harp is central, the album also features field recordings of streams, birdsong, storms, a grandfather clock, bells, and old wind-up toys, as well...
about the author
