Welsh harpist Gwenllian Llyr was recently selected as an artist with City Music Foundation. The two-year program gives highly talented young professionals the tools necessary to create and sustain successful musical careers, including workshops, one-on-one business...
Remembering Jeanne Chalifoux –by Rebecca Anstine Smith My first encounter with Jeanne Chalifoux was at the Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, where she gave lessons while her aunt, the legendary Alice Chalifoux, played at the Blossom Music Festival. To this...
The American Harp Society has announced that Leslie Shortlidge has been named Executive Editor for its biannual publication, the American Harp Journal, with Emily Laurance serving as Associate Editor. Shortlidge and Laurance will replace Laura Sherman who served as...
2018 is here in full force, so we've found upcoming festivals happening around the world this winter and spring to help you stay on track and achieve your goals. Check out all the fantastic programs coming up this season, and make sure to check back for our summer and...
Marguerite Lynn Williams joined the faculty at Northwestern University's Bienen School of Music in Jan. 2018. She succeeds Elizabeth Cifani, who retired at the end of 2017 after 36 years of teaching at Northwestern. Williams is also on faculty at Chicago College of...
Russian-Swiss harpist and composer Sasha Boldachev has just announced a North American tour, to perform a diverse range of repertoire that includes classical, pop, rock, and game music. The tour begins Jan. 14, 2018 in Orlando, FL, and continues through Feb, with...
Internationally acclaimed harpist Xavier de Maistre has recorded a new album of Spanish music, titled Serenata Española. Released Jan. 12, 2018, the recording features Mexican-Spanish flamenco dancer and legendary castanet player Lucera Teno, who de Maistre says...
Elizabeth Volpé Bligh has retired from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, after 35 seasons as their principal harpist, but will continue performing with the VSO through the end of their 2017/2018 season. “I’ve learned so much in my years with the Vancouver Symphony...
The International Harp Contest in Israel has announced that it is now accepting applications for the 20th contest, taking place Oct. 15–25, 2018. The four-round competition is open to harpists ages 36 or younger of all nationalities. Participation is limited to 36...
Grace Browning is the new principal harpist with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO), following the retirement of residing RPO harpist, Grace Wong. Browning won the audition after a two-day audition that took place in October 2017. Currently located in Dallas,...
Paul David Wren (1964-2017) was a beloved member of the Mile Hi Chapter of the American Harp Society in Colorado. He served as principal harpist of the Aurora Symphony for 14 years, played for various local groups including the Colorado Wind Ensemble, the Evergreen...
As 2017 comes to a close, we're looking back at another fascinating year of harp news we reported on here at Harp Column. The past 12 months have been rich with amazing opportunities for harpists and celebrations of their success. We gathered for festivals large and...
Pasadena-based harp retailer Pacific Harps launched a fundraiser for their Harp in the Schools program, which works to provide harp lessons and rental harps to California schools. Following recent government budget cuts to public school music programs in the state of...
Indian American singer and harpist Sheela Bringi was recently profiled by NBC News. Passionate about infusing the music of her heritage with the American genres she heard growing up, her goal is to “bridge worlds” with her work. Bringi tells Monica Luhar of NBC News,...
Madeline Olson is the first prize winner of the 29th Nippon Harp Competition. The three-round competition took place on Nov. 15-19, 2017, with second and third prize awarded to Shizuko Mitani and Nagisa Tanaka respectively. “The competition was a wonderful experience....
Met Opera principal harpist Emmanuel Ceysson is profiled in the December 2017 issue of Opera News. Titled “Harp Throb,” Paul Driscoll writes, “Ceysson is charming, loquacious, and brilliantly gifted.” He chats with Ceysson about his childhood growing up behind the...
Shout out to Canadian harpist Janelle Nadeau for her recent feature in Huffington Post. The article, written by Randy Radic, gives a rave review of her newly released album Star of Night – a collection of 10 Christmas tunes. Nadeau, who also provides vocals on the...
The 5th Mexico International Harp Competition and Festival took place Nov. 10-18, 2017. The competition included 33 competitors from 11 countries and offered prizes in four separate divisions. The winner from the young professional division, Enea Cavallo, was featured...
The Hong Kong International Competition has announced repertoire for its fourth competition, which will take place Oct. 4-7, 2018. There are eight divisions, including a level for children ages 6 and below, a professional division for ages 30 and under, and an “open”...
Harpists Isabelle Perrin and Erik Groenestein-Hendriks have designed a new five-day harp course to take place in Gothenburg, Sweden on March 29 – April 2, 2018. The program will include a total of five private lessons with Perrin and Groenestein-Hendriks, in addition...
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