The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance has appointed Yolanda Kondonassis to join the department of strings faculty as director of the harp studio, starting this fall. Kondonassis will assume leadership of the harp studio upon the retirement of...
Electric harpist Abbie Palmer recently self-released her fifth album, featuring her original music and self-produced electronics in the style of electronic dance music (EDM). Palmer is joined by guest musicians Jonathan Moorman (fiddle) and Arden Moscati (voice). The...
Ema Pereira and Rita Campos, harpists and harp teachers based in Portugal, have recently published Eu ❤️ Harpa (I Love Harp), a pedagogical harp manual originally published in Portuguese and now available in a Spanish translation (Yo ❤️ Arpa). Pereira and Campos say...
The American Harp Society (AHS) is seeking a new full-time executive director, following its announcement that current executive director Kathy McManus is planning to retire as of December 31, 2026. McManus, who served in the AHS for nearly 11 years, says she is...
Polish harpist Urszula Mazurek died on Jan. 18, 2026, in Warsaw. Born September 17, 1937, in Toruń, Poland, Mazurek graduated in 1962 from her harp studies at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw, then studied harp with Jacqueline Borot, first at the Paris...
The video round presentations from the second round of the World Harp Competition will premiere on the Dutch Harp Festival’s YouTube channel on Saturday, January 24th, at 2 p.m. Amsterdam time (GMT+1). Following the initial elimination round, more than two dozen...
Breton harpist Marie-Madeleine Buffandeau-Maingourd passed away on Jan. 8 at the age of 89 in Ploufragan, Brittany, France (located near Saint-Brieuc, where she lived for three decades prior to her retirement in Ploufragan). Awarded a first prize in harp and in...
The 45th Edinburgh International Harp Festival (EIHF) will take place April 10–14 at George Watson’s College, Edinburgh. Welsh harpist Catrin Finch, U.K.-based harpist and YouTube artist Amy Turk, jazz harpist Park Stickney, and Paraguayan harpist Juanjo Corbalán will...
The Somerset Folk Harp Festival 2026 will take place July 16–19 and will be held in person at The Westin Princeton at Forrestal Village in Princeton, New Jersey, and online with synchronous Zoom sessions. Presenters will include: Kathy DeAngelo, former director of the...
In their debut collaboration, New York-based artists Zeena Parkins and Cecilia Lopez have released the new album Red Shifts, featuring two instruments they invented. Parkins plays the electric harp she designed, as well as acoustic harp and ebow piano. Lopez performs...
Singer and composer Julianna Barwick and harpist Mary Lattimore released the album Tragic Magic on Jan. 16, featuring six original tracks and one cover. Created shortly after the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires, Tragic Magic explores themes of “tragedy, wonder, and the...
The 2026 World Harp Competition, organized by the Dutch Harp Festival Association (DHF), has announced the 28 candidates who have reached the video round. (Applicants were chosen for the video round based on their applications and audio recordings submitted for the...
French harpist Xavier de Maistre released a new album dedicated to the music of George Frideric Handel on Nov. 14, 2025, on the Sony Music label. Joined by the Festival Strings Lucerne, de Maistre presents not only the Concerto in B flat major, HWV 294 (Handel’s only...
The United States Coast Guard Band has announced an opening for principal harp. Applications (including a one-page resume and audio recording) must be submitted by email by March 4, 2026. Auditions will be held May 5, 2026, at Leamy Concert Hall, U.S. Coast Guard...
The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (OSR) has announced an opening for principal harp. Auditions will take place April 23–24. The application deadline is March 1. For more information, view the audition listing and application portal. Led by Music and Artistic Director...
The Scottish Opera, based in Glasgow, has announced an opening for principal harp. Applicants must submit recordings and applications via Musical Chairs by Jan. 19 at 5 p.m. After preliminary screening of recordings, the second and third rounds will take place in...
The Association Internationale des Harpistes et Amis de la Harpe (A.I.H.A.H., International Association of Harpists and Friends of the Harp) will hold its first competition Oct. 16–18, 2026, at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional (CRR) de Versailles Grand Parc....
The Rave Harps International Prestige Award has announced its 2026 event, consisting of two solo competitions: a classical category for all age groups, and a new “Spin-Off” category featuring pop, jazz, and Latin genres with selected repertoire from the new harp...
The Binghamton (New York) Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Music Director Daniel Hege, has announced an opening for principal harp. Applicants must submit a resume by email by Feb. 2, 2026, along with a refundable audition deposit; please see the audition listing for...
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) and Music Director Stéphane Denève have announced auditions for the SLSO principal harp position. The position will begin no later than the start of the 2026–2027 season, or by mutual agreement between the SLSO and the winning...
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