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...
The seventh edition of the International Harp Competition in Szeged, Hungary, took place Nov. 19–23 at the Reök Palace in Szeged. 57 young harp players participated, representing 17 countries (England, Belgium, Czech Republic, South Korea, France, Ireland, China,...
The 3rd International Harp Competition Elena Carfi has announced the winners of its 2025 contest, held by online video submission October 1–15. In the Junior I division (for contestants born in 2009 or later), Caleb Rodríguez of Argentina won first prize; Rodríguez is...
The USA International Harp Competition, Inc. (USAIHC) has elected Barbara W. Lepke-Sims as its new president and chair. Former USAIHC president and chair Joyce E. Claflin remains on the board of directors, now serving as vice president. Cheryl D. Cunningham and...
The Dutch-based electroacoustic lever harp manufacturer Harp-E has opened a new facility in London, its first international office and assembly facility outside of the Netherlands. According to a press release, the company says this expansion will “allow Harp-E to...
French harpist Mélanie Laurent will release her debut album Pastel on Nov. 22 on Indésens Calliope Records. The album features two new transcriptions by Laurent of works by Cécile Chaminade and Mel Bonis, as well as compositions by Grandjany, Tournier, Tailleferre, de...
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