Lever harpist and composer Maeve Gilchrist has been making waves for her diverse career performing music influenced by Celtic and folk sounds, electronics, and other improvisatory styles. Her impressive career has led to collaborations with artists such as Viktor...

Joel von Lerber first leapt onto the musical scene in 2013 after winning the Louis Spohr Competition in Germany. Following that feat, he was awarded sixth prize in the USA International Harp Competition (2013), third prize at the Golden Harp Competition in Russia...

Harpist, educator, and activist Angelica Hairston's work in the arts has been recognized for its impressive vision and scope. Last year she was named a SphinxLead fellow, a mentorship program created to empower arts leaders of color and also received a 2019 Governor's...

At the age of 25, Anaëlle Tourret was named principal harpist with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra in Hamburg, Germany. A little over a year later, she successfully completed her one–year trial, so we thought it would be a good time to ask her about her experiences...

New York and Nashville harpist Kirsten Agresta Copely has been defying genres for decades. Since winning the bronze medal in the first USA International Harp Competition, she has gone on to perform in film soundtracks, work with many Billboard 100 top artists, and...

Edmar Castaneda has been making waves in the music industry for over two decades. Known for his signature blend of jazz infused with Latin American rhythms and rapid-fire notes, Castaneda performs on his llanera harp around the world. His latest album, Harp vs. Harp,...

We recently came across a YouTube video of harpist Joseph Rebman performing his own concerto with orchestra as part of the Mostly Modern Festival that takes place every June in Saratoga Springs. Titled Hyperion, the concerto encompasses a wide range of techniques and...

Recently, Harp Column announced the addition of Elzbieta Szmyt to the roster of composers and arrangers at Harp Column Music. As professor of harp and co–chair of the harp department at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, Szmyt has taught classical repertoire...

By now, you've probably seen the Dallas Harp Quartet video of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. What you might not know is that it was recorded in the oldest chapel in the United States, and that the production process took a full year! We reached out to founding...

Have you ever participated in a harp flash mob? Or seen a harp musical? These are just a few events scheduled to take place at the Singapore Harp Festival next month. After seeing the lineup for the four–day festival, we just had to know more, so we reached out to...

With the conclusion of the American Harp Society National Competition, the AHS Summer Institute has commenced in Winston–Salem, N.C. One of the first concerts of the conference features the Armed Forces Harp Sextet performing alongside Marcela Mendez, Maria Luisa...

As of this week, we are one month away from the start of the 11th USA International Harp Competition, which takes place July 3–13 in Bloomington, Ind. Erin Brooker–Miller, the USAIHC executive director, oversees it all, from coordinating housing for the competitors to...

The American Harp Society Summer Institute is exactly three weeks away, which means Abigail Kent is wrapping up her two years as the AHS Concert Artist. With the national competition set to take place June 16–19, we wanted to get her take on the experience and find...

What is the most important thing for you to convey to your audience when you perform? What do you most want to pass on to your harp students as they become stronger musicians? Recently, Elinor Niemisto announced her retirement from teaching at St. Olaf College after...

If you're a harpist, chances are the instrument you're playing was built in your lifetime. The pedal harps needed for orchestra, the electric instruments becoming more ubiquitous in concert venues and jazz clubs, and the Irish harps designed to enhance Celtic music...

In case you haven't heard, a full–time job for a harp teacher in west Texas just opened up. The March/April 2019 edition of Harp Column recently featured Ector County Independent School District as one of six successful public school harp programs in the United...

Ever heard of speed dating 20 harps? Neither had we until we talked to Anya Garipoli about her experience at the 2019 Lyon & Healy Awards, held last month in Chicago. Garipoli, a senior at the Oberlin Conservatory, was one of only three harpists from a field of 54...

The next installment of Salvi Harps' Arpissima event series is set to take place April 12–14 in Mira, Italy. Featuring German harpist Silke Aichhorn, the harp extravaganza offers concerts, masterclasses, and a Salvi instrument and accessories exhibit. We sat down with...

LA–based harpist Marcia Dickstein has played harp in over 500 film scores, including the most recent Neil Armstrong biographical drama, First Man. Directed by Damien Chazelle with music by Justin Hurwitz (both of La La Land fame, on which Marcia also played), the film...

Rayana do Val recently reached out to Harp Column to share news of an exciting new project: the creation of a harp library at Programa Integração pela Música (PIM) in Vassouras, Brazil, where she teaches. Intrigued by her work, we wanted to find out more about her...