The New York City Ballet (NYCB) has appointed Caroline Bembia principal harpist, following auditions held March 25–27. Bembia will begin performing with the orchestra in the fall.
“I have been a huge fan of the New York City Ballet ever since I was a young Juilliard Pre-College student, when I would regularly attend their dynamic performances on Saturday evenings after a long day of classes,” Bembia says. “I especially love the NYCB’s unique programming, which features timeless classics such as Swan Lake and Coppélia alongside more contemporary choreographies set to music by Philip Glass and Arnold Schoenberg, among others. I am so excited to expand my repertoire beyond the traditional symphonic canon, and I am particularly looking forward to learning and performing Stravinsky’s Movements for Piano and Orchestra this fall.”
Bembia previously held the position of principal harpist of the Orquesta Filarmónica de Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico, for seven years. She has also performed with professional orchestras such as the Metropolitan Opera, New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Charleston Symphony.
Bembia is an alumna of the Juilliard Pre-College program; after studying there for six years, she continued her harp studies with Judy Loman at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Bembia received her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School studying with Nancy Allen, and she completed her Professional Studies certificate from the Manhattan School of Music with Mariko Anraku.
Learn more about Bembia on her website.
