Filipino harpist Lourdes Gregorio passed away on Thursday, Jan. 22, at the age of 91. Born on Feb. 27, 1934, Gregorio was the first Filipino to obtain an artist diploma in solo courses for harp and piano from the Vienna Academy for Music and Dramatic Arts. She was a...
New York-based harpist and composer Zeena Parkins released her album Lament for the Maker in December 2025, titled after a poem by Jack Spicer. Parkins explains, “In 2022, with the closing of Mills College imminent and my bicoastal life coming to an end along with it,...
Irish harper, composer, and songwriter Aisling Urwin recently released her second solo album, The Other Place. Though the harp is central, the album also features field recordings of streams, birdsong, storms, a grandfather clock, bells, and old wind-up toys, as well...
The Toronto International Harp Festival (a.k.a. “iHarpFest”) takes place July 6–12, 2026, in Toronto, Canada. Venues include the Aga Khan Museum, The Ismaili Centre, and the All Nations Event Center. The event coincides with The Toronto International Harp Summer...
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...
