The Dutch Harp Festival is now in full swing, here in Utrecht! The quarter-finals of the competition took place over the past two days—Wednesday and Thursday. Nineteen competitors played their set programs consisting of a prelude of their choice by J.S. Bach, the...
—by Elizabeth Jaxon The theme of this year’s Dutch Harp Festival (Feb 26—Mar 2) is “No Harp, No Story”, which makes reference to the traditional role of the harpist as storyteller and bearer of news. Wandering musicians, carrying a harp and singing tales of the events...
—by Elizabeth Jaxon I'm writing to you from the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands, where the Dutch Harp Festival and Competition will be held starting just next week. This is the third edition of a festival which has been a fresh addition to the agenda of worldwide...
Deborah Hoffman 1960–2014 Metropolitan Opera Orchestra Principal Harpist Deborah Hoffman, principal harpist of the Metropolitan Opera, lost her battle with a rare lung condition in February at the age of 53. Deborah...
Ursula Holliger died on January 21, at the age of 76, following a long illness. She was the wife of Swiss composer Heinz Holliger. A soloist and chamber musician who specialized in contemporary music, Holliger had works written for her by composers such as Elliott...
And the first-ever Grammy Music Educator Award goes to… a harpist! Kent Knappenberger, who teaches music at Westfield Academy and Central School, in Westfield, N.Y., is slated to receive the inaugural prize at a Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Nominees Reception...
The Internet is abuzz with talk of the harp! Everyone from Cosmo to the Huffington Post is tweeting about Edinburgh native Anna McLuckie's performance this week on BBC One's "The Voice" reality show. The 17-year old harpist, currently a student at The City of...
Two big harp conferences announced this week that plans are well underway for their summer events. The program is taking shape for the 12th World Harp Congress July 20–26, 2014, in Sydney, Australia. Conference committee chair Alice Giles has promised a program that...
The USA International Harp Competition has announced repertoire for its next competition, which will take place in summer, 2016, in Bloomington, Ind. The competition includes four stages, and all works must be performed by memory, with the exception of the 2015...
The American Harp Society has announced that harpist and benefactorAnne Adams died on Dec. 9, 2013. Anne Adams received the society's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007 along with her husband Burton, who died in Nov., 2012 (read more). She was the inspiration for the...
