Ukrainian–Polish harpist Alina Bzhezhinska was interviewed in DownBeat, following the release of her debut album, Inspiration, in June. The album is a tribute to Alice Coltrane, a mix of favorites from the Alice and John Coltrane songbooks and Bzhezhinska’s original...
—by Sasha Boldachev “It is painful for all the harpists to lose the father of our Japanese harp world. He came to Japan over 60 years ago and started the story of the harp, one could say. How innumerable much he has done for us, one could not express with the words. I...
Kyunghee Kim–Sutre has been appointed harp faculty at the newly created Tianjin Juilliard School, opening in China in fall 2019. “It is such an honor to be part of the inaugural faculty at such an institution,” Kim–Sutre says. “The TJS will be a comprehensive,...
On Nov. 15, 2018, harpist Floraleda Sacchi, alongside composer Claudia Montero and producer José Domenech, won a Latin Grammy Award for their classical album, Magica y Misteriosa. Recorded in March 2018 with the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, the album...
Following the 30th Nippon Harp Competition, Renée Murphy has been awarded the top prize. “I am truly honored to have won,” Murphy says. “It was especially meaningful for me to compete and perform in Japan because I am half–Japanese and consider Japan my home.” The...
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...
The 2nd Zagreb Harp Competition was held Nov. 16–18, 2018 as part of the 6th Zagreb Harp Festival in Croatia. In the top division, no first prize winner was named, but Joana Téllez of Mexico was awarded second prize, and Balam Ramos (Mexico) and Katarina Stanković...
Angela Schwarzkopf has been appointed harp professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. “I am really pleased to be the new harp instructor at McMaster University,” says Schwarzkopf. With plans to grow the harp department, Schwarzkopf started teaching in...
Anyone who makes a living as a freelancer knows how difficult it is to earn a paycheck without a steady employer. Concerts, workshops, teaching, arranging, recording—most freelancers piece together their own career puzzle using a variety of musical tactics. Austrian...
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...
