The Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam has recently appointed two new harp teachers, Joost Willemze and Albane Baron, both starting in 2026. According to a press release, they join current teacher Lenie de Meij to form a team of three that works closely on...
Joost Willemze releases his new album Rhapsodos on March 13 on 7 Mountain Records. In his liner notes to the album, Willemze says the album title refers to a professional traveling musician and storyteller in ancient Greece who performed epic poetry such as Homer’s...
Caitlin Mehrtens is the newly appointed principal harp of both the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra and Houston Ballet Orchestra. “Being a part of such incredible productions is a dream come true,” Mehrtens says of her recent appointments. “I grew up in the pit because...
Harpist Arcola E. Clark passed away on Feb. 18, 2026. The following tribute is reprinted here with her family’s permission: “Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1942, [Arcola E. Clark] crossed an ocean to express her calling, and in doing so left an indelible mark on musical...
Harpist Anne-Sophie Bertrand is releasing her album Amalie’s Cosmos on Pentatone on Mar. 13. Bertrand says the album invites listeners to imagine the musical, philosophical, and scientific exchange that took place at the 19th-century salon of Amalie Beer in Berlin....
One Harp World (OHW) will take place July 28–Aug. 3 at Sheraton Centre Toronto in Toronto, Canada. The conference is a joint event hosted by the American Harp Society (AHS) and the World Harp Congress (WHC), bringing together an expansive slate of performances and...
German harpist Ekaterina Afanasieva recently released her eighth album, Histoire du Tango, featuring the music of Astor Piazzolla. Released on the Arpa Nueva label, the album includes Afanasieva’s solo harp arrangements of Piazzolla’s Estaciones Porteñas, Oblivion,...
Nuiko Wadden will join the faculty of the Oberlin Conservatory (her alma mater) as an assistant professor of harp, beginning in the fall of 2026. Wadden says in a press release that she brings teaching insights from her varied career, including orchestral and chamber...
Dublin harpist Emer Ní Scolaí has released her debut album, Aiséirí (Resurrection), featuring both original compositions and arrangements of traditional Irish airs, hornpipes, reels, and O’Carolan tunes. “Aiséirí is a story of resurrection,” Ní Scolaí says. “It is a...
The Aarhus Symphony Orchestra in Denmark has appointed Dutch harpist Marianne Hofman principal harp. “It is an incredible honor to become the new principal harp of the Aarhus Symfoniorkester,” Hofman says. “I am thrilled to join this inspiring orchestra, contribute to...
