The 14th edition of the Concours Français de la Harpe took place Feb. 28–March 2, 2025, in Limoges, France. The international competition included 12 repertoire divisions. This year, Nicole Pedroni of Italy won first prize in the top division, Excellence (Level 12). Pedroni is currently pursuing her master’s degree in harp performance, studying with Letizia Belmondo at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne, Switzerland. As first prize winner, Pedroni will perform a recital at the Festival International Harpe en Avesnois and an opening recital at the next Concours Français de la Harpe; her prize also includes the choice of a 22-string Bardic harp from Camac or a credit voucher at Camac equivalent to €950. Nagisa Tanaka (Japan) is the second prize winner and will give a recital at the Instrumentarium in Paris. Daria Batschi (Romania) won third prize.
Jury members for this year’s contest included Catherine Michel, Françoise de Maubus, Dominique Piussan Gasciarino, and Véronique Chenuet (who co-organizes the competition with Marie-Monique Popesco). Prize sponsors included the Association international des harpistes et des amis de la harpe (International Association of Harpists and Friends of the Harp), Camac, the Instrumentarium (Lyon & Healy and Salvi), and The Harp Store (Budin).
For complete results, visit the competition website.
