Noelia Cotuna has won the audition for the principal harp position at the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV), which performs at the Palau de les Arts in Valencia, Spain. “I am so excited to join the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana and to start my trial period there in the coming months!” Cotuna says. “I really look forward to playing alongside its fantastic musicians, all the amazing singers and soloists the orchestra collaborates with, and Musical Director James Gaffigan. The OCV is such a versatile ensemble that performs a wide range of opera, symphonic, zarzuela and ballet repertoire each season. There are also regular chamber concerts, education and outreach projects, and I can’t wait to immerse myself in all these opportunities, and perform in the beautiful house of Palau de les Arts in Valencia. I am incredibly grateful to all my family, friends and teachers for their constant support throughout the years—this achievement wouldn’t have been possible without their help and encouragement!”
Born in Spain, Cotuna performs as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral harpist throughout Europe. She is a prize-winner of the USA International Harp Competition (2022), Trinity Laban Soloists’ Competition, Concurso Permanente Juventudes Musicales España, North London Camac Harp Competition and “Suoni d’Arpa” International Harp Contest. In 2023 she was a semifinalist of the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and was awarded two special prizes, in addition to reaching the finals of the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb, where she also received a special prize from the Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.
Cotuna has performed and toured extensively under the baton of conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Zubin Mehta, Daniel Barenboim and Donald Runnicles. She collaborates with various professional orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester (DSO), Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester (RSB) and Konzerthausorchester in Berlin, Orquesta Nacional de España, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. She made her concerto debut alongside the Orchestra of Valencia, and has performed with the Münchener Kammerorchester, Mozart Ensemble Berlin, Eroica Berlin and Trinity Laban’s Symphony Orchestra.
Cotuna holds a master’s degree in solo performance from the Universität der Künste in Berlin, where she is currently studying for her Konzertexamen with harpist Marion Ravot. She graduated with a First-Class Bachelor of Music with Honours from the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, where she studied with Gabriella Dall’Olio and Frances Kelly. She began studying the harp at the age of six and was a student of Ana Martínez at the Professional Conservatoire of Music of Valencia.
