The World Harp Competition at the 2024 Dutch Harp Festival (DHF) awarded Breton harpist and singer-songwriter Kevin Le Pennec first prize, as well as the audience prize, at the contest’s final round on April 20. According to a press release, Le Pennec performed a solo program through harp and vocals that embodied his deep-rooted passion for themes such as love, masculism, feminism, homosexuality, inclusivity, and positivity. Le Pennec says he is delighted with the prize; he will use the monetary award to fund a video for his new album.
The jury awarded second prize to Amy Nam and third prize to Ariel Sol. Both Nam and Sol are from the United States. Nam’s program featured works written within the last century, alternating poems and prose with short works for solo harp, and reflecting on themes of the human experience in the context of the cosmos. Sol’s program explored themes of collective action, personal bonds, and multicultural synthesis, incorporating live technology (motion and light sensors) to invite audience participation.
The jury, comprised of music professionals and harpists, praised the diversity and innovation displayed during the competition and noted the variety of harps, which included both electric and acoustic models of lever and pedal harps. In a speech to the semifinalists, jury chairperson Catrin Finch also mentioned that many competitors performed their own compositions. “What’s been wonderful is to see so many of you share your own music with us,” Finch said. “For so long, harpists waited for music to be written for them. But now actually a lot of you are writing it yourselves. That is a remarkable achievement.”
Finch continued by acknowledging the creativity of all 11 semifinalists who performed live in Utrecht. “You are all the present and the future of this instrument,” she said. “I implore you to not stop [performing], because your voice and what you’re doing is so important. It is exactly what is needed in our harp world, to show this diversity. And there really is a future stage for every single one of you; so go and get it.”
The competition began last October with a pre-selection of 39 candidates from around the world. Based on audio recordings and written proposals, 25 candidates were selected for the quarterfinals, which took place as an online video round. 11 semifinalists performed live in Utrecht on April 18–19. The jury named three finalists, who competed for prizes during the Dutch Harp Festival’s “Night of a 1000 Strings” on April 20 at TivoliVredenburg.
Welsh harpist Catrin Finch served as the chairperson of this year’s jury. Additional jury members included harpists Brandee Younger and Deborah Henson-Conant, both from the United States, as well as Dutch classical music journalist Guido van Oorschot, head of Apple Music Netherlands Joost Neelemans, Dutch pianist and composer Martin Fondse, and Dutch and Russian cellist Maya Fridman.
For more information, visit the World Harp Competition website. Read more about Le Pennec’s music in our album review of his 2023 release À distance. Find out about Nam’s compositional approach in her article from the March/April 2023 issue of Harp Column, and browse Nam’s compositions at Harp Column Music. Learn about Sol’s inspirations as a composer and harpist in our announcement of his win of the 7th USA International Harp Competition Ruth Inglefield Composition Contest.
