The Conservatorio della Svizzera Italiana in Lugano, Switzerland, has appointed Tjasha Gafner and Elisa Netzer to its harp faculty, starting in the fall of 2027. As head of harp, Gafner will be responsible for the undergraduate and graduate harp programs. Netzer’s role as harp professor will focus on students in the pre-college program and bachelor’s students. Applications are open until February, with auditions in April.
When asked about her goals for the harp studio, Gafner says, “My goal is to help each student develop a strong artistic identity and a clear vision for their future, whether as a soloist, chamber musician, orchestral player, or teacher. By combining solid technical and classical foundations with creativity, adaptability, and a supportive harp community, I aim to equip students to shape their own artistic paths.”
Netzer says, “Mentoring a young harpist goes far beyond teaching the instrument. My goal is to help each student grow as an artist, looking at the world and the music profession with curiosity, and to define together the profile they want to develop, always with concrete answers to their technical needs.”
Gafner is a Swiss harpist and the winner of the 2023 ARD International Music Competition, where she received both first prize and audience prize. Gafner is known for her imaginative transcriptions and creative approach to repertoire. A Juilliard graduate, she collaborates with contemporary composers and explores interdisciplinary creation with theatre company 2B Company. Committed to music’s social role, she performs in schools and hospitals in Switzerland and participates in educational projects in Argentina and Congo, including making instruments from recycled materials.
Netzer describes her career as expanding her instrument’s place in musical life, as she champions little-known harp concertos and has rediscovered and recorded works by Joseph Lauber and Otmar Nussio with the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana. Alongside an active chamber and orchestral career, she has given dozens of world premieres and numerous recitals for various institutions. She co-hosts the television program Paganini, broadcasted in Switzerland by RSI.
