The three finalists in the 11th USAIHC included gold medal winner Mélanie Laurent of France (left), silver medalist Valerio Lisci of Italy (center), and bronze medalist Mathilde Wauters of Belgium (right). (Photo by James Brosher)

The morning after Mélanie Laurent was awarded first prize at the 11th USA International Harp Competition (USAIHC) in Bloomington, Ind., we met at a bustling cafe just off Indiana University’s campus. Over tea (for her) and coffee (for me), I got to know the 23-year-old French harpist and was quickly won over by her warmth. Laurent’s Bloomington host, Bob Jones, who had been cheering her on over the past ten days, sat with us.

Understandably excited, the gold medal winner was happy to share details about her musical journey (with a few helpful tidbits from Jones), and what unfolded was a morning of easy conversation.

She told me about her introduction to classical music thanks to a family of professional musicians, her impressive harp studiomates (four of whom also competed in the 11th USAIHC), and her early understanding of the importance of a musical foundation rooted in strong pedagogy. It’s clear she has been inspired by the music teachers in her life.

A graduate student at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, Laurent is currently a student of Isabelle Moretti. She has also worked with Germaine Lorenzini, Isabelle Perrin, Ghislaine Petit, and Dominique Piussan, her godmother and first teacher. With one year left in her master’s program, Laurent has already played with the Opéra National de Paris and the Orchestre National de France. In 2017, she won first prize at the Bellan International Competition. With a USAIHC gold medal to add to her credentials, it’s clear she’s on the path to becoming pretty inspirational herself.

“When I saw the program, I thought, ‘This is made for me.’ It was all pieces I really loved,” says Mélanie Laurent of the repertoire for the 11th USAIHC. Scroll down to see her complete program. (Photo by James Brosher)

Harp Column: Did you get any sleep last night?

Mélanie Laurent: Oh, not a lot—maybe just four hours. I was too excited, and in France, it was the middle of the day, so I wanted to call all my family.

HC: Who was the first person you called?

ML: My mother.

HC: Was she able to stay up and watch?

ML: They watched the award ceremony, but not the concert because that was the middle of the night. They were very very happy—they cried a little bit.

HC: I’m wondering, what you were thinking about as you walked on stage to play your final round?

ML: I was thinking about a sentence that my teacher said to me. She said, “You have to feel the energy of the public and to enjoy it and to use it for playing.” Like, you should play using everyone’s energy. So, of course I was really stressed, because I had prepared a lot for the first three rounds, but not for finals. I was not ready for that, because I did not imagine I would go through. So I was really stressed but very excited, and I thought about how people in France were thinking about me, and tried to use this energy.

HC: What was that energy that you got from the audience?

ML: At the beginning, I found that people were so silent, and I felt they were maybe stressed for me. So I was not comfortable at all for the first piece [The Lark, by Glinka].

HC: Oh no!

ML: But after that, I decided to enjoy it. And I felt like the public was comfortable too, because maybe I gave the impression of being relaxed for the concerto, and I felt that the public maybe felt that too.

HC: This was your first time performing a concerto with orchestra, right?

ML: That is true, yes.

HC: Tell us about that experience. How did you prepare for that?

ML: It was really an amazing experience. I prepared by playing a lot with piano and by listening to a lot of guitar concertos. I didn’t want to hear other harpists playing [the Concierto de Aranjuez], because it’s really a guitar concerto. So, I listened to a lot of guitar, and I played with piano, and played a lot of concerts with piano. But the first time [I played the concerto] with orchestra, it’s really a lot of emotions.

HC: I could definitely tell, while listening to you play, how much you had studied the guitar. I thought the range of colors that you gave was really incredible—sometimes it didn’t sound like the harp.

ML: Oh, thank you. It was really a very good experience. I really enjoyed it. Especially the second movement, I felt my hairs…

HC: Oh, it was hair raising!

ML: Yes.

HC: When did you start to prepare for the competition?

ML: Oh, that is a good story, because I actually began the first day. The program was announced two and a half years ago, and I started the first day it was announced. That’s crazy.

HC: [Laughs] That’s amazing.

ML: That’s not very smart because you know, you have two and a half years, and it’s not like waiting one day would change that. But I was really excited, and I thought it would be a very good experience. I thought that I had to prepare it every day of my life for those two and a half years. Of course I had a few weekends and holidays where I didn’t play. But I wanted to prepare it from the first day, because I really loved the program. I wasn’t sure I would do this competition, but when I saw the program, I thought, “This is made for me.” It was all pieces I really loved.

HC: What pieces specifically stood out to you as made for you?

ML: The Châtelaine [Fauré’s Une Châtelaine en sa Tour] in the second round, I really love that, and I hadn’t played it before. And Renié’s Ballade Fantastique of course, because I’m a big, big fan of Renié, and I wanted to learn this piece too. I think actually the entire second round was for me, really. And the concerto, I love it too. Everything. And when the new piece [Uno Vesje’s Life is flashing before my eyes and I realize that it all started with a blackbird] was announced, I thought that too was really great for me, because I liked it so much.

HC: I also thought that piece was beautiful. I really love Uno’s music. I actually wanted to ask you, I always wonder how people prepare for that unknown element of “What is this piece going to be?”

ML: Yes, that’s true. That’s very funny actually, because I chose my program for the third stage before knowing this piece, and it fit so well with the new piece. And again I was thinking, this was meant for me.

HC: Tell us how you chose your repertoire for the third round.

ML: At the beginning I wanted to do some virtuosic things, like some Italian things. I wanted to play fast and brilliant. And after that, I spoke a little bit with Gaëlle Vandernoot [who won the third USAIHC], who is a friend of mine, and she said, “No, you need to play something that is really you. Something that really represents you.” And, I was thinking, “What I love in the harp is really… like Henriette Renié and Franz Liszt.” I love when virtuosity meets with something else, with sensitivity, and Henriette Renié is perfect for that, I think. I wanted to pay homage to her, and to do something different.

HC: You said that you started preparing basically day one. Did you go through it first stage first, second stage after?

ML: [Laughs] Yes, I did that. That’s a bit weird, because we don’t have to do that. It’s totally free,  I could have done it differently, but I’m a person who is really…

HC: Methodical?

ML: Yes, so I did it in that order. So that means I began the concerto last.

HC: When did you feel like the concerto was ready?

ML: I think it was learned in April or May?

HC: When that was done, was there a big sigh of relief? You’ve gotten through it?

ML: Yes, well that and the new piece. But yes, I had maybe one and a half months to remind myself of the other pieces. That was a lot of stress.

HC: And I know there were a number of other students from your school preparing for the competition.

ML: Yes! There were five of us.

HC: Were you feeling like you were hearing that music just all the time? All these different interpretations?

ML: It was exactly that, because in my school, we have three harp practice rooms, and people who were not preparing for the competition were almost always practicing at home. So we were only people from the competition, all the day long, all the same repertoire.

HC: [Laughs]

ML: And at the same time, it was fun, because we could speak together about it, but also very hard, to hear it all day long, and to hear the concerto, “Ah, she’s playing faster than me. Ah, I need to practice more.”

HC: Do you think ultimately it helped to hear all these interpretations? Or do you think it was more of a mental block, something you needed to get over?

ML: I tried to not listen too much, because I wanted to make my own interpretation, but I think it helped a lot to know other people doing the competition, because they are also great and play so beautifully, so I had to get better and better, and I had to improve. I think it was the same for them. Seeing each other play is a great way to improve.

HC: And all of you advanced to the second round, correct?

ML: Yes that’s true.

HC: That’s incredible.

ML: And three of us to the third round, and two of us to the finals.

HC: That’s what I was going to ask—how did you feel about having a studiomate in the finals with you?

ML: I was very, very happy for her. And I thought it was so rare. It was a big experience. I think we will do something in France. Maybe we will do a double concerto together. Something like that would be great.

HC: Yes! That would be amazing.

ML: Yes, I felt that it was really great, but also stressful. I was worried about how it would be for the one who didn’t win. It’s really hard, because I thought, “Okay, if I don’t win, and she wins the harp, I will see her every day, and it would be very sad for me.” But now it’s the opposite, and I’m thinking about her, and I hope she’s feeling okay.

HC: Yes, of course. Your teacher, Isabelle Moretti, must be very proud of all of you. Have you had a chance to speak to her yet?

ML: Not yet. I spoke with her through some texts.

HC: I’m sure she’s incredibly pleased.

ML: She’s very happy, and she’s been through the same experience, so she understands.

HC: Let’s go back and talk a bit about your past as a harp student. I know that you first started taking lessons with your godmother [Dominique Piussan].

ML: Yes, that’s true.

HC: Is she the one who introduced the harp to you?

ML: I don’t really remember. My parents are musicians too, so I did know every instrument, and it was always the harp. Never something else.

HC: What do your parents play?

ML: The flute. They are both in good orchestras in France. My father was a student of Jean-Pierre Rampal. And my sister plays viola, so we all play together.

HC: Wow, what a built–in chamber ensemble right there!

ML: Yes, that’s what I grew up with, and I wanted to learn the harp. My parents were not very happy about that, because they’ve played a lot of music with harp, and they know how hard it is to be a harpist. So, they wanted to protect me from this world, because you know, there are not a lot of positions in orchestras. And they were afraid my fingers would hurt.

HC: [Laughs]

ML: But that has never happened.

HC: Never? You don’t ever need to file or use creams?

ML: During the competition, I put cream on every night, but no. I think one week in my life, I did practice too much, and I had pain, but only that week.

HC: Wow. So, you studied with Dominique your entire childhood?

ML: Yes, I think 11 or 12 years.

HC: Tell us about your relationship with her.

ML: It was amazing, but she didn’t want me to be treated differently than her other students. So while I was her student, I didn’t receive any special treatment. Now, she’s really proud, and we text every day, and she was praying for me during the competition.

HC: I understand that you’re getting a pedagogy degree?

ML: Yes, I will get it next year.

HC: And you’re getting a master’s in performance simultaneously?

ML: Yes.

HC: And what inspired you to study both at the same time?

ML: Because my mother is a very good teacher, and I have been so impressed by her my whole life. I went to her flute lessons when I was very young, and I loved her way of teaching. I wanted to be the same.

HC: How do you think that’s affected your approach as a performer?

ML: I think teaching gives you the opportunity to think of the pieces differently. I think after you have taught, you can be your own teacher. You can improve differently. You discover other aspects of the music. And maybe you can also forget about mistakes. Because when your students make mistakes, you are not so hard on them. Not as hard on them as you are on yourself.

HC: I think that’s incredible insight. The number of times I tell my students, “It’s okay. It’s all about just making music and making the audience feel things.” And somehow, I need to remind myself that all the time. [Laughs]

ML: Yes, that’s true, because we are so hard on ourselves.

HC: Okay, so then, looking ahead, I know you have some concerts coming up now, but now that you’ve won this, what do you envision for yourself in the future? Do you have other specific goals?

ML: I think I will take a break now, but after that, I will try to play the Aranjuez as many times as I can. I love it so much, and I want to play it again. Some orchestras have already reached out, so I would like to play it again. And just this morning, Isabelle Perrin invited me to be a guest of the World Harp Congress in Cardiff.

HC: Amazing!

ML: Yes, I’m very happy about that, because I wanted to go to Cardiff, but I was not sure I would be able to, but now I’m a guest.

HC: Then you have one more year left of school, right?

ML: Yes, one year left of lessons, and then I’m done. And I think I will do orchestra auditions this year, too. That’s very important to me. I told you, I’m very methodical, so I wanted to do everything in the right order. I wanted to do an international competition before orchestra auditions, because I think once you have a position, you don’t really have the time to practice for competitions. But now, I’m free to do that.

HC: And I know you’ve subbed with some major orchestras in France. So you obviously enjoy that?

ML: Oh yes, it’s really great to play with such good orchestras.

HC: Well, I hope you enjoy taking some time off first!

ML: I will play a little bit, of course, but not so much as the past few weeks. The first thing on my schedule when I go back home is to get my nails done. [Laughs]

HC: [Laughs] I totally understand that.

ML: Yes, I’ve never gone into a beauty salon to get a manicure. Sometimes I have done it myself, but it wasn’t very beautiful.

HC: No, it never is! Ah, that’s so fun. [Laughs]

ML: Yes, so this will be my first time in my life to go into a salon.

HC: I hope you get a flashy color!

ML: Oh, I will for sure.

The Road to Gold

Mélanie Laurent performed thousands of notes and hours of music over the four rounds of the USA International Harp Competition.

Stage 1

  • Prelude and Fugue from The Well-Tempered
      Clavier
    , J.S. Bach
  • Variations sur l’air “Je Suis encore dans mon
      printemps,” Op. 36
    , Louis Spohr
  • Le Jardin Mouillé, Jacques de la Presle

Stage II

  • Sarabande e Toccata, Nino Rota
  • Une Châtelaine en sa Tour, Gabriel Fauré
  • Sonata for Harp, Germaine Tailleferre
  • Ballade Fantastique, Carlos Salzedo

Stage III

40 minute free choice program that included:

  • Life is flashing before my eyes…, Uno Vesje
  • Contemplation, Henriette Renié
  • Variations sur un thème de Haydn, Op. 31,
      Marcel Grandjany
  • Le Rossignol, Franz Liszt
  • Danse des Lutins, Henriette Renié

Stage IV

  • The Lark, Mikhail Glinka
  • Concierto de Aranjuez, Joaquín Rodrigo