Mexican harpist Emmanuel Padilla Holguín is the newly appointed principal harp of the Orquesta Filarmónica de la UNAM (OFUNAM), which performs at the concert hall Sala Nezahualcóyotl in Mexico City. “This is a dream come true for me—making music with great musicians and human beings in my hometown, playing everything from the great European traditional repertoire to Mexican classics and new music,” Padilla Holguín says. “This orchestra is quite versatile and it excites me to be a part of their mission.”
Padilla Holguín teaches as harp professor of the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico, a position he began in 2024. He is also the harp professor at the PanAmerican University Fine Arts School starting in 2026. Padilla Holguín is the co-founder and co-artistic director of the Latin American Harp Association and the first harpist to be part of the prestigious group “Concertistas de Bellas Artes” for internationally recognized solo musicians in Mexico.
Check out our cover interview with Padilla Holguín in the May-June 2020 issue of Harp Column. Learn more on his website.
