Looking at where past USA International Harp Competition winners are today. 

There have only been eight gold medals handed out at the USA International Harp Competition, making it one of the most prestigious and coveted international awards in the harp world. Those hoping for a chance to compete have to wait three years for their next shot.

But what happens after the applause fades, the interviews are done, and the concert debuts are complete? Where are these rising stars years, even decades after their gold-medal performances in Bloomington? Here is a look where the seven previous USA IHC winners are now.

Agnes Clement, France, 2010

Since winning the gold medal in 2010, Agnes Clement has been in high demand as an international concert artist.

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“Winning the gold medal allowed me to be invited as a soloist in prestigious festivals around the world. It is like getting a pass to enter the soloist circle,” she says. “It has also given me the opportunity to meet some of today’s greatest harpists.”

She has appeared in concerts at the Lyon & Healy Hall in Chicago, as well as the Salle Gaveau in Paris. In 2013, Clement’s first solo album Dance was released by Lyon & Healy Harps. French Radio awarded the album “Choice of France Musique.”

Clement says she learned a lot from competing in 2010, including the high level of concentration and depth of knowledge of the music needed on stage in order to find musical freedom. “I try now to know as much as possible the orchestral part in order to play concertos more as chamber music,” she says. “Knowing by heart each part and each solo of the orchestra score allows me to really involve the harp in the music instead of only add it.”

In June Clement began her appointment as Principal Harpist of the Opera La Monnaie of Brussels, where she succeeds Letizia Belmondo.

Maria Krushevskaya, Russia, 2007

After winning the 2007 competition, Maria Krushevskaya was appointed Principal Harpist of the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. She has appeared in concerts at the Royal Academy and Wigmore Hall in London, as well as Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall in New York. In addition to these debut concerts, Krushevskaya appeared as the featured artist at the World Harp Congress in Amsterdam in 2008. She also gave a presentation concert at the Big Hall of Russia Music Academy. As the 2007 USA IHC winner, she was also awarded a recording contract with Egan Records.

Emmanuel Ceysson, France, 2004

In 2006, Emmanuel Ceysson joined the Orchestra of the Opera National de Paris as Principal Harpist. Since then, his solo passages have frequently been singled out for mention by the Paris opera critics. Recently he received a Prix d’Encouragement from the Academie des Beaux-Arts de l’Institut de France in recognition of his distinguished early career.

Dan yu, China, 2001

Dan Yu was hailed by New York critics as “in a class of her own” following her debut in New York’s Alice Tully Hall in 2002. Since winning the gold medal, Yu’s lyrical interpretations, profound musicality, and technical mastery have captivated and dazzled audiences across three continents. Yu’s performances have been broadcast on television and radio in the USA, China, and Hong Kong. A documentary about her was broadcast worldwide via CCTV 4. She has two CDs, The Nightingale and Spring on the Moonlit River, and one DVD, Dan Yu—Live Recital, to her credit. Currently she is the music director at the Hong Kong Harp Chamber and continues to concertize internationally as a soloist.

Xavier de Maistre, France, 1998

After winning the Fourth USA IHC, Xavier de Maistre was named Principal Harpist with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. He also appeared in recitals in Wigmore Hall in London and Alice Tully Hall in New York. De Maistre is now a world-renowned soloist and makes regular appearances in the major concert halls of Europe, Japan, and the United States.

He has been an exclusive Sony Music artist since 2008. His forthcoming recordings include a DVD with soprano Diana Damrau and a CD recording of Mozart piano concertos arranged for harp, with Mozarteum Salzburg and conductor Ivor Bolton.

Gaelle Vandernoot, France, 1995

Gaelle Vandernoot performs as a soloist and with orchestras in France and the United States. After winning the 1995 USA IHC, she made her debut recital in Alice Tully Hall in New York.

Jana Bouskova, Czech Republic, 1992

Since winning the gold medal in 1992, Jana Bouskova has become a world-renowned concert artist and was appointed Principal Harpist with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. She has recorded more than 20 CDs and is recognized as one of the Czech Republic’s 10 most distinguished women.

“I can say with certainty that competitions are ski jumps for every young musician,” Bouskova says of the commitment international competitions demand. “Thanks to competitions I was working on the repertoire with greater intensity in an effort to improve myself in the greatest detail in an effort to be the best.”

She has won numerous international awards and is repeatedly invited to perform at some of the world’s most prestigious music festivals. However, Bouskova says that winning the USA IHC, or any competition for that matter, isn’t the end, but only a beginning.

“Obtaining the gold medal is only to have a trophy in your hand with which you’ve yet to know how to handle it and not to waste time by laziness,” she says. “With the first prize I personally felt a much stronger responsibility for every one of my performances, and therefore it was only then that the work really started to establish my career.”

Currently Bouskova is the harp professor at the Brussels Royal Conservatory and the Music Academy of Performing Arts in Prague. She has two children.

Maria Casale, USA, 1989

Maria Casale’s solo debut recital in 1990 at Alice Tully Hall in New York brought her critical acclaim. She was a featured soloist at the 1990 World Harp Congress in Paris and the 1999 World Harp Congress in Prague.

Casale credits her gold medal win for opening up doors to performing opportunities that she might not have otherwise had. “As with any important endeavor, work, study, preparation are key to success,” she says. “While many people acknowledge this, many more don’t fully understand what this means. The amount of self-discipline and dedication that is required to put together and execute a successful presentation at this level is tremendous.”

Casale is professor of harp at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. •