The Toronto International Harp Festival and Summer Institute (iHarp) has announced the first edition of its annual event, to be held July 7–13 at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto. Featuring performances, workshops, and masterclasses, the festival is led by artistic advisors Catherine Michel and Kathleen Bride and Canadian harpist Andrew Chan, artistic director of Harps on the Hill School in Markham (a suburb of Toronto). Featured performers and presenters for 2025 include harpists Catherine Michel (France), Joel von Lerber (Germany), Alexander Boldachev (Switzerland), Suzanne Shulman (flute, Canada), Kathleen Bride (USA), Frances Duffy (USA), and Elizabeth Volpé-Bligh (Canada), as well as antique harp collector Paul Knoke (USA), historian Michel Faul (France), and harp technician Manuel Gamalinda (Canada).
Among the festival’s exhibitions and presentations is a tribute exhibition to Marcel Grandjany by his direct student Kathleen Bride, exhibitions of Lyon & Healy and Salvi harps, as well as historical instruments, including one that was reportedly belonged to Marie Antoinette. Michel will give a presentation about the European Harp legacy and introduce newly discovered music of Tournier, Bochsa, and Dizi with Carl Swanson. Carlos Salzedo’s arrangement of Debussy’s La Cathedrale Engloutie for harp ensemble will be performed, as well as South American music by Alfredo Ortiz with 25-plus harps.
The Toronto International Harp Summer Institute will take place July 7–11 at Century Private School in Richmond Hill as part of the festival. Organized and presented by Harps on the Hill School, organizers say the institute offers the opportunity for harp students to study with Michel and Bride and to exchange musical ideas with their international peers.
iHarp’s organizers add that the festival “aims to inspire, empower, and connect harpists worldwide [and] also highlights and promotes Canadian art music and talent from around the world.” Learn more in our Q&A with the iHarp artistic team. For the full schedule and to register, visit the festival website.
