The School of Music at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in Shenzhen has appointed Joel von Lerber to its faculty. His position as harp lecturer began Sept. 1.
“My goal as a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in Shenzhen in the School of Music is to impart to my students not only the technical aspects of harp playing but also the musical maturity and joy of playing harp,” von Lerber says. “I am really looking forward to having the opportunity to work with my students for a longer period of time and to impart as much of my knowledge to them as possible. Of course, it is also really exciting for me as a European to live in a country like China for a while and have many new experiences.”
von Lerber is a frequent soloist with orchestras around the world, such as the Konzerthausorchester Berlin, the Izmir Symphony Orchestra in Turkey, the State Hermitage Orchestra in St. Petersburg, the Mexico City Symphonic Orchestra, the Orchestra Zrbranksa in Poland, and the Haifa Symphony Orchestra in Israel.
von Lerber obtained two degrees under the instruction of Sarah O’Brien: a Bachelor of Arts in Music with honors from the Hochschule für Musik in Basel, Switzerland, as well as a Master of Performance with honors at the Zürcher Hochschule der Künste in Zürich, Switzerland. He also received a Master of Music with honors and a Konzertexamen (post-graduate degree) with honors at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, where he studied with Maria Graf.
von Lerber’s awards include first prize and Audience Award at the Louis Spohr Competition in Germany, sixth prize at the 9th USA International Harp Competition, and second prize at the 5th Mexico International Harp Competition. In addition, he won second prize at the 20th International Harp Contest in Akko, Israel, along with two special prizes awarded for the best interpretation of Bedřich Smetana’s Moldau and for the best interpretation of “A Distant Echo” by Josef Bardanashvili.
Check out our interview with von Lerber in the January-February 2019 issue of Harp Column. To learn more, visit von Lerber’s website.
