Wan named a winner of Astral Artists National Competition

Harpist Noël Wan was recently named a winner of the 2023 Astral Artists National Competition, following a live audition round and interview held in Philadelphia. She will join the Astral Artists career mentorship program in the fall as the fifth harpist in the organization’s 31-year history. Previous harpists include Rachel (Hall) O’Brien , Emily Levin, Caroline Cole, and Bridget Kibbey. 

Wan is also the Assistant Professor of Harp and Entrepreneurship at Florida State University and gold medalist of the 2022 USA International Harp Competition. 

Astral Artists is a nonprofit mentoring program that specializes in developing the early careers of classical musicians. Winners of its national competition receive opportunities for mentorship, promotion, performance, community engagement, and networking. In addition to Wan, the 2023–2024 season of Astral Artists will include Astral Mixtape (chamber ensemble), Sylvia Jiang (piano), Eunbi Kim (piano), Priscila Navarro (piano), Nathaniel Sullivan (baritone), and Luiz Fernando Venturelli (cello).

Check out our cover interview with Wan in the September/October 2022 issue of Harp Column. For more information about Astral Artists, visit the organization’s website.