César Secundino of Mexico was the first prize winner of the World Harp Competition, held May 12-13 in conjunction with the Dutch Harp Festival in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Alice Belugou of France/Switzerland received second prize, and Aimee Hang Yu Lam of Hong Kong/UK won third prize. Secundino also won the competition’s Audience Award.
This is the fifth edition of the competition, which began in 2010 as the Dutch Harp Competition. This year, organizers rebranded the contest as the World Harp Competition, and changed the format of the competition. Competitors were given full artistic freedom to design their programs, and the field was open to all harpists, not just classical pedal harpists. Finalists who performed in Utrecht were chosen from selection rounds held in three locations around the world.
For more information, visit www.harpfestival.nl.
