The 2nd Zagreb Harp Competition was held Nov. 16–18, 2018 as part of the 6th Zagreb Harp Festival in Croatia. In the top division, no first prize winner was named, but Joana Téllez of Mexico was awarded second prize, and Balam Ramos (Mexico) and Katarina Stanković (Serbia) tied for third. As part of the requirements for that category, competitors were required to play Passages, a harp duet by Tali Glaser, with Biserka Krčelić performing the second harp part. Open to harpists ages 26 and under, the four divisions were judged by Isabelle Perrin, Chantal Mathieu, Dalibor Bernatović, Tali Glaser, and Croatian composer Tibor Sirovica.
Tajana Vukelić Peić, the competition’s artistic director says, “It was an impressive competition with a very high playing level. It ended nicely on Nov. 18 with a ceremony and concert featuring the first prize winners.” She shares that between the four categories, there were 60 competitors from 20 countries.
Young Professional Division (age 26 and under)
First prize: not awarded
Second prize: Joana Téllez, Mexico
Third prize: Balam Ramos, Mexico, and Katarina Stanković, Serbia
Special prize: Joana Téllez, Mexico
Intermediate Division (age 18 and under)
First prize: Marcelina Dabek, Poland
Second prize: Maria Bubnova, Russia
Third prize: Yelyzaveta Rakovska, Ukraine
Special mention: Minja Stojanović
Junior Division (age 14 and under)
First prize: Kaitlyn Tan Yu Xin, Singapore
Second prize: Bahar Zeynep Asci, Turkey
Third prize: Maja Patkós, Hungary
Special mentions: Giedra Julija Tutkute, Lithuania, and Ajda Nina Vivod, Slovenia
Lever Division (age 11 and under)
First prize: Iskra Đuđik, Croatia
Second prize: Veronika Gams, Slovenia
Third prize: Klara Brabcova, Czech Republic
For more information and photos, please visit the Zagreb Harp Festival Facebook page.
