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eviewWorld Harp congress

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD HARP CONGRESS, INC.

SPRING 2020 • VOLUME XIII, NO. 6

14TH WOR LD HAR P CONG R E SS

14EG CYNG R E S TE LYNAU’R BYD

CAR DI FF, WALES CAE R DYDD, CYM R U

P O S T P O N E D TO6 -12 AU G U S T 2 0 21

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HONORARY BOARD OF DIRECTORSBernard Andrès, France Pierre Bartholomée, BelgiumMarco Betta, ItalyRobert Freeman, USAPierick Houdy, France

The World Harp Congress was established in 1981 and incorporated in 1982. It originated from the Harpweeks in The Netherlands, organized by Phia Berghout and Maria Korchinska, that first met in 1960. The WHC is held every three years around the world and seeks to promote the exchange of ideas, stimulate contact, and encourage the composition of new music for the harp.

1983 Maastricht, The Netherlands1985 Jerusalem, Israel 1987 Vienna, Austria 1990 Paris/Sèvres, France1993 Copenhagen, Denmark1996 Tacoma/Seattle, Washington, USA 1999 Prague, The Czech Republic

Founder: Phia Berghout, The NetherlandsWORLD HARP CONGRESS, INC.

WORLD HARP CONGRESS, INC.Founder: Phia Berghout, The NetherlandsFounding Chair: Ann Stockton, USAFounding Artistic Director: Susann McDonald, USAFounding WHC Review Editor: Linda Wood Rollo, USAChair Emerita: Patricia Wooster, USA

Founding Committee Phia Berghout, The NetherlandsMario Falcao, Portugal/USAKumiko Inoue, JapanMarcela Kozikova, CzechoslovakiaSusann McDonald, USASylvia Meyer, USARobert A. Ouimette, USALucile Rosenbloom, USADeane Sherman, USAAnn Stockton, USA

MEMBERS OF THE CORPORATIONDaphne Boden, United KingdomAlexandre Bonnet, The NetherlandsClíona Doris, IrelandMario Falcao, Portugal/USAMercedes Gómez, MexicoKumiko Inoue, JapanMieko Inoue, Japan Kathy Kienzle, USA Sheila Larchet Cuthbert, IrelandSusann McDonald, USAIsabelle Perrin, Norway/FranceLieve Robbroeckx, BelgiumNatalia Shameyeva, Russia Ernestine Stoop, The Netherlands Helga Storck, GermanyKaren Vaughan, United Kingdom Linda Wood Rollo, USAPatricia Wooster, USAElena Zaniboni, Italy

BOARD OF DIRECTORSChair: Kathy Kienzle, USAArtistic Director: Isabelle Perrin, Norway/FranceAssociate Artistic Director: Karen Vaughan,

United KingdomVice-President: Alexandre Bonnet, The NetherlandsVice-President: Mieko Inoue, JapanVice-President: Mercedes Gómez, MexicoSecretary: Lieve Robbroeckx, BelgiumTreasurer: Jaymee Haefner, USAEditor, WHC Review: Isabel Moretón Achsel, Germany

Milda Agazarian, RussiaKirsten Agresta Copely, USAAnn Benjamin, USA Maria Cristina de Carvalho, Brazil

Clíona Doris, IrelandMario Falcao, Portugal/USALucrecia Jancsa, Argentina Jung Kwak, Korea Marcela Méndez, ArgentinaKaori Otake, Japan/CanadaSirin Pancaroglu, TurkeyNicoletta Sanzin, ItalyErnestine Stoop, The NetherlandsHelga Storck, GermanyCaryl Thomas, Wales, United Kingdom Guan Wang, ChinaPatricia Wooster, USA Angela Yau, ChinaAnn Yeung, USADan Yu, China

Sergiu Natra, IsraelPaul Patterson, United Kingdom Libor Pesek, Czech RepublicR. Murray Schafer, CanadaDavid del Tredici, USA

2002 Geneva, Switzerland 2005 Dublin, Ireland2008 Amsterdam, The Netherlands2011 Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada2014 Sydney, Australia2017 Hong Kong, China2021 Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom

Phia Berghout

eviewWorld Harp congress

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WORLD HARP CONGRESS, INC.

SPRING 2020 • VOLUME XIII, NO. 6

14TH WOR LD HAR P CONG R E SS

14EG CYNG R E S TE LYNAU’R BYD

CAR DI FF, WALES CAE R DYDD, CYM R U

P O S T P O N E D TO6 -12 AU G U S T 2 0 21

3 WORLD HARP CONGRESS NEWSLetter from the ChairGreetings from the Artistic DirectorGreetings from the Fourteenth World Harp Congress Chairs and Program

OverviewFocus on Youth 2020/2021

10 HARP HISTORYAnton Pratté (1796-1875) – Delphine Constantin-ReznikVictor Salvi - Harpist. Entrepreneur. Philanthropist.

14 SPOTLIGHTIsrael Harp Contest 1959-2019 – Julia RovinskyPlaying For and With Dancers – Cynthia Price-Glynn

19 IN MEMORIAMSamuel MilliganMilica BaricNona Ventura RosenthalZlata Bernatović

23 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS AND COMPETITIONSSingapore HARPFEST 2019International Harp Competition “Marcel Tournier” in CosenzaSlovenian International Harp CompetitionNippon Harp Competition and International FestivalInternational Harp Competition in SzegedInternational Harp Competitions and Festivals At-A-Glance

28 NEW MUSICRhona Clarke: Seen From AboveRecent Premieres and Publications

30 NATIONAL NEWS

41 MEET THE CORRESPONDENTSPoland

42 WORLD HARP CONGRESS CORRESPONDENTS

42 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS to the World Harp Congress Review

43 NATIONAL HARP ASSOCIATIONS OF THE WORLD

Cover design by Petra Bryan.

C O N T E N T SSPRING 2020 • VOLUME XIII • NO. 6

EDITOR Isabel Moretón Achsel

ADVERTISING MANAGER Sonja Westberg

GRAPHIC DESIGN/LAYOUT Petra Bryan

The World Harp Congress Review is pub-lished biannually in November and May and is distributed to over 50 countries. The ideas and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the writers and not necessarily those of the World Harp Congress, Inc.

Memberships to the World Harp Congress, address changes, and other business matters should be directed to:Leanna Johnson, Membership Chair14501 Montfort Drive, #1625 Dallas TX 75254, USAEmail: [email protected] WHC Review is included in membership dues.

Advertising in the WHC Review is open to all harp-related businesses and events as well as schools and conservatories. Dead-lines for ad copy are September 1 and March 1. Advertising copy, payment and inquiries should be directed to: Sonja Westberg1234 Evans Road, Apt 414San Antonio Texas 78258Email: [email protected]

News items should be directed to the official correspondents of each country.

Editorial letters and photos must be re ceived by 15 August (Fall issue) and 15 February (Spring issue). Articles must be sub mitted by 1 June (Fall issue) and 1 December (Spring issue). Please direct all material to:Isabel Moretón Achsel, EditorLange-Hop-Strasse 7630559 Hannover, GermanyEmail: [email protected]

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Become a member of the World Harp Congress

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Be part of the worldwide harp community and support the only international organization that hosts a full week harp congress

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Membership bene�its include : • Subscription to our biennial WHC Review, which includes world-wide harp news, interviews, harp history, new music, and international festivals• Eligibility for discounted harp insurance through Anderson Harp Insurance Group• Timely/Speci�ic Information about upcoming Congresses• Opportunities for professionals to perform or present at Congresses• Opportunities for students to apply for Focus on Youth, masterclasses, mock orchestra audition, and workshops at Congresses• Online membership directory• Access to International Harp Archives, Audio and Video Lending Libraries, Radio Interviews and much more

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[email protected] you wish to pay in Euros please contact Alexandre Bonnet at [email protected].

Congratulations to St. Petersburg, Russia, host of the

15th World Harp Congress!

The co-chairs will be Sofia Kiprskaya and Elizaveta Alexandrova.

ANNOUNCEMENT

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The Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, venue of the 15th World Harp Congress.




























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Back to the Table of Contents Review • Spring 2020 3

Dear World Harp Congress SupporterDue to the ongoing Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, it is

with great regret that we have taken the decision to postpone the 14th World Harp Congress due to take place in Cardiff this July. All performance venues have been closed until further notice following UK and Welsh Government advice.

As we are uncertain as to when the situation will change, we have decided to make an early announcement that will allow you, our delegates, performers, volunteers, exhibitors, and sponsors, as much time as possible to change travel and accommodation plans.

There will be a considerable amount of work involved in rescheduling the Congress and we ask for your patience and cooperation through this process. We have provisionally secured alternative dates with our venues in the Summer of 2021 that will enable a straightforward postponement whilst maintaining this year’s performance schedule as closely as possible.

Dear Colleagues and Friends,It is with deep sadness that I write this message, as our 14th

WHC planned for July in Cardiff has had to be postponed to August 2021.

These past few weeks, the world, our lives and the immediate future have drastically changed, impacting us all. But when this unprecedented situation is over we will need more than ever to bring our music and ourselves together.

The Cardiff team has done extraordinary work to put togeth-er one of the best programs we have ever had. At this point they intend to keep it just as planned,hoping that everyone involved will be available for the new dates.

As a number of you have already paid for registration (and had probably booked your travel), I would suggest that it will be best to carry it forward instead of cancelling.

In the meantime, I wish you all a positive and fruitful quaran-tine and look very much forward seeing you in 2021 in Cardiff!With my warmest regards,

Isabelle Perrin, Artistic DirectorWHC Board of Directors

Letter from the Chair

14th World Harp Congress Organizing Committee: Cardiff 2021

Greetings from the Artistic Director

W O R L D H A R P C O N G R E S S N E W S

Dear Friends,We are so sorry to announce the postponement of the 14th

Congress in Cardiff. You will find in this issue the wonderful pro-gram that the Cardiff team has put together. We hope that seeing this will encourage those of you who already registered to carry your registration to the 2021 Congress. Also, if you have already purchased airline tickets to Cardiff, you might save money by transferring the flight dates to 2021 instead of asking for a refund.

I sincerely hope that you and your families are healthy and are managing to cope with this world-wide disaster. I am especially thinking of those of you who rely on free-lancing for concerts and gigs to support yourselves and your families. This must be especially difficult for you. I hope you are able to find ways to continue to make music. Many of us are learning new ways of teaching online so we can stay in touch with our stu-dents. These are probably skills that will sometimes be helpful when this particular situation is over.

At the Board of Directors meetings in France last summer the Board decided on the site of the 15th World Harp Congress. It will be in St. Petersburg, Russia. The main venue will be the historic Mariinsky Theatre, one of the most famous concert venues in the world. Our host committee co-chairs will be Sofia Kiprskaya and Elizaveta Alexandrova. I hope you will start planning now to attend this Congress, in one of the most beau-tiful cities in the world!

I look forward to seeing many of you next year in Cardiff! Stay well!

Kathy Kienzle, ChairWHC Board of Directors

Consequently, we will be making all tickets and delegate passes already purchased for the 2020 event, eligible for trans-fer to the new dates in 2021, and the Early Bird Ticket Discount Deadline will be extended until 1st April 2021.

The welfare of our community of artists, volunteers and audi-ences is our priority throughout this time of uncertainty, and the decision has not been made easily. We are aware that many of you will have already incurred travel costs, and we hope that by making this decision in good time, you will be able to re-arrange flights and hotels for 2021 without any financial implications.

We thank you for your support and patience while we work through the finer details, and on behalf of The 14th World Harp Congress Organizing Committee, we wish you all well, and look forward to welcoming you to Wales in 2021.

— Caryl Thomas, Chair — Catrin Finch, Artistic Director

— Stephen Burkitt-Harrington, Event Director

4 Review • Spring 2020 Back to the Table of Contents


Wales is the “Land of the Harp”, and Cardiff, it’s thriving and cosmopolitan capital city. In the past decades it has been completely rejuvenated, and today regularly plays host to international

cultural, political and sporting events. Cardiff and Harp Festivals are synonymous - having hosted two World Harp Festivals in the 1990s, the 7th European Harp Symposium in 2007 and the Lyon and Healy Awards in 2013.

Harps and harpists will take over Cardiff for the week. We have wonderful old and new venues in which we will hold world class concerts, exhibitions, and masterclasses, including

the spectacular Wales Millennium Centre, St David’s Hall and the new Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama building, which will play host to the Congress.

There will be special exhibitions in some of our wonderful museums, a chance to hear different harps and musicians from every corner of the globe, and if you are a harpist, a chance for you to join in and be a part of this most memorable celebration.

We feel very privileged to be leading a wonderful, artistic team of internationally renowned harpists and colleagues, and together we will create a Congress to be remembered.

We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff in August 2021!Information regarding all aspects of attending the Congress,

can be found on the website www.whc2021.wales. — Catrin Finch and Caryl Thomas, Co-chairs of

the World Harp Congress 2021 in Cardiff

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

Corinna Hewat Lauren Scott

Eira Lynn Jones Savourna Stevenson

CLARSACH/WORLD

We are delighted that our program includes music to interest and entertain all harpists and that our program of clarsach and world harps is diverse and imaginative. There is a WHC Clarsach Ensemble ‘Come and Play’ daily rehearsal session with Eira Lyn Jones, concluding with a performance at the end of the week, and recital performances by Corrina Hewat, Savourna Stevenson and Lauren Scott. And we are thrilled to showcase world music from Tunisia, Senegal, Bolivia, Colombia, Turkey, Tyrol, Paraguay, Syria, Finland, Scotland and Ireland, featuring such contrasting instruments as the kora, the bandoneon, the llanera, the kantele, qanun and the çeng,

NEWS FROM THE CO-CHAIRS

THE WORLD HARP CONGRESS IN CARDIFF HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO 6-12 AUGUST 2021 DUE TO THE OUTBREAK OF THE COVID-19 VIRUS.

CARDIFF | WALES

6-12 AUGUST 2021

WORLDHARP

CONGRESS2021



Catrin Finch

Opening Party with Gwyneth Wentink and Remy van Kesteren.

A World of Harps, featuring Maya Youssef (Syria) qanun; Sara Susso, (Gambia) kora; Leonard Jacome (Venezuela) llanara; Hermanos Corbalan (Paraquay) paraguayan harps; Hiroko Sue (Japan) koto; and folk group Calan (Wales).

Catrin Finch and Anneleen Lenearts, respectively, play a newly commissioned harp concerto by Sally Beamish and the Glière Harp Concerto, with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

An evening of Double harp concertos by Elias Parish Alvars, Gerardo Tamez, Sally Beamish and Karl Jenkins featuring Sofia Kiprskaya & Agnes Clement, Mercedes Gomez & Lucretia Jancsa, Catriona McKay & Chris Stout, Jana Bouskova & Ieuan Jones.

A Jazz Spectacular with Park Stickney, Pia Salvia, Ophelia Grimm, Rossitza Milevsca, Amanda Whiting, Chube and Brenda Dor-Groot.

A visit to St Fagans for traditional harp music, singing, dancing, and storytelling presented by Welsh folk artists.

The Harp in Opera Gala Concert with Sir Bryn Terfel, Alexander Boldachev, the six Royal Harpists, a surprise ensemble, and the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera.

There will be Pre and Post performances every evening featuring among others Rachel and the Red Socks, Maja Kauhanen, Ranagri, Esther Swift, and Ensemble Sangineto.


Amanda Whiting trio

CalanSara Susso

Catriona Mckay

Jana Bouskova

Remy Van Kesteren

Anneleen Lenaerts

Sofia Kiprskaya

Gwyneth Wentink

Ieuan Jones

Park Stickney

EVENING CONCERTS

Rachel and the Red SocksRanagri

Alexander Boldachev

Bryn Terfel

MITC

H JE

NK

INS

14TH WHC IN CARDIFF | POSTPONED TO 6 TO 12 AUGUST 2021 THE COMPLETE PROGRAM CAN BE FOUND AT THE NEW! WEBSITE: WHC2021.WALESTWITTER: @WHC2020 FACEBOOK: WORLD HARP CONGRESS 2020

http://whc2021.wales

https://www.facebook.com/WHC2021/


Anne-Sophie BertrandJulia Rovinsky Katerina EnglichovaPatrizia Tassini Naoko Yoshino

Maria Krushevskaya

Emmanuel Ceyson Maria Luisa Rayan

Letizia Belmondo

Sylvain Blassel

CELEBRITY RECITALS AND INTERVIEWS

Recitals by some of the world’s most celebrated recitalists, including Sivan Magen, Emmanuel Ceysson, Maria Luisa Rayan, Alice Giles, Letizia Belmondo, Naoko Yoshino, Sylvain Blassel and Maria Krushevskaya. There is also an opportunity to hear Susann McDonald, Linda Wood-Rollo and Skaila Kanga in conversation with Kimberley Rowe.

CHAMBER MUSIC

Chamber music is well represented with a daily series of Harp Quartets and Duos with artists such as Mannheim, Canna, and Clouds Harp Quartets, and Duos Julia Rovinsky & Katerina Englichova, Patrizia Tassini & Nicoletta Sanzin, and Elizaveta Alexandrova & Lubov Tkachenko; also a Harp Plus One Series featuring Violin, Trumpet, Bassoon, Guitar and Voice; a daily chamber ensemble recital with guests such as The Hermes Experiment, Pelleas Ensemble, Ensemble Caplet, The Elysian Trio, and a recital of septet music for the harp featuring Chantal Mathieu, Josh Layne, Ian McVoy and Veronika Lemishenko. There is also a Thursday morning recital of Chamber Orchestra works featuring soloists Anne Marie O’Farrell, Emily Mitchell, Gabriella Dall’Olio, Anne-Sophie Bertrand and Liucile Vilimaite.


CARDIFF | WALES

6-12 AUGUST 2021

WORLDHARP

CONGRESS2021

PRELIMINARY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (continued)


Esther Swift



CONTEMPORARY/ELECTRO HARP

Most of these performances will take place in the Richard Burton Theatre that boasts a state of the art sound and lighting facilities, which will be used to great effect to create an immersive experience. There are recitals of contemporary works by Ernestine Stoop, Uno Alexander Vesje, Caroline Lizotte, and Mai Fukui, while Rhodri Davies and Hélène Breschand present the experimental harp, and Ghislaine Petit-Volta introduces us to new developments with the Midi Harp.

HISTORICAL HARP

Our Historical Harp program starts with a recital by Andrew Lawrence-King and ends with a concert of Baroque Concertos played by Maria Cleary on the triple harp. Throughout the week there are further recitals on instruments of historical interest such as the Spanish cross-strung harp and an early Erard as well as numerous lectures on topics from the ornaments of JS Bach to the history of the Welsh triple harp.

JAZZ HARP

Jazz Harp is well represented throughout the week, and, as well as the Tuesday night Extravaganza, there will be performances by Motoshi Kosako, Hugh Webb, Tara Minton, Julie Campiche, Patrice Fisher, Christine Lutz and Alina Bzhezhinska. Please look out for jazz workshops and lectures as well.

Ernestine Stoop HarpDuo Ravel

Uno Alexander Vesje Caroline Lizotte

Ghislaine Petit-Volta

Andrew Lawrence King

Motoshi Kosako Tara Minton

Patrice FisherAlina Bzhezhinska Julia Campeche

GE

RA

LD LA

NG

ER


Brenda Dor-Groot

Chube

Rossitza Milevska





WORKSHOPS

There are on offer a wonderful array of workshops, for which delegates can register prior to the start of the Congress, including Jazz with Stina Hellberg-Agback, South American rhythms with Alfredo Orlando Ortiz, Improvisation with Monika Stadler, or try your hand on the Welsh triple Harp with Robin Huw Bowen, the Japanese Koto with Hiroko Sue and the Paraguayan harp with Sixto Corbalan.

LECTURES

There is a total of thirty-three lectures included in the program, and all covering various topics of interest. There are numerous historical talks on composers, harpists, instruments and performance practices, several lectures on teaching and well-being, as well as presentations on role of the harp in film music, a lecture on how to overcome performance anxieties and how to create that perfect tone.

MOVE WELL, PLAY BETTER

Daily interactive workshops helping us to understand the structure of the harpist’s body and how we use it, with Alexander Technique teachers Imogen Barford, Fiona Tree, and Dr. Boni Rietveld.

ENSEMBLES AND OPEN STAGE

There will be harp ensemble performances throughout the day in the Carne Foyer, and we are thrilled to program ensembles from the UK, USA, Ireland, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Hungary, Poland, Italy, France and Malaysia. The Open Stage will be live throughout the week and will showcase some traditional and innovative performances.


Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

Sixto Corbolan

Monika Stadler

Robin Huw Bowen


PRELIMINARY PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS (continued)

Imogen Barford

Jaymee Haefner


CARDIFF | WALES

6-12 AUGUST 2021

WORLDHARP

CONGRESS2021





MASTER CLASSES

The Focus of Youth platform is a well-established event at every Congress, and this year, thirty young harpists have been invited to perform. Young artists are also asked to participate in master classes given by Milda Agazarian, Jaymee Haefner, Sarah O’Brien, Florence Sitruk, Letizia Belmondo, as well as Heather Downie on the Clarsach, and the Orchestral Auditions, so popular in Hong Kong in 2017 is being re-run this year again.

FOCUS ON YOUTH


Heather Brooks age 20 United Kingdom

Anwen Mai Thomas age 21 United Kingdom

Jernej Misic age 16 France

Almos Tallos age 17 Hungary

Mai Kamiyama age 17 Japan

Renee Yadav age 15 Singapore

Claire Schuurmans age 16 The Netherlands

Alexandra Bidi age 18 France

Yuki Dempo age 14 Japan

Janice Hur age 15 South Korea

Huw Boucher age 17 United Kingdom

Julia Dietrich age 16 Germany

Eve Lung age 13 PR China

Valerie Wai Ki Sim age 15 PR China

Virginia Pestugia age 20 Italy

Victoria Markova age 16 Bulgaria

Elena Vallebona age 21 Italy

Woojin Lee age 22 United Kingdom

Rena Kojima age 22 Japan

Claire Thai age 20 USA

Johanna Ander Ljung age 21 Sweden

Melody Leung age 21 Hong Kong

Hyejin Kim age 18 South Korea

Kaitlyn Tan age 12 Singapore

Maria Bubnova age 16 Russia

Amanda Kengor age 18 USA

Marcelina Dabek age 17 Poland

Aimee Lam age 16 United Kingdom

Evelien Vaneysendeyk age 18 Belgium

Qi Han age 20 PR China

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE FOCUS ON YOUTH PROGRAM IN CARDIFF!• The Otake Family •


H A R P H I S TO RY

As founder and artistic director of the Pratté International Harp Festival and Competition, I had the pleasure to write in the previous edition of the WHC review an article about the first edition of the Festival, that was taking place in May 2019 in Norrköping, Sweden.

This time, I would like to focus on the personality of the recently rediscovered Swedish harpist and composer Anton Edvard Pratté (1796-1875), once described by his contempo-raries as ”the Harp King of the North”, who wrote more than two-hundred pieces and enjoyed an highly-praised career as a harp virtuoso, both in Scandinavia and Continental Europe, alongside with other illustrious figures such as Elias Parish-Alvars (1808-1849) and Nicholas-Charles Bochsa (1789- 1856). A critic inter-estingly compared Pratté s playing with the latter, stating that Pratté was “the teacher” and Bochsa “the student”!

Anton Edvard Pratté was born as Georg Anton Brát in Haida, Bohemia (nowadays part of the Czech Republic), into a large German-speaking family of marionette/puppet masters. The Brát family puppet theater company was widely well-known and extremely popular, and the childhood of Pratté was more or less an endless touring together with his family all over Northern Europe. Young Pratté was early on noticed by numer-ous newspapers, as “playing wonderfully on his David Harp dur-ing the show interludes”.

During a tour in Sweden and still a teenager, he decided to run away from a brutal father and a harsh lifestyle, changed his name to Anton Edvard Pratté and embraced an international solo career, playing mostly his own compositions.

Countless enthusiastic reviews about Pratté concerts, that always seemed to have attracted a lot of audience, are to be found in Swedish as well as international newspapers: “an authentic and genuine artist, that offers to his audience elegant and precious compositions, in the best style.” (Wiener Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, 1847), “miraculous tech-nique”, “deep expression”, ”extraordinary verve and virtuosity”, ”delicate and energetic touch, artistic perfection”, ”impresses in an indescribable way”, ”a true master, that reaches the point where any kind of difficulties between the musician and the instrument ends” (various Swedish newspapers). From all this information we can see that he was a virtuoso of high calibre, however there is still a mystery to unfold about with whom and where he learned to play the harp and compose.

Pratté claimed to have received from the Russian Tsar him-self the Erard harp that he was carrying around all over Europe on an especially made carriage. Amazingly enough, despite the tremendous success he had in most of the European music capitals and the multiple offers for permanent positions in major orchestras including the Swedish Royal Opera, Pratté chose instead to live most of his adult-life in the quiet region of Eastern Sweden, traveling between different aristocratic estates where he could stay in exchange of music teaching. He also was very active in the region as a conductor, being

Anton Edvard Pratté (1796-1875)A Bohemian Harpist in Sweden

by Delphine Constantin-Reznik

for example the chief-conductor of the ancestor of my very orchestra, the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra! In addition to his music mastery, Pratté was also a talented painter and poet.

Despite dramatical sight-loss and various other health issues, he seemed to have performed concerts on a very high level until the end of his life, that occurred on his eightieth year, in 1875.

The composing style of Pratté is a cross-over between clas-sical elements that remind of Mozart, Haydn, Hummel or Boieldieu and Romanticism, including influences by Beethoven, Weber and the Italian Bel Canto. He is unanimously praised as a composer by the critics for “his savoir-faire , his sense for instrumentation, full and harmonic, as well as his sense for form”.

He wrote concertos, chamber music works with or without harp, overtures, symphonies, grand oratorios, hunter’s song, official pieces for the Swedish Royal Court and his composi-tions are also including numerous virtuosic works for solo-harp, often Fantasies based on Opera themes or folk melodies coming from the European regions and countries where he was performing.

As Pratté was the one playing his compositions, he sadly did not seem to have been willing to publish his works during his lifetime. That is why we have been to this day able to uncover only a small part of his scores, after we first heard totally by

Anton Edvard Pratté in 1839.


H A R P H I S TO RY

coincidence his name for the first time a couple of years ago, but our research work is still fully ongoing, as well as being in the process of publishing and recording his wonderful music.

Some of his pieces including the harp concerto, performed by myself, can already be found on Youtube.

His wonderful music can be heard this summer in Cardiff at the World Harp Congress, where I will be giving a lecture-concert about Pratté s life and work. Welcome!

Delphine Constantin-Reznik at Anton Pratté’s grave.

Often praised for her warm and powerful sound, her natural musicality and flawless technique, the french harpist Delphine Constantin-Reznik belongs without a doubt to one of today´s most prominent representative of her instrument based in Scandinavia.

She has been occupying for ten years the Principal Harp´s chair of one of Sweden´s leading orchestras, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra and is also the artistic director of the Pratté International Harp Festival and Competition in that same town.

Mrs Constantin-Reznik is also is a very active soloist, who has on her repertoire most of the major harp Concertos. She is regularly invited to perform together with such orchestras as the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, Kharkiv Philharmonic, Minsk Chamber Orchestra, Argovia Philharmonic, Pori Sinfonietta (Finland), Dalasinfonietta, and Västerås Sinfonietta (Sweden), Akademisches Orchester Zurich, and of course her own orchestra, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra. She also had the great honor to perform the Parish-Alvars Concertino for two harps on several occasions together with Catherine Michel.

Mrs Constantin-Reznik is regularly invited to perform recitals and chamber music concerts with various formations at festivals and prestigious venues all over Europe and beyond.

www.delphineconstantinreznik.com

www.pratteharpfestival.se

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4 March 2020 marks the 100th birthday of Victor Salvi. This tribute was published in the program book of the 13th World Harp Congress Hong Kong 2017 (Evening Concert Series) and is reprinted by kind permission of Salvi harps. – Ed.

Victor Salvi was the youngest son of the Venetian instrument maker Rodolfo Salvi, who moved his atelier from Venice to Viaggiano, a small town in southern Italy with a deep musical instrument making history. Later, in order to support the musical career of his eldest son Alberto, Rodolfo moved to Chicago where Victor was born in 1920. Young Victor was naturally drawn to the harp, as he grew among them. Rodolfo’s laboratory was already building harps, as well as other string instruments, and his first teacher and sister, Aida, who was a professional harpist with a Chicago Civic Opera. Also, his older brother Alberto was already a world-renowned harp soloist and virtuoso by the time Victor was born. Victor himself became a professional harpist in 1938 when he began touring with our ensemble group playing con-certs from the Midwest to the East Coast until the United States entered World War II. He then joined the Navy where he did routine maintenance work until it was discovered that he was a harpist and was transferred to Illinois’ Great Lakes Naval Station to join their concert band. After the war, Mr. Salvi successfully auditioned and toured the United States as a soloist with the St. Louis Chamber Ensemble and later performed with the New York Philharmonic and NBC Symphony Orchestras under such con-ductors as Toscanini, Szell, Monteux, Mitropoulos, dan de Sabata. Once in New York City, he began to think about how the harp could be improved and following his father’s steps he opened a harp repair shop and then began the designing and building of the “new” Salvi.

In 1954, Mr. Salvi, with the collaboration of a few crafts-men, aspired to create a harp with a different type of sound and after much experimentation he constructed his first pro-totype. In 1956, he moved to Italy and founded his new com-pany at the 16th century Villa Maria, in Genoa. The Salvi harp

was met with increasing suc-cess and after about a dozen years, the company outgrew the site, and moved north to the Italian region of Piemonte known for its Baroque furni-ture with master carpenters, wood sculptures and inlay-ers. In 1970, Mr. Salvi was awarded the first prize at the Exhibition of Crafts (Mostra del Artigianato) in Florence. In 1974, he moved firm to Piasco, a small town in the southern Varaita Valley near the city of Turin, where it remains today. As a harp maker and innovator, Mr. Salvi

Victor SalviHarpist. Entrepreneur. Philanthropist.

attributed the sonority of his instruments to the unique single shell constructing of the bodies and the reinforcement by wood-en ribs. Later, he moved the construction of the harp mechanism to the village of Sainte Croix, in Switzerland, a town renowned for precision mechanics, active in watchmaking and precision machinery such as typewriters and music boxes. He is credited with contributing numerous significant mechanical advance-ments to the harp including the first to have a rust-proof linkage system as well as producing a method to strengthen the neck. His strong belief in research and development is still a corner-stone of the Salvi company today.

In 1987, Mr. Salvi surprised the harp world when he acquired his main competitor, Lyon & Healy Harps, saving his company from a very uncertain future so that it could continue to focus on making the Lyon & Healy harp as it had since 1889. Also in the 1980s, the Salvi company expanded to music publishing, and string manufac-turing by acquiring the British company Bow Brand.

Starting with a few skilled workers, with a desire to create his own harp, the group of harp manufacturing and associated businesses that Mr. Salvi has assembled over his lifetime is now over 300 employees worldwide.

Over the years, Mr. Salvi acquired the most comprehensive collection of antique in the world, including rare harps manufac-tured by Cousineau, Nadermann, Renault, Erard, Egan, Pleyel, as well as the first Lyon & Healy ever constructed, these instruments have been given a permanent home in the first museum solely

Victor Salvi with Lily Laskine (1893-1988).

Victor Salvi talking to Pierre Jamet (1893-1991).

Victor Salvi with the great Russian harpist Vera Dulova (1909-2000).

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dedicated to the harp at The Victor Salvi Museum in Piasco.

Through the Victor Salvi Foundation, works by renowned individual compos-ers were commissioned by Mr. Salvi, including Valeri Kikta (harp and voice; harp and cello, harp and violin, harp and viola), Kenji Bunch (violin and harp), Zhou Long (flute, harp and string orchestra), Thomas Rajna (harp and violin), James Bassi (harp and chorus), and Paul Sarcich’s Uncover the harp! - commissioned for the 50th Anniversary of Salvi Harps in 2004. The Foundation present-ed HRH The Prince of Wales with a specially crafted harp made in his honor by Salvi Harps for use by the Royal Harpist. He has given also given grants to the International Harp

Archives at Brigham Young University and promoted many young harpists with debut recitals and recordings.

Victor Salvi is recognized and respected worldwide for his innovations and for his support of harpists and harp-related activities. In 2004 Mr. Salvi was made an Honorary Member of the Royal College of Music (Hon RAM) by HRH The Prince of Wales. He was recognized with the Distinguished Award for Service to the International Harp Community by the World Harp Congress in 1993 and was celebrated for his contribution to the harp by the American Harp Society in 2007. In 2013 he was made a Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) by the President of the Italian Republic. He was awarded honorary citizenship in the towns of: Piasco, Costiglione di Saluzzo, Viggiano, Châteauneuf de Grasse (in France where he lived), and Cartagena (Colombia). He also received many other awards and recognitions throughout the world, as an entrepreneur and as a philanthropist.

Mr. Salvi, according to this wishes, now rests in Piasco, next to his factory, and his harps.

Early picture of Victor Salvi.

2004 with HRH The Prince of Wales.

Victor Salvi working on a harp in the factory.

Victor Salvi traveling in Germany in the early 1950s.Victor Salvi.

H A R P H I S TO RY


Do miracles happen at all? Sometimes they do.Try to imagine Israel in 1959: the Old City of Jerusalem is

under Jordanian control and the existence of the State itself is still in great danger; hundreds of people are living in tents as the housebuilding industry can’t manage the numbers of new-comers. Already, in the beginning of the year, the food rationing card system is cancelled (which measured 500 gr of meat and 10 eggs per person per month) and it will still be a year before the first supermarket in Tel-Aviv will open…

And here appears a man who decides that the time has come for Israel to become a more fully mature and for him this meant – The Arts.

His name was Aharon Zvi Propes. Not being a musician himself but being a true music lover: he had a rare combination of patriotism -in the naive, idealistic, and non-political sense of the word, and also mundane practicality. And he offered to hold an International Harp Contest in Israel – the first one in the history of music.

The harp is one of the first known musical instruments men-tioned in the Bible. The Great Jewish King David was known as a harp player. Actually, his rise to power started from playing his magic instrument to delight king Saul. The harp therefore brings with it not only sounds, but also a story, the story of the Jewish people and the story of music.

Music is unique as it touches the heart before the words which come from the brain. It is unique in its capability to bewitch and enthrall, and in its possibility to bring down walls and open hearts, just as David, who is known played well, showed us, and as all music lovers know. It has been thousands of years for the harp’s enchanted sounds to resonate in the air. The harp is the magical poet of any ensemble or orchestra. The harp’s soft sound carries its listeners to other dimensions and the playing of harp strings cre-ates an beautiful atmosphere that blend the present and the past.

The harp’s shape, beauty and its delicate sound served as inspiration to many artists including Rembrandt. Marc Chagall even designed a gold coin for the contest with the figure of King David playing harp.

Israel Harp Contest –1959-2019by Julia Rovinsky

Last year we celebrated the 60th anniversary of this won-derful Contest, and all the First Prize Winners of all previous International Harp Contests had been invited to perform the var-ied repertoire of musical pieces composed for the harp accom-panied by the musicians of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Israeli Harp Contest has become the highlight of musical activity in the field, and contest has set the harp in its appropri-ate position in the world of music. Every three years, the world’s most outstanding harpists gather in Israel, bringing with them the magical sounds of the ancient instrument. The upcoming contest will be the 21st, and will take place in October 2021.

Igor Stravinsky (left) and Aharon Zvi Propes (middle) in 1962.

Members of the contest jury and prominent visitors during the contest in 1962. Among them: Tsutomu Mimura, Pierre Jamet, Jacqueline Borot, Lucile Johnson Rosenbloom, Maria Korchinska, Lucile Lawrence, Phia Berghout, Clelia Giatti Aldrovandi, Inga Graae, Klaria Szarvas, Joseph Tal, and Aristid von Würtzler.

First three prize winners in 1959: Susanna Mildonian, Susann McDonald, and Edward Witsenburg.

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Sixty years ago, the con-test was a ground-breaking event, it was the harbin-ger of all competitions, the world’s first ever competi-tion for the harp. Over the years, even though other international and national competitions followed, the International Harp Contest in Israel still remains the most prestigious in this field. Above all, the Israeli Contest provides the best stage for talented young musicians, the world over,

who chose to play this unique instrument.Last year’s celebration continued for a whole month that

included many celebratory concerts which featured our Festive Gala Concert, where seven winners of prior competitions gath-ered on one stage: Lynne Turner and Emily Mitchell from the United States; Chantal Mathieu and Anaïs Gaudemard from France; Gwyneth Wentik from The Netherlands; Lenka Petrovic from Serbia; and our own Sivan Magen from Israel.

The preceding month we also organized a concerts with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra featuring Yuying Chen from China, the win-ner of the 19th Contest and many other concerts.

Sixty years later, we proudly take stock of our achievements. Most of the greatest and best-known

harpists in the world are the prize winners of our competi-tions. Since our inception, more than six hundred contestants have participated in our twenty contests; they have performed musical pieces especially created by Israeli composers, thus enriching the harp repertoire and the world of music.

We look forward seeing you in October 2021 at the 21st International Harp Contest in Israel.

Winner of the 1962 contest: Lynne Turner.

L to R: Gwyneth Wentik (1998), Lynne Turner (1962), Emily Mitchell (1979), Julia Rovinsky (Artistic Director), Anaïs Gaudemard (2012), Lenka Petrovic (2018), Sivan Magen (2006).

Winner of the 19th Contest: Yuying Chen.

Born in St. Petersburg, Julia Rovinsky graduated from the Rimsky-Korsakov St. Petersburg State Conservatory. In 1988 she was a prize winner of the All-Union Harp Competition in Moscow.

Since immigrating to Israel in 1991 Julia Rovinsky has become a central figure on Israel’s concert scene. She appears regularly as a soloist with different orchestras, mainly with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Zubin Mehta. She also appeared in many chamber music ensembles and took part in a number of leading festivals in Israel and around the world. In 2002 she won the Prime Minister Prize for best performance of Israeli music.

In recent years, Julia Rovinsky has recorded several CD’s, both for solo harp and chamber music and her arrangements for harp are very popular in concert scenes all over the world. She is successfully given Master classes in Europe, South and North America and Asia.

Julia Rovinsky is Principal Harpist of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Professor at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, Tel-Aviv University. Since 2016 she is the Music Director of the International Harp Contest in Israel.

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Berklee Harp

by Felice Pomeranz

A guide to improvisation, chord reading, arranging and harmony

for lever and pedal harp.

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Introducing our latest publication: Contemporary Etudes for Harp

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After nearly 40 years Cynthia Price-Glynn retired as Principal Harpist with Boston Ballet in 2016. During that time, she also played with the Bolshoi Ballet, Royal Ballet of London, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and more when they performed in Boston.Introduction

One of the most memorable compliments I ever received was from a young man who said “I love hearing the beautiful music you make as you dance with your hands. ”A similar remark was stated by a dancer with Boston Ballet who said “Your hand movements are as expressive as our bodies.” I was amazed to be told that by playing the harp I was ‘dancing’ as well as making music. This reminded me of the quote from the cho-

reographer and founder of the New York City Ballet Company George Balanchine: “Ballet is when you hear the dance and see the music.” The compliments made me wonder if playing for and with dancers in ballet and concert dance influenced my harp technique and my musicality. Upon reflection I concluded that yes it has – in many ways. This consequence is the result of working with choreographers, with or without a conductor, with groups of dancers, and with individual dancers – especially from Boston Ballet ballerina Sarah Wroth. Together she and I spoke and performed a presentation at the Boston Harp Festival in 2010 that can be viewed on YouTube under the title “The Harp in Ballet”. In that program Sarah outlines what dancers need from musicians in three words: Pulse, Phrasing, and Predictability.Pulse

An agreed-upon tempo and rhythm is, of course, necessary to synchronize the musician and the dancer. This pulse can be subtle or strong, regular or irregular, metronomic to flexible to very rubato. A conductor is, of course, helpful when the dancer

Playing For and With Dancers:What a Harpist Has Learned about Music from Those Who Move to It

by Cynthia Price-Glynn

and the musician cannot look at each other for visual cues, or because they are separated like when one is on stage and the other is in the orchestra pit. A pulse connects the two – even if it is an agreed-upon silent count.

A popular saying among musicians is that “there are two tempos in ballet – too fast and too slow.” There is an explana-tion. Ballet tempos are determined by the choreographer’s vision, the stories and roles that are acted by the dancers, and the skills of the dancers. Dancing fast displays brilliant techni-cal virtuosity and élan. Dancing to slow music exhibits amazing technical control and expressiveness. The solo dancers often have individualistic interpretations and feelings about their roles and steps – which a conductor accommodates with the

pace of the music that supports them. We all know the technical challenge of playing music fast in which the phrasing is often self-evident and automatic. The challenge to playing slow is primarily musical. The music can seem naked and exposed. For it to make sense you have to calculate and feel the phrasing, purposefully connecting one note to the next which wind and string instrumen-talists can do smoothly and expressively with their breathing and bowing, but can be less fluent with our plucked notes when there is so-much-space between notes.

Classical and Romantic ballet cadenzas usually have no indicated meter and are sup-posed to feel “free”. I suggest “finding” a mel-ody and imposing a subtle meter, especially on cascading arpeggios. This mainframe helps gauge the evolution of crescendos and diminuendos, accelerandos and rallentan-dos, and can create a structure, pace, and

direction to the cadenza that the dancer can follow and feel. If these evolutions are in your head, they will smoothly manifest in your fingers.

In general, I have found that if you play a cadenza really fast it often sounds like an unphrased etude and those listening might be impressed by your facility but also often eager for you to get through it as quickly as possible (especially in symphony situa-tions). But if you make music of it, by “finding” a melody, subtle pulse, and phrasing, the listeners let you take as long as you want because they enjoy and are impressed with your musicality.Phrasing

It is important to know that whereas musicians count music by measures, each dancer has an individual way of counting the music. In general, they count the phrases – not the bars or in the written meter. Actually, their way of counting seems very musical, whereas, in comparison, our musician way seems mathematical. I suggest you try the dancers’ way with your own music. Select a piece or section of a piece, ignore the bar

Ballet poses are like music fermatas. Musicians focus on intonation and balance of notes. Dancers focus on the lines they create with their bodies.


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lines, count all the beats in a phrase, flowing from the first to the last note. You may be phrasing a melody or the harmonic accompaniment that supports it. Do the notes feel connected as part of a flow that moves? This brings us to another influence dance can have on music.

Is a phrase ending a musical thought or leading into the next one? We classical harpists have a tendency to relax and often slow down at the ends of phrases – as if we are looking back or completing a thought. Yes – of course we must be able to do that when it is appropriate. But also, be able to play phrases that push the music ahead, looking forward – not necessarily getting faster, but with an intention of “I have more to add” like another sentence in a conversation. Counting the phrases rather than the measures, can help you feel where you should be “looking” – back or ahead. Also, watching how choreogra-phers and the dancers phrase the music with their movements and gestures can illuminate what the music is saying. When the Mark Morris Dance Company performed Bach’s Double Concerto for Violin and Oboe at Tanglewood in 2004, Morris had the singers and instrumentalists learn the dance steps. Singer Jose Lemos was quoted in the Boston Globe: “The experience made me more free. (...) In performing, singers get so caught up in the right notes (…) and (…) precise rhythm that we can lose touch with what the music is about. From Mark and the danc-ers, I’ve learned to listen to what the music tells me instead of paying so much attention to what I am trying to tell it.”1

PredictabilityBallet and Concert Dance are

rehearsed arts, except when every-one is improvising, which is another topic. When working with dancer’s artistic experimentation and explo-ration must be done in rehears-als – so that by the performance your music will be predictable and reliable for the dancer. That said, as mentioned above, one benefit of a LIVE orchestra or ensemble for dance is that the conductor can follow and support the individual-ity of each solo dancer’s interpreta-tion and, within limits, customize the music to allow and serve the soloist’s personal style. This means the tempos, pauses, and more can change with every performance according to who or what is hap-pening on stage. Therefore, when playing for ballet or concert dance, it is important to create and clearly mark pedal changes and fingerings

in your harp part that enable you to constantly be alerted to watch the conductor.Warm-ups

In preparation for rehearsals and performances ballet danc-ers do very careful and gradual warm-ups of their entire bod-ies, which are their instruments-of-expression. They start holding on to a barre mindfully exercising the small muscles of their hands, wrists, feet, and ankles. Next they move the larger muscles of their arms, legs, and torsos. After about 30 minutes they are ready to bound around the studio using their whole bodies in leaps, turns, twists, and sprints. These whole-body warm-ups are often done in a class led by a ballet master and accompanied by piano music that influences their movements to be graceful and fluid. What can a musician learn from the above? First to respect ALL the muscles, joints, and every part of our bodies we need to play our instruments-of-expression. Can you think of any part of the body that a pedal harpist does NOT use? Even our noses are in-use with the need to breathe as we play. There are many excellent harp technique

books available to guide you in creat-ing your own personal warm-up. I suggest aiming for relaxed flexibility, coordination, and control – by being aware-of, and nurturing ALL your body parts. Below are some sugges-tions:

Keep in mind that our fingers start at the wrist. Moving them engages lower arm muscles with an elbow that is held up by the upper arm and shoulder and connected to your spine and neck. Follow the move-ment of your feet muscles up through your hips to your spine. Away from a harp stretch and even massage all of those muscles – especially the hands and wrists which are always folding inward when we play. Gently stretch-ing them up and backward can help relax those inward muscles.

Include a warm-up for each finger separately and in combination with each of the others.

Warm-up all over your harp – from top to bottom, so that you not only feel the differing demands of playing the short high strings all the way down to the long wires but you also keep your soundboard “balanced” from top to bottom … not just in the middle.

Of course, your harp should be kept in optimum condition so it can be responsive to whatever music you want to make with it. Also, to under-stand the demands on your larger muscles try playing an air-harp, not

If you need this : a modern duet by choreographer Enrique Gustavo Santiago Flores

If you need this: “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Balanchine choreographer, Pacific Northwest Ballet

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, Balanchine choreographer, Pacific Northwest Ballet.

A modern duet by choreographer Enrique Gustavo Santiago Flores.

CH

RIS

AK


touching the strings but miming the movements that enable and energize different kinds of glissandos, étouffées, dynamics, staccato and legato. When you add plucking the strings play your warm-up with different moods and intentions: sacred to bawdy, demure to aggressive, meek to bold, proper to mis-chievous, delicate to coarse, and more. When you develop this “vocabulary” of moods with awareness of your whole body you can select and direct them with your mind to infuse whatever music you are playing.

I mentioned that dancer’s warm-up to music that influences and guides the gracefulness and direction of their movements. So, I suggest that you make your warm-ups musical following the “recipe” above for cadenzas. Daily warm-ups that respect your body and nurture your musicality can result in habits and muscle memories that make playing the harp comfortable and enjoyable and can lead to your developing an individual style. Style

As mentioned above, solo dancers develop different personal styles – from elegant to athletic, lyrical to rhythmic, subtle to flamboyant. Interpretations of the same ballet role by different dancers is marvelous and revealing. Often none of a ballet com-pany’s soloists are better than another, just different from each other in their personal styles. Witnessing this artistic phenom-enon has made me celebrate such differences in students and colleagues. With the large spectrum of possibilities for harp-ists in today’s world, there are unprecedented opportunities to explore many different paths and to even develop a unique style. Of course, this exploration should include the ability to “fit in”, playing in orchestras or ensembles where the goal and purpose is collaboration and synchronization. And I hope you get to explore playing for and with dancers – to see what the music you are playing looks like.Conclusion

In ballet and concert dance the splendors of scenery, cos-tumes, and lighting join music and dance to produce a ‘com-munity’ in which many skilled people are needed and appreci-ated for doing their jobs on-stage, back-stage, and in the pit. This combination of art forms very often inspires spontaneous bursts of applause from audiences as they “hear the music and see the dance”. These bursts of enthusiasm and appreciation are felt by the performers and create an energy that make the audiences an integral part of performances. It is very exciting to be part of such events. And remember that as harpists we are creating a smaller scale yet similar experience as we play music that can be not only heard but also seen as we dance with our hands.

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To donate or find out how to get involved, please visit: www.usaihc.org

@usaihc

• 2022 12th USA International Harp Competition, Bloomington, IN

• 2021 7th USAIHC “Ruth Inglefield” Composition Contest

• Annual Concert Series

• Harp Start Educational Programs

Engage with our mission to elevate exceptional harpists to extraordinary heights through performance, new music, and education! Endnote:

1 Dyer, Richard, “To perform with Mark Morris, musicians learn new movements.” Boston Globe, July 1, 2004, page D1.

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Samuel Milligan (1932-2019)by Gordon Johnston

Sam’s life was always defined by music. Born January 2, 1932 near Joplin, Missouri, he was raised in Texas, the youngest of three children. Both parents were enthusiastic singers, and Sam began piano lessons at age nine, but he was always an indifferent key-board player. His musical life began in earnest when he acquired a Clark Irish harp. Naturally, this fit the plans of his Irish father.

Being poor, college would have been out of the ques-tion had it not been for harp scholarships. First came Del Mar Junior College in Corpus Christi, where he encoun-tered his first real teacher, LaVerne Hodges Peterson, who installed a solid tech-nique. They both also sub-scribed to liberal political ide-als, all of which cemented a friendship which endured the rest of his life. He later trans-ferred to North Texas State College (now the University of North Texas) where he received a Bachelor of Music degree in 1956 with a major in harp performance.

He stayed on for one year as an interim harp teacher while the school looked for a permanent instructor. During that year he began a master’s degree, working with Dr. Helen Hewitt, a specialist in the music of the Renaissance, which inspired Sam’s fascination with early music. The seeds of his later interest in historical harp were sown at this time, and Dr. Hewitt was a life-long influence.

In 1957 he moved to New York City, and went to work for Lyon & Healy, who maintained a showroom for their harps in New York. He was trained as a harp technician which he did both for Lyon & Healy and independently for the next 43 years. His search for a harp teacher resulted in study with Laura Newell. Sam was impressed by her superb musicianship and technique, which was the cleanest he had ever encountered. Among other things, she stressed economy of motion, and carefully removed any extraneous gestures that Sam had acquired over the years. Another item was careful finger placement, eliminating any sib-ilants. Again, both teacher and student shared the same political views, cementing a solid friend-ship that lasted until her death.

In 1961 Lyon & Healy intro-duced a new lever harp, called the Troubadour harp developed by Samuel Pratt, who realized that the instrument’s success depend-ed on the existence of more rep-

I N M E M O R I U M

ertory. Pratt had heard many of Sam’s transcriptions that he had begun assembling back in his Irish harp days and asked if he would publish them. The result was Medieval to Modern. Pratt then asked Sam to assemble a method book for the new instru-ment, none having been done for lever harp since before the First World War. The result was Fun From the First. The introduc-tion of the Troubadour harp and the publication of Sam’s music was responsible in part for the renaissance in harp playing that we see today. Where there was once little music for lever harp,

there is now an abundance, and where there was only one maker of lever harps, there are now many.

In 1967, at the request of the president of the American Harp Society, Lucien Thomson, Sam became the founding editor of the American Harp Journal, serving until 1971, afterwards contributing articles from time to time. During all these activi-ties, he continued to work as a harpist, mainly as a substitute in orchestras on Broadway, for Radio City Music Hall, plus a lot

of single date playing, such as a U.S. tour with chamber orchestra.He retired from his work as a harp technician in 2000. This

allowed him time to indulge in his passion for early Spanish music for the harp. This interest had been encouraged years before by Nicanor Zabaleta after Sam wrote an article for the Journal about the harp in Latin America. Long before retire-ment, he had begun organizing various conjuntos for specific occasions, featuring Spanish music from the Medieval Period up to the end of the Colonial Period in the New World. He joined the Historical Harp Society and became a passion-ate ambassador for early music and replicas of early harps. He was particularly fond of the work of harp maker Lynne Lewandowski, and owned several harps made by her. For many years he was the official liaison between the Historical Harp Society and the American Harp Society.

Sam’s life partner, Jessie (Jesús) Castellón, died in 1989 from alcohol poisoning. Following that, Sam became an active par-ticipant in Secular Sobriety, a free-thinkers movement within Alcoholics Anonymous. He also helped many others remove alcohol from their lives.

Sam died on August 27, 2019 in Brooklyn, NY. A memorial will be held on Saturday, May 30, 2020 at the Manhattan School of Music (Greenfield Hall), 130 Claremont Avenue, New York NY at 7:30 p.m. Everyone is invited to come celebrate Sam and his love for the harp.

Samuel Milligan, Caroline Gardiner and Lucien Thompson in the Lyon & Healy New York showroom, March 1967.

Surrounded by some of his historical harps.

Young Sam looking serious.

http://aoyamaharp.ca/


Milica Baric (1932-2019)by Ivana Pavlovic

Milica Baric, one of the most important perform-ers and educators of the harp in Serbia, died at the age of 88 on 25 December 2019 at her home in Belgrade.

Milica Baric graduat-ed from Belgrade Music

Academy, studying with Josip Pikelj in 1961, and afterwards continued her postgraduate studies in Russia, with legendary Russian harpist Vera Dulova. The influence of Russian harp school thus became part of harp education in Serbia.

For more than 20 years, from 1957 to 1975, Milica Baric remained solo harpist with the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra. Afterwards, she became a teacher, holding the position of Professor of harp at the Music Academy in Belgrade until her retirement in 1997. Along the way, she was a member of many associations and institutions and won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Music and Ballet Pedagogues of Serbia.

Milica Baric performed many recitals in Serbia and the region, following idea of promotion the harp and its music. She played concertos with many orchestras: Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, Belgrade Radio Orchestra, Nis Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra “Skovran”, and Vienna Chamber Orchestra.

Milica Baric was a founder of the Belgrade Harp Quartet, an ensemble which had a wide repertoire, and as a major activity, performed contemporary music by Serbian composers.

She was very dedicated to contemporary music and that resulted in the creation of new works written for her and Quartet. Baric recorded entire recitals of contemporary and classical music for the most important Serbian and regional radio stations. She mentored generations of harpists who worked in national schools and orchestras.

Milica Baric was not just a respected performer, she was also a beloved professor.

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Nona Ventura Rosenthal (1949-2019)by Roxana Moisanu

Nona Ventura was born in Bucharest, Romania. Her family immigrated to Israel. She came to South Africa in 1977 to play in the National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) of the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC).

After the orchestra was closed by the SABC a new orchestra was formed by the previous NSO musicians who called themselves the Johannesburg

Philharmonic Orchestra (JPO). She was a founding member and played with that Orchestra until the end of 2019.

Around South Africa, she also played with the Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic and the Gauteng Philharmonic Orchestras. She was also a favorite at the Theatre-on-the-Square in the Nelson Mandela Square in Sandton.

Many of her performance pieces were recorded and can still be heard and seen on YouTube under her professional name of “Ventura Rosenthal”. A quote from an admirer: “I saw her per-form with the JPO and in recitals many times, and we have lost a great artist,” Christine McIntosh.

Just over five years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer. On Wednesday 6 November 2019 she passed away from compli-cations of the cancer. For several years she suffered from the treat-ments, which included chemotherapy, surgery and several differ-ent medications. She was only seventy years old when she left us.

Many musicians who have worked with Nona Ventura expressed their condolences and memories. She was well respected as a harpist and as an excellent musician.

Zlata Bernatović (1926-2019)by Tea Plesničar

Zlata Bernatović died on the 27 August 2019, one of the rare harpists that played the harp in symphonic orchestras in Yugoslavia after the second world war and later on in the independent Slovenia.

Zlata Bernatović was born in 1926. She studied piano and harp in Zagreb, where she later decided to dedicate her life to the harp. After the Second World War she got the position of harp in the Opera of Osijek (then Yugoslavia, today

Croatia). Later, the director and conductor of the Slovene national theatre Maribor, Maestro Vladimir Kobler, invited Zlata Bernatović to work with the Opera in Maribor. She came to Slovenia and stayed as a solo harpist of the orchestra of Slovene national theatre Maribor and the Philharmonic orchestra of Maribor. She retired after a thriving career in the orchestra and 43 years of playing.

She carried her love for the harp to her son Dalibor and later on to her grandson Brin Bernatović, who thanks to her decided that the harp became their path in life and as such become a family tradition.

Milica Baric.

Zlata Bernatovic.

Nona Ventura.

Renew you membership on the WHC website:

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It is time to renew your membership for 2020!

If you cannot renew your membership online, you will find a registration form for download on the website to send to

the Membership Chair.



I N T E R N AT I O N A L F E S T I VA L S A N D C O M P E T I T I O N S

Singapore HARPFEST 2019by Katryna Tan

Another Singapore HARPFEST has passed, but it was defi-nitely not just another HarpFest. The 2019 Singapore HarpFest VI was marked with distinct notes of creativity, inclusivity and a sparkle of magic.

The harp festival showcased International Professionals, Young Singapore professionals, young winners of 3 competi-tions held in conjunction with the Festival combined with inter-esting workshops for everyone and a closing with a brand new Harp Musical produced this year entitled “Legends of the Harp”.

Harpfest 2019 showcased and provided a platform for young tal-ented harp winners showcasing winners from Rave Harps Prestige Award Chamber Competition, “Legends” Harp Solo Competition and “Creative Composition Competition”. An amazing performance by all displaying a bright future for the young harpists. This was highlighted by Guest Performer Sylvain Blassel (France) who gave am amazing performance and Masterclass. With an aim to pro-mote Singapore Music and composers, Artistic Director Katryna Tan commissioned and performed two premieres: “Winged Messenger” Harp Concerto by Eric Watson, and “3 Places in Singapore” by Phang Kok Jun (Harp duet with Dizi - Chinese Flute). The two composer’s Harp Ensemble Works “Golden Orb” by Eric Watson and “Pelog Fantasy” by Phang Kok Jun was also performed by the 10-strong Harp Ensemble VIVA RAVE (Ensemble group of Young Singapore Harp Professionals). The new colours and music drew a distinctive flavour to the Music in Singapore Harpfest, add-ing to the repertoire of the Classical Harp Music.

Harpfest also celebrated this year adult and senior harp play-ing by dedicating a workshop to sharing of learning experiences and culminating with a huge Ensemble of adult and senior harp-ists from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia who com-

bined together and performed in a 40 strong Harp Ensemble.The Finale Item of the festival was the World Premiere of a

New Harp Musical entitled “Legends of the Harp”. With Music by JulianWong and a plot conceived by Katryna Tan, “Legends of the Harp” told the tale of how four Harp legends saved the world from a terrible Giant. A spectacular performance by Singapore Rave Harpers Young harpists, with guest and friends from Malaysia, Indonesia and Phillipines.

11th International Harp Competition “Marcel Tournier”

The 11th International Harp Competition “Marcel Tournier” took place in October 2019 in Cosenza, Italy. Members of the jury were A. Di Lieto, O. Rodríguez do Campo, V. Palermo, M. Lipiec, and J. I. Pascual.

These are the results:Category A (Pedal harp, no age limit)

First Prize: Viviane Nüscheler, Switzerland

Second Prize: Manuela Margherita Colella, Italy

Third Prize: Yan Yin Yany Tse, Hong Kong

Category B (Pedal harp, age limit 21)First Prize: Letizia Lazzarini, ItalySecond Prize: Giulio Bryant, ItalyThird Prize: Letizia Cerasa, Italy

Organizing committe of HARPFEST; Sylvain Blassel, Jakez Francois, Katryna Tan, and Viva Rave Ensemble.

Winners of the various competitions, harp delegates, guest artists, and teachers.

Winged Messenger Harp Concerto by Eric Watson, premiered by Katryna Tan.

Legends of the Harp.

Winner of the “Marcel Tournier” 2019 competition in Italy and the Helsinki Harp Competition 2020: Viviane Nüscheler.


Category DFirst Prize: Virginia Pestugia, ItalySecond Prize: not awardedThird Prize: Leto Križanič Žorž, Slovenia

Category EFirst Prize: Lise Vandersmissen, BelgiumSecond Prize: Brin Bernatović, SloveniaThird Prize: Naja Mohorič, Slovenia

Category FFirst Prize: Oliver Wass, United Kingdom

Special PrizesCamac Harps Award: Oliver Wass Slovenian Harp Association Award: Oliver Wass Velenje Music School Award: Lise Vandersmissen

31st Nippon Harp Competition and International Festival

The 31th Nippon Harp Competition was held 13-16 November 2019 in Soka City, followed by the 31st Soka International Harp Festival 2019 at Soka City Culture Hall.

Category C (Pedal harp, age limit 16)First Prize: Silvia Capè, ItalySecond Prize: Angelica Esposito, ItalyThird Prize: Emma Castellano, Italy

Category D (Chamber music with harp, no age limit)First Prize: Trio ChagallSecond Prize: Duo Milito

Category E (Harp Ensembles, no age limit)First Prize: Giada Dal Cin e Alice Populin Redivo (harp

duo), Italy

5th Slovenian International Harp Competitionby Tea Plesničar

In October 2019, the 5th International Harp Competition was held in Velenje (Slovenia). It was organized by the Slovene harp association and the Music school Fran Korun Koželjski Velenje.

92 competitors from 19 countries competed in seven catego-ries. The sponsor of the competition was Camac, who awarded the first prize in F Category to the winner Oliver Wass - a celtic harp Bardic and a concert in the organization of Slovene Harp Association in the season 2020/2021. Camac also awarded the special prize of Music school Fran Korun Koželjski Velenje – a concert in the season 2020/2021 in Velenje for the winner of the Category E, Lisa Vandermissen.

The prize winners were:Category A – lever harp

First Prize: Klára Brabcová, Czech RepublicSecond Prize: Elettra Bellini, ItalyThird Prize: Gala Vrezec, Slovenia

Category A – pedal harpFirst Prize: Veronika Gams, SloveniaSecond Prize: Ema Bozhilova, BulgariaThird Prize: Alisia Batalova, Russia

Category BFirst Prize: Filippo Craglietto, ItalySecond Prize: Melissa Kim, South KoreaThird Prize: Adrian Ignjatović, Bojana Bozhilova, Bulgaria

Category C First Prize: Aleksandra Mohorko, SloveniaSecond Prize: Ajda Nina Vivod, SloveniaThird Prize: Eleonora Burigo, Italy


L to R: Principal of Velenje Music School Boris Štih (left), President of Slovenian Harp Association Dalibor Bernatovic (right) with honorary jury member Ruda Ravnik Kosi (middle)- former principal harpist of RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, former Professor of Harp at Ljubljana and Zagreb Academies of Music, co-founder of Slovenian Harp Association. With jury president Irina Zingg, jury co-president Stephen Fitzpatrick and jury members Emanuela Degli Esposti, Diana Grubišic Cikovic, and Sirin Pancaroglu.

Festival Concert: Jewel Harp Japan.

Festival Concert: Professor Josef Molnar.Award ceremony category categories D and F.

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During the Soka Internation Harp Festival, among other the following artists performed: Chantal Mathieu, Ieuan Jones, Ayako Shinozaki, Kumiko Inoue, Tsugio Tokunaga, and the win-ner of the 31th Nippon Harp Competition.

Members of the jury were: Shuhei Isobe (Clarinetist/Japan, Chairperson of Jury), harpists Ieuan Jones (UK), Chantal Mathieu (France), Erika Inoue (Japan), Naoko Yoshino (Japan), Risako Hayakawa (Japan), and Kaoru Kondo (Japan), as well as Keiko Matsunami (Cellist/Japan) and Junzo Hosokawa (Flutist/Japan).Prize winners in the professional division were:

First Prize: Joan Rafaelle Kim, USASecond Prize: Nagisa Tanaka, JapanThird Prize: Sakuya Ota, Japan

Joan Rafaelle Kim was born in 2002 in New Jersey. She studied at the Julius Stern Institute and currently at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, Germany, with Marie-Pierre Langlamet. She was awarded the Mario Falcao Special Prize during the 20th International Harp Contest in Israel (2018);

Second Prize at Martine Geliot International Harp competition in Fontainbleau, France (2016); Second Prize, Emerging Artist division, Young Artists Harp Competition in Rabun Gap, GA,

U.S.A. (2016), Second Prize & Special contemporary music Prize,

Junior division, Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Paris, France (2014); First Prize, Junior division, Nippon International Harp Competition in Soka, Japan (2012); and

Second Prize, Junior division, Godefroid International Harp competition in Tournai, Belgium (2012).

The 5th International Harp Competition in Szeged, Hungary

The 5th International Harp Competition in Szeged was held from 26 November to in the beautiful Reök Palace, which

was built in the Art Deco era. It was organized by Anastasia Razvalyaeva and supported by Camac Harps. The jury was: Chantal Mathieu (Switzerland/France, Head of the Jury U14 and U25); Genevieve Létang (France); Deborah Sipkay (Hungary); Diana Grubišić Ćiković (Croatia); David Pavlovits(Hungary); Isabel Moreton (Germany, Head of the Jury U19); Melinda Felletár (Hungary); Katrina Szederkeny (Germany); Zuzanna Elster (Poland); Gyüdi Sándor (Hungary).

The competition was held in three age categories:Category U14

First Prize: Adria Ignatovic, SloveniaSecond Prize: Maja Patkos, HungaryThird Prize: Maria Anchugova, Russia Viollo Kollar, HungarySpecial Prize donated by Miklós Maros, for the best performance of Rudolf Maros’s Suite for Harp: Marfa Iakushina, Russia“Young Talent”, donated by Andrea Vigh: Anastazja Kacprezak, Poland

Category U19First Prize: Almos Tallos, HungarySecond Prize: Eugenia Alfier, Italy Minja Stojanovic, SerbiaThird Prize: Jernej Misic, Slovenia


Kumiko Inoue and Junzo Hosokawa, flute.

Ayako Shinozaki and Tsugio Tokunaga, violin, performing at the final concert.

Chantal Mathieu.

Joan Rafaelle Kim, USA.

Ieuan Jones.

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Reök Palace in Szeged, Hungary.

Chantal Mathieu performing at the Opening Concert.


Special Prize donated by Andrea Vigh, for the best performance of Bartok’s Mikrokosmos:

Jernej Misic, SloveniaSpecial Prize donated by Klara Weninger, in memory of harpist Richard Wenniger: Almos Tallos

Category U25First Prize: Tatiana Repnikova, RussiaSecond Prize: Lise Vandersmissen, BelgiumThird Prize: Nicolette Chin, SingaporeSpecial Prize from the City of Szeged: Tatiana Repnikova, Russia


Participants and Jury of the Szeged Harp Competition.

Tatiana Repnikova.

Tatiana Repnikova was born in Saint-Petersburg, Russia. Currently she is a student of the Saint-Petersburg State Conservatory named after N. Rimsky-Korsakov, in the class of Anna Makarova.

In 2018 Tatiana became soloist in the Mikhailovsky Theater and a guest soloist in the Mariinsky Theater. As of now Tatiana

has won six prizes on various harp competitions, including the diploma at the International Harp Contest in Israel (2018) and the first prize at Szeged International Harp Competition in Hungary (2019). Tatiana regularly participates in harp con-certs in different concert halls of Saint-Petersburg and not only. In January 2020 she gave a recital in Istanbul, Turkey.

Many professional harpists and gifted students cannot attend international events nor pay professional membership dues because of the extreme inequity of their country’s economy. Global understanding and interchange has great value to all of us — musically, culturally and philosophically. Thus we have decided to appeal to the generosity of those who are more fortunate to join the Board of Directors in a campaign to help harpists become members of the World Harp Congress.

help harpists communicate with each other worldwide

r One membership fee for a harpist with the inability to pay – $65

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r I am enclosing a check or money order made payable to the World Harp Congress. If you live outside of the United States, please enclose an international money order or bank draft drawn on a US bank.

r I have made a credit card payment through the secure website. We are happy to accept your payment by credit card through our secure website, www.worldharpcongress.com/membership. For the security of our members, we no longer accept credit card numbers by mail or email. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Membership Chair at [email protected] or the Treasurer at [email protected]. Thank you!

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International Harp Competitions and Masterclasses

AT-A-GLANCE

5th International Competition Città Murata in Cittadella, Italy

8 to10 May 2020Webpage: concorsocittamurata.com

Dutch Harp Festival and World Harp Competition in Utrecht, The Netherlands

9 to 10 May 2020Website: harpfestival.nl

6th International Competition Diapason D’Oro in Pordeone, Italy

9 May 2020Website: farandola.eu/pagine/diapason-doro/

5th Rencontres Internationales des Harpes en Île-de-France

4 to 14 June 2020Website: rih-idf-jimdofree.com

33th International Competition Rovere d’oro, San Bartolomeo a Mare, Italy

20 to 25 July 2020Website: roveredoro.org

53th Festival de Gargilesse, France7 to 23 August 2020Website: FestivalGargilesse.fr

10th International Harp Contest “Suoni d’Arpa” in Saluzzo, Italy

31 August to 5 September 2020Application deadline: TBAWebsite: associazioneitalianarpa.it

4th Golden Harp International Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia

12 to 20 September 2020Open to harpists of any nationality aged between 16 and 32.Application: 30 June 2019 to 30 May 2020

5th Hong Kong International Harp Competition1 to 5 October 2020Application deadline: 30 June 2020Website: hkharpsociety.orgOrganized by Hong Kong Harp Society

32th Nippon Harp Competition in Soka City, Japan12 to 15 November 2020Application 1 to 30 September 2020Required repertoire: see National News Section in this issue.Email: [email protected]: harp-japan.com

1st Vera Dulova International Competition, Moscow, Russia24 to 29 January 2021Open to harpists between 16 and 32 years.Application deadline: 10 December 2020Email: [email protected]: mosconsv.ru/en/event_p.aspx?id=162764

Lyon & Healy Awards 2021 in Chicago, USA11 to 13 March 2021Application deadline: 15 January 2021Website: lyonhealy.com/awards/

21st International Harp Contest in Israel4 to 14 October 2021Application deadline: TBAWebsite: harpcontest-israel.org.il

12th USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, USA

July 2022Required repertoire: see National News Section of this issueWebsite: usaihc.org

71th ARD International Music CompetitionSeptember 2022Website: br.de/ard-music-competition

MasterclassesWinter Class Di Musica Antica 2020 in Urbino, Italy16 to 19 April 2020with Chiara Granata, Historical harps.Website: fima-online.org3rd Scandinavian Harp Course, Gothenburg, Sweden21 to 24 May 2020with Isabelle Perrin and Erik Groenenstein-Hendriks.Website: scandinavianharpcourse.comGarda Lake Master Festival, Italy7 to 11 July 2020with Luisa PrandinaWebsite: gardalakemusicmaster.com15th International HarpMasters Summer Academy in Muenchenbuchsee, Switzerland8 to 20 July 2020with Irina Zingg, Marcella Carboni, Luisa Prandina, and Francesco Guarneri.Website: harpmasters.comMasterclass Palazzo Ricci in Montepulciano, Italy12 to 19 July 2020Susanna BertulucciWebsite: palazzoricci.comAcademie Internationale d’été de Nice, FranceSession I 13 to 19 July 2020 and Session II 20 to 26 July 2020with Marie-Pierre LanglametWebsite: academie-internationale-ete-nice.com25th Musicalta Academy, Alsace22 to 31 July 20201 to 10 Augustwith Christine Icart, Geneviève Létang and Francoise Verherve.Website: musicalta.comVoksenasen Summer Course, Norway10 to 15 August 2020with Isabelle Perrin

http://concorsocittamurata.com

http://harpfestival.nl

http://farandola.eu/pagine/diapason-doro/

http://rih-idf-jimdofree.com

http://roveredoro.org

https://festivalgargilesse.fr/

http://associazioneitalianarpa.it

http://hkharpsociety.org

mailto:compe%40harp-japan.com?subject=

http://harp-japan.com

mailto:artmosconsv%40gmail.com?subject=

http://mosconsv.ru/en/event_p.aspx?id=162764

http://lyonhealy.com/awards/

http://harpcontest-israel.org.il

http://usaihc.org

http://br.de/ard-music-competition

http://fima-online.org

http://scandinavianharpcourse.com

http://www.gardalakemusicmaster.com/

http://harpmasters.com

https://palazzoricci.com/

http://academie-internationale-ete-nice.com

http://musicalta.com


Rhona Clarke: Seen From Above (2019)by Astrid Desantoine

Seen From Above, written by Rhona Clarke (Ireland) for flute, viola and harp (Dur. 12’) was commissioned by the Belfast Music Society for Adam Walker (flute), Hélène Clément (viola) and Agnès Clément (harp). It was premiered 23 February 2020 at the International Festival of Chamber Music in Belfast, Ireland.

Seen From Above draws on ideas of nature, distance and perception. The panoramic landscapes of Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky provided initial inspiration for this piece. Burtynsky’s work, often shot using

Rhona Clarke.

drones, shows how nature has been altered by human industry. At first glance images appear like large-scale abstract paint-ings, but on closer inspection they reveal disturbing aspects of man’s exploitation of nature. The music does not seek to imitate Burtynsky’s images; rather, it reflects on the idea of the idealistic, the innocent, the distant view, which will be under-mined by uncomfortable realities on the ground. In the first movement, the harp creates a sense of landscape over which the flute and viola move independently. The second movement uses the plainchant, Dies Irae a theme quoted by many com-posers throughout history to depict death and corruption. The third movement is more hopeful and optimistic, reflecting on the wonder and power of nature.

S O L O

CARAMIELLO, Giovanni-Four Fantasias on Themes by Bellini and VerdiEdited by L. Belmondo. Ut Orpheus, HS 269. (IT)_-Le Serenate del Vesuvio Op. 12Six popular melodies transcribed and with variations. Edited by L. Belmondo. Ut Orpheus, HS 270. (IT)_-Variations and Fantasias on Celebrated MelodiesEdited by L. Belmondo. Ut Orpheus, HS 271. (IT)SAITO, Yo-Fantasie on “La Campanella” for harpPublisher: Zen-On Music Company. 12 pages. zen-on.co.jp/world/ (JP)VESJE, Uno Alexander-Footsteps in an Empty Room for solo harp.Lyon & Healy Publications. Digital: harp.com. (US/NO)VESJE, Uno Alexander-Window Dreamer for solo harp.Lyon & Healy Publications. Digital: harp.com. (US/NO)VESJE, Uno Alexander-Prelude No. 1 for solo harp.Lyon & Healy Publications. Digital: harp.com. (US/NO)

C H A M B E RDuoLIZOTTE, Caroline-Close for Couloir Op. 48For Harp and Cello. Calyane editions. (CA)PHANG, Kok Jun-3 Places in Singapore for Harp and Dizi(I) Telok Ayer (ii) Keppel Bay (iii) ShentonDur: 10’. World premiere: Katryna Tan and Tan Quing Luin, dizi; 5 September 2019, Esplanade Recital Singapore. (SG)NOVAČIĆ, ZORAN-Orchids for Flute and Harp World premiere: Tamara Coha Mandić, flute, and Diana Grubišić Ćiković, harp; November 2018 in Zagreb, Croatia. (HR)

L A R G E E N S E M B L E

LIZOTTE, Caroline-El Nino Mudo Op. 50For voice, flute, celtic harp, viola and electronics. Calyane editions. (CA)

Recent Premieres and PublicationsEd. – In general, the composer’s country of origin is indicated by the two-letter

Internet country code. Please refer to the list of World Harp Congress Correspondents.

WONG, Julian-Legends of the HarpMusical produced by Katryna Tan. World premiere: September 2019, Singapore Harp Fest. (SG)

H A R P E N S E M B L E

JAMIESON, Julia Kay-bug portraits for four lever or pedal harps or more.Dur: 7’30”. I - bombus (bumblebees). II - arabesque orb spinner (spider). III. - globe spinner (dragonfly). World premiere: Illinois Summer Harp Class Harp Jam, Ann Yeung, director; 8 June 2019, Urbana, Illinois. (US)LIZOTTE, Caroline-Stellae Saltantem Op. 48For two harps. Calyane editions. (CA)PHANG Kok Jun-Pelog Fantasy for harp ensembleWorld premiere: Viva Rave; September 2019, Singapore HarpFest. (SG)UHLIK, Tomislav-Two Short StoriesWorld premiere: Veronika Ćiković and Diana Grubišić Ćiković; 2 April 2020 in Zagreb, Croatia. (HR)WATSON, Eric-Golden Orb for harp ensembleWorld premiere: Viva Rave; September 2019, Singapore Harp Fest. (SG)

C O N C E R T O

BROUGHTON, Bruce-An Angel in the Attic for Flute, Harp and OrchestraWorldpremiere: Cristina Montes and Susan Greenberg (flute); 4 April 2020, with the Santa Monica Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Guido Lamell. Barnum Hall, Santa Monika. 4 April 2020.Mr. Broughton is a well know film and tv music composer, with some composition awards like Emmy awards and Grammy nominations. He also composes chamber music, orchestra and band works. This harp and flute concerto are structured in 3 movements: Moderately fast: relaxed, Not too fast and Fast. The composer describes the piece as “engaging”. Melodic, consonant and a descriptive piece for all the audiences. Shortly after the premiere, it will be edited by Brubelmusic. (US/ES)

N E W M U S I C


VESJE, Uno Alexander-Braig’s Harp, Harp ConcertoOrc.: 2122 4121 TPH str and piano reduction (harp/piano)Lyon & Healy Publications. Digital/Print. www.harp.com (US/NO)WATSON, Eric-Winged Messenger for Harp and OrchestraWorld premiere: Katryna Tan; 5 September 2019, Singapore HARPFEST.Movements: (1) Angelos, (2) Gabriel, (3) Dancing on the Head of the Pin. (SG)

A R R A N G E M E N T S

MASCAGNI, Pietro and ALBANO, Michele-Intermezzo from Cavallera RusticanaEdited by E. Degli Esposti and S. Simari. Ut Orpheus, HS 257. (IT)

W I T H E L E C T R O N I C S

LIZOTTE, Caroline-Stellar Sonata Op. 51World premiere: Caroline Lizotte; 23 June 2019 Paris Espace Camac. Calyane editions. (CA/FR)VESJE, Uno Alexander-Our Planet, our FutureDur: 42’. Solo work for acoustic harp and electronic elements about the climate crises. Commissioned by Helsinki Harp Festival. World premiere: Uno Vesje; 15 February 2020, Helsinki Music Centre, Finland. (NO)

M E T H O D S

KEMPF, Volker-Wiener HarfenschuleHarp method and pieces. In German only. Ed. Hollitzer, 97 pages. (AT)BRUNNER, Franziska and MOSER, Sabine-Harfenschule RegenbogenA colorful, comprehensive build-up method for very young students in six volumes.In German only. 80p. Rex Luzern. (CH)

N E W B O O K S

AUBAT-ANDRIEU, Mathilde/BANCAUD, Laurence/BARBÉ, Aurélie/BRESCHAND, Hélène-Guide to the Contemporary Harp. Translated by Lilian Rossi and Jean Rossi. English translation of the 2013 Éditions Minerve book La harpe aux XXe et XXIe siècles. Indiana University Press, 2019. Paperback. 201+ pages.DEVOTI, Paola-Corde e pedaliEdizioni Suvini Zerboni, ESZ 16002. (IT)“Among the so called “uninitiated”, contemporary music is often the victim of a series of commonplaces that label it as ugly, impossible to listen to, boring, pointless, very difficult to play and written in a incomprehensible way, to the extent that whoever plays it could invent the whole thing.”With this foreword Lucia Bova presents the new book by Paola Devoti, Corde e pedali (Strings and pedals), a book who will interest harpists, harp teachers, beginners and whoever would like to approach new music in a simple, light and different way. The declared aim of this book is to prepare young students or beginners to get used to contemporary music. Paola Devoti, harpist and composer has devoted herself to promote contemporary music for harp both as harpist and as a composer.The book contains twenty short pieces, lasting one or two pages, presented in the form of studies with fascinating titles like T-Rex and the little bird, Ostinato with plectrum, Homage to the Blues, Jumping Harp etc.Each piece uses different techniques or effects: sons pincées, glissandos, cluster, Bartók pizzicato or different rhythms and styles (blues, pop, jazz etc).The graphic is very clear and the divulged and didactic intent is explained by a short resumé before each composition, done by points (content of the piece, technical objectives, used effects) and at the bottom a short story to be used for the youngest.An exhaustive legenda at the beginning of the book will help students to get more used to the idiomatic effects of the harp.I believe that several harp teachers will find Corde e pedali very

useful for their classes and I hope there will be more books like this, because it is time contemporary music has to get out from the cliché of “boring and not interesting”. Bravo, Paola Devoti!

— Nicoletta SanzinKONDONASSIS, Yolanda-The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp.Twenty-two chapters. “Comprehensive guide and conversational text on composing idiomatically for the harp” including cartoons by Jeffrey Curnow. 128 pages. Carl Fischer, 2019. ISBN 978-1-4911-5691-9. (US)YOSHINO, Atsuko-The Quest for a Beautiful and Rich Sound on the Harp - concerning Henriette Renié’s Method for the HarpAtsuko Yoshino first came into contact with H. Renié’s Method for the Harp in 1974, when she first met Susann McDonald. Since then, she studied Renié’s method through her own lessons with Susann McDonald, as well as through her daughter Naoko’s lessons. Upon returning to Japan, Atsuko Yoshino has devoted her time to teaching young Japanese harpists, helping them to produce beautiful and rich sounds on the harp with a supple technique.Now, after almost 50 years of teaching the harp, Atsuko Yoshino has written this book to pass on what she believes to be the important points of Renié’s method, combined with her own personal experiences as a teacher.In March 2020, the book will be officially published and distributed in Japan by Schott Music Co. Ltd., Tokyo. (JP)

— Yo Saito

N E W R E C O R D I N G S

BENITO, Olga-InwardsPieces by composer Nil Ciuró, who is a pianist and composer from Barcelona. His music combines neo classic, electronic and avant-garde sonorities. eufonic.net/activitat/nil-ciuro/ (ES)BURANI, D./DOMENÉ, A.-Aires de EspañaSpanish music for two harps. SMC Records. (ES)DI MONACO, Laura-AIRKA-Contemporary music for Horn and HarpWith Laura Di Monaco, harp, Vittorio Schiavone, horn.Music by B. Andrès, J. Koetsier, J.-M. Damase, J. Singer, N. Ferro. Da Vinci Classics. (IT)GRUBISIC CIKOVIC, Diana-L’heure exquiseWith Miljenka Grđan, soprano, and Diana Grubišić Ćiković, harp.Works by M. Ravel, R. Hahn, A. Caplet, G. Fauré, J. B. Faure, C. Saint-Saens, D. Domitrović, and K. Kraus. Croatia Records (HR)MONTES, Cristina-Everything but TromboneWith Cristina Montes, harp, and David Rejano, trombone.Includes: J. Massenet Méditation, J. Cras Suite en Duo, and G Mahler Adagietto. Cid Music Records. (ES)RØDLAND, Sunniva-PosturesNorwegian solo harp music by David Bratlie, Mark Adderley, Bjørn Fongaard, Wolfgang Plagge and Yngve Slettholm. LAWO Classics. (NO)SACCHI, Floraleda-SPACEMusic for harp, electronics. voice and Tibetan Harmonic. The music can be considered mysterious, relaxing, and evokes a feeling of contemplative spaciousness. Amadeus Arte, Naxos of America. (IT/US)WALSTAD, Sidsel-GinasteraThe Norwegian Radio Orchestra, Miguel Harth-Bedoya (conductor).A. Ginastera: Harp Concerto Op. 25 and Variaciones Concertantes, Op. 23. The recording of the Harp Concerto is based on Walstad’s research on Zabaleta’s editings and score (see article in WHCR Fall 2019 issue on her research). LAWO Classics. (NO)

N E W M U S I C


A R G E N T I N AEvents

The “5th Buenos Aires Harp Week” organized by the Nueva Escuela Argentina de Arpa took place at the Music Department of the Universidad Nacional de las Artes in September 2019. Masterclasses, Workshops and Concert were offered featur-ing Oscar Rodriguez Do Campo, Suelem Sampaio from Brazil, Megan Sesma from the US and the stellar presence of the 20th Edition of the Israel Harp Competition, Lenka Petrovic. The 6th Edition will take place from 29 August 2020.

Marcela Mendez co-organized the 2nd International Harp Academy in Santa Fe city featuring Maria Luisa Rayan and Eisabeth Hainen in October 2019. Masterclasses, Workshops and Concert took place with international participants.

Nueva Escuela Argentina de Arpa co-organized the “2nd Espirito Santo Harp Week” in January 2020 together with Brazilian harpist Glaucia Castilhos. Along with Oscar Rodriguez Do Campo, they offered masterclasses to participants from all over the country. The 3rd Edition will take place 10 January 2021 in Vitoria, capital city of Espirito Santo state.

AppointmentsLucrecia Jancsa was appointed Harp Professor at the Manuel

de Falla Conservatory of the City of Buenos Aires.Gabriela Czerdnikow was appointed Harp Professor at the

Astor Piazzolla Conservatory of the City of Buenos Aires.Melissa Keny won the principal harp position with the

Orquesta Estable of the Teatro Colón.Alina Traine won Harp assistant position with the Orquesta

Filarmónica of the Teatro Colón.Felipe Martini won Principal Harp position with the Orquesta

de Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires.

EventsEsteban Benzecry’s Sous la constellation de l´homme oiseau

saw its Latin American premier during the Semana del Arpa de Buenos Aires in October 2019. It was played by Mara Diniello, harp, and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Neuquén.

The Mágica y Misteriosa concerto for harp and string orchestra by Clauda Montero was performed by Lucrecia Jancsa together with the Orquesta de Música Argentina Juan de Dios Filiberto under the baton of Lucía Zicos in Buenos Aires 21 June 2019.

Five trios for flute, harp and bandoneon were premiered during the Ciclo de Conciertoe de Música Contemporánea, Teatro San Martín. All the pieces were commissioned for this concert. Patricia Da Dalt (flute), Pablo Mainetti (Bandoneon), and Lucrecia Jancsa (harp), played trios be Alex Nante, Guillo Spell, Fernado Fiszbein, María Eugenia Luc, and Pablo Mainetti.

Traces XII for harp and electronics by Martín Matalón saw its Latin American premiere played by Lucrecia Jancsa in 2019.

B E L G I U MNews

Harppunt vzw is a new association founded by Lara Verbeeck, Marijke Vermeiren and Sophie Baguet. The association, which mainly focusses on Flanders, wants to improve the interest for the harp as instrument, in the broadest way possible. Harppunt is supporting and stimulating harp education, primarily meant for Dutch music teachers, both in quality as in quantity. The associa-tion wants to encourage contact between teachers, harpists, com-posers and people who take an interest in harp music. To achieve these goals, Harppunt creates several activities. The development of catalogues and training/courses, the organization of at least one big event every year and the promotion of harpists.

C A N A D AEvents

Harpenning III is organized by the Montreal Conservatory of Music on 8 March 2020. A concert of original works for solo harp by Caroline Lizotte is played by the composer.

The Four Seasons Harp Quartet, consisting of harpists Jennifer Swartz, Caroline Léonardelli, Lori Gemmell, and Caroline Lizotte, will be on tour at three chamber music festivals in August 2020:

Oscar Rodriguez Do Compo.

Mara Diniello and the Orquesta Sinfónica del Neuquén.

Participants of the 2nd Espirito Santo Harp Week.

N AT I O N A L N E W S


at the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival; at the Waterside Summer Series Amherst Island and the Virée Classique de l’OSM.

Several concerts were presented throughout the year: “Romantic Harp” duo Robin Grenon and Gisele Giubord gave a magnificent concert, on 28 July 2019, at Domaine-Joly-de-

Lotbiniere; they also gave a con-cert “Tropical and Celtic Harps” in August 2019 in Grand-Mere. Members of the Harpissimo Quebec Association held a concert “A Tour of the World on the Harp” on 28 August 2019 in Verdun. And finally, a “Harp and organ” concert held by members of the Harpissimo Quebec Association on 15 December 2019 in Saint-Lambert.

Stana Bunea, Canadian-Romanian harpist and music ther-

apist, on the occasion of the launch in Romania of the new volume of her book, “The Words of the Harp - VI”, on 3 October 2019, played a harp and poetry recital in Giurgiu at the “Nicolae Balanescu Athenaeum”, and on 10 October, 2019, in Bucharest at the “Mihai Eminescu Cultural Center”. The poems were recit-ed by Dr. Constantin Biriș Jr. He also presented the recording “Masterpieces for the harp” with works by G.F. Haendel, Louis Spohr, Elias Paris-Alvars, Felix Godefroid and the Romanian composer Felicia Donceanu.

WorkshopsTristan Le Govic, Breton harpist, was presented by the Breton

Union, on 31 August 2019, in Montreal at Atwater Library.Huron Harp Fest was held 4 to 6 October 2019 in Goderich,

Ontario. Instructors were Gisele Guibord and Robin Grenon, as well as Sharlene Wallace and Kim Robertson.

C R O A T I AEvents

Chantal Mathieu and Tajana Vukelić Peić were the profes-sors during a masterclass in Rab, Croatia on 12 to 21 July 2019. They gave classes for solo harp and harp ensemble. The event opened with a concert given by both.

F R A N C EEvents

The 53th Festival d’été de Gargilesse will take place 7 to 23 August 2020.

Website: festivalgargilesse.fr

CompetitionsThe Concours International de Harpes took place in March

2020 in Limoges. The jury was Skaila Kanga, Anne-Sophie Bertrand, Ghislaine Petit-Volta, Laurent Coulon, and Véronique Chenuet.First prizes were awarded toLevel 1

Séverine Guerin and Zélie CazoLevel 2

Alexandra Smerdova and Freur CazoLevel 3

Zarina ZaradnaLevel 4

Elody Mullot and Morwenn Saint-Marc-EtienneLevel 5

Juliette ChantelotLevel 6

Margarita RamazanovaLevel 7

Valentine Correani and Kseniya KurlovichLevel 8

Valentine CorreaniLevel 9

Alicia Miguelez and Alice ProffitLevel 10

Alicia Miguelez and Lucile Gallet-DelgrangeLevel 11

First Prize: Dariia Ahapova, UkraineSecond Prize: Lucie Spedicato, FranceThird Prize: Gloria Huyghe, Belgium Angéline Sanfourche, France

Level 12First Prize: Florence Meister, SwitzerlandSecond Prize: Séphora Foucher de la Fuente, FranceThird Prize: Maëlle Touplin, France

G E R M A N YEvents

The “Süddeutsches Harfenfestival” will celebrate its 25th anniversary 1 to 4 October 2020. Arianna Savall, Maja Taube, Dino Contenti, Harriet Earis, and Tristan le Govic will give mas-terclasses. Website: Harfenfestival.com

A masterclass and solo recital given by Jasmin-Isabel Kühne took place in Hannover in September 2019. She was joined by Isabel Moreton, who gave a lecture on competition preparation.

Stana Bunea performing in Bucharest.

Tajana Vukelic Peic and Chantal Mathieu at the opening recital.

Participants of the masterclass and Tajana Vukelic Peic (second from the right).




CompetitionsThe Bertold-Hummel-Competition for harp took place in

Würzburg 22-24 November 2019. This competition is an annu-al competition, each year dedicated to a different instrument.

First Prize: Hyejin Kim, South KoreaSecond Prize: Shiho Minami, Japan Julia Kräuter, AustriaThird Prize: Johannes Willemze, The NetherlandsThe 9th National Harp Competition of the German Harp

Association (VDH) will take place in May 2021 in Sondershausen. Website: harfe-vdh.de

AppointmentsKatrina Szederkenyi joined the orchestra of the Musikalische

Komödie in Leipzig.

In MemoriamJutta Zoff, former solo harpist of the Staatskapelle Dresden

died in October at the age of 92. Born on 14. January 1928 in Bautzen, she was honorary member of the Semper-Opera in Dresden and recipient of the Mättig-Stiftermedaille.

I R E L A N DNews

In December 2019, at a UNESCO committee meeting in Bogota, Columbia, “Irish harping” was inscribed on the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This designation, which aims to “enhance visibility for the traditional practices and know-how of com-munities”, recognizes Ireland’s unique affiliation with the harp, encompassing ancient and modern traditions of harp playing. Congratulations to all those involved in the campaign to bring global recognition to Irish harping, particularly Aibhlin McCrann and members and associates of Cruit Eireann (Harp Ireland).

The Irish harp community is very much looking forward to this year’s World Harp Congress in July which is being hosted by our Welsh neighbors in Cardiff. It is fifteen years since Dublin hosted the World Harp Congress (2005). We wish our Welsh friends every success in their preparations for this event.

Applications are invited for two of Ireland’s annual harp courses, namely the International Festival for Irish Harp, which takes place between Sunday 28th June and Friday 3rd July, and the Festival of Early Irish Harp, which takes place between Wednesday 12th and Tuesday 18th August. See https://www.cairdenacruite.com/festival and http://irishharp.org/festival/ for further details.

In MemoriamPat Brassil, harpist and teacher at the Loreto College in

Foxrock died in August 2019.

I T A L YEvents

The ARPE 3V was an outstanding event which took place the first weekend of October 2019 in Portogruaro (Venice). This project had been realized by four harp teachers from the Northern-East region: Alessia Luise, Nicoletta Sanzin, Patrizia Tassini, and Tiziana Tornari. Their aim was bringing students

GINASTERA LWC1182

HARP CONCERTO, OP. 25

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SIDSEL WALSTAD — HARP

The Norwegian Radio OrchestraMiguel Harth-Bedoya — conductor

Based on Zabaleta’s revised version. For more info, visit: www.sidsel.no

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from all conservatories and high schools of the north-eastern part of Italy together for two days filled with workshops and lectures, sharing this unique experience with other colleagues. More than 100 students of all ages and levels arrived at the Teatro Russolo in Portogruaro, the main venue, where they worked on the program

of the concert of 5 October divided into two harp ensembles, Fantasia (under the guidance of Gabriella Bosio) and Danzarea (under the guidance of Maestro Francesco Pavan) for a sold-out concert, broadcasted by the local and national RAI1. Moreover, Gabriella Bosio held a workshop on how to work with an harp ensemble for little children and Anna Pasetti gave a wonderful lecture on the history of harp ensembles. Teachers who joined this project were (in alphabetical order) R. Alessandrini, M. Bassi, P. Boniolo, E. Ghebbioni, A. Pasetti, A. Penitenti, N. Recchia, G, Rettore, N. Sanzin, P. Tassini, and T. Tornari. Assistants were: V. Baradello, E. Bersenda, and L. Pandolfo.

ARPISSIMA, the traditional touring gathering organized by Salvi Harps has changed its name in Harpissima, declaring its international aim. The three dates in spring are:

- Novara 27 to 29 March, co-organizer V. Madini Moretti, guests Glain Dafydd, Benoit Wery.

- Rome 17 to 19 April, co-organizer A. Giraldi, guest Catrin Finch.

- Mesola (Ferrara) 22- to 24 May, co-organizer S. Baratella, guest Joel van Lerber .

For info: salviharps.com/it/arpissima/The showroom of Salvi in Milano relocates and will open on

14 March 2020.The Harp Festival 2020 will take place in Castelfranco,

Veneto (TV) 17 to 19 June 2020. It is organized by A. Pentitenti and will include masterclasses, workshops, lectures on harp music, future of didactic for the harp, and recitals. Lectures will be among others G. Dall’Olio, F. Tirale, A. Penitenti.

CompetitionsThe 29th Riviera della Versilia Competition Camaiore, will

take place on 25 June 2020.More information concorsorivieradellaversilia.it

J A P A NEvents

6th jazz and pop event “harp Harp harp 2019” was held by Nippon (Japan) Harp Association on 21 December 2019. Questions concerning the upcoming appearance of ‘harp Harp harp 2020’ are welcomed. Please contact the Nippon (Japan) Harp Association.

NewsIn 2019, Ayako Shinozaki was elected President of the Nippon

Harp Association, Artistic Director of the Soka International Harp Festival, and Chairman of the Nippon Harp Competition.

CompetitionsAt the 20th OSAKA International Music Competition 2019,

Marie MIKAWA won 1st Prize in the Junior division and Nagisa TANAKA won 1st Prize in the senior division.

The 32th Nippon Harp Competition in advanced and junior divisions will be held 12 to 15 November 2020 in Soka City. It is open to harpists of all nationalities who meet the age require-ments.

Applications will be accepted from 1 to 30 September 2020.Contact: Soka-shi Bunkakaikan, 1-1-5 Matsue, Soka City,

Saitama, 240-0013.Email: [email protected]. Website: harp-japan.com

Attention: Check the Web site details at all times.RepertoireAdvanced division (up to 20 years)

First stage(1) J. L. Dussek: Sonata c-mollFinal stage (maximum duration 20 minutes)(1) A. Roussel: Impromptu Op. 21(2) Free choice piece(s)

Junior division (up to 12 years)(1) M. Grandjany: Petite Suite Classique, Nos. 1, 2, 3(2) One free choice piece

AppointmentsAyano Kaji was appointed harpist of the Tokyo Philharmonic

Orchestra. The other two harpists of the orchestra are Mayumi Miyahara and Midori Tajima.

Performing the Danzarea.

ARPE 3V.

6th jazz and pop event “harp Harp harp 2019” Sanae Kanai

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M A L T AEvents

Soprano Elin Manahan Thomas and harpist Caroline Calleja gave a performance on the 21 September 2019 at St. Paul’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta.

Harpist Anne Marie Camilleri Podesta and flutist Fiorella Camilleri performed during “Notte Bianca” at the Central Bank of Malta in Valletta on the 5 October 2019.

Harpist Britt Arend, soprano Gillian Zammit and cellist Frank Camilleri performed a program of songs on the 22 February 2020 at Verdala Palace. They will be repeating this program

in New York at Carnegie Hall on the 7 April 2020 in collabora-tion with Parma recordings.

M E X I C OAppointments

In December 2019 the Institute of Fine Arts (Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes) held auditions for the prestigious position of Harp Concert Artist. This was the first time in their history that they have opened a position for harp, and we are happy to announce that Emmanuel Padilla Holguín won the audition. He will be performing as solo harpist in recitals for Bellas Artes as well as in chamber concerts with other mem-bers of the concert artists group.

EventsIn March 2020 Janet

Paulus and Mercedes Gómez performed works by J.-J. Rameau, J.S. Bach, T. O’Carolan, A. de Ribayaz, Ricardo Castro, Felipe Villanueva, Bernard Andrès, César Franck, Arturo Márquez, and Gerardo Tamez as part of the 11th Festival Internacional Divertimento. This concert will commemorate the 20th anniversary of their group: SONDOS, dúo de arpas. The concert will be held in the Seminario de Cultura Mexicana in Mexico City.

T H E N E T H E R L A N D SAppointments

Anneleen Schuitemaker was appointed harpist of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, she will start her position in season 2020-2021.

French harpist Sylvain Blassel was appointed as harp profes-sor of the Royal Conservatoire The Hague. As of September 2020, he will join the harp teaching staff next to Ernestine Stoop (main subject) and Marieke Schoenmakers (orchestra parts).

Miriam Overlach was appointed teacher for chamber music at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Gwyneth Wentink was appointed as regular guest teacher at the same institute. Next to Miriam and Gwyneth, Erika Waardenburg is the main harp teacher and Sandrine Chatron is teaching orchestra parts at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

FestivalThe Dutch Harp Festival & Competition will be back in 2020

for its sixth edition! Join us in Utrecht, at Tivoli Vredenburg, 9 to 10 May 2020 for two full days of harp. Artistic director Remy van Kesteren will guide you through a parallel universe to show you that the harp is much more than just a classical instrument.

The line-up consists of: Lavinia Meijer, Ruben Hein (NJJO), Tom Monger (Florence + The Machine), REMY., Liesbeth Vreeburg, Terry Riley’s in C met harporkest o.l.v. Gwyneth Wentink, Esther Swift, Cesar Secundino, New Ways (Liam Byrne & Morris Kliphuis), Harp Sirens, Alice Belugou, Sylvain Blassel, Sunniva Rødland – Vortex Room, Orchestra Elastique plays King Kong soundtrack, LEYA, Laura Perrudin, Mary Lattimore, Andrea Voets, Corrina Hewat (Shine), Harp leerorkest.

MasterclassesThe yearly audition training course for harpists will be

given by Sandrine Chatron, solo harpist at the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, teacher at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam and at the Haute Ecole de Musique de Genève. The training will take place from the 19th to the 22nd of April 2020.

CompetitionsOn January 25 and 26 the fifth edition of the Rosa Spier Harp

Competition took place in Tilburg, The Netherlands. In differ-ent categories candidates of all ages took part.Ensembles with harp

First Prize: Harp Duo: Delphine Palumbo and Anna Petrovitsch

Second Prize: Duo Harp and Flute: Hedwig Brieffies, harp and Iara de Carvalho Perillo, flute

Second Prize: Harp Ensemble SKVR (Stichting Kunstzinnige Vorming Rotterdam)

Third Prize: Duo Harp and Cello: Zimra Hegedus-Bjelik, harp and Keve Hegedus-Bjelik, cello

Voice & HarpFirst Prize: Kyra FrimoutSecond Prize: Eva Kersten Marlies de Lange Third Prize: Kira van Veldhoven

Folk Harp Category 2:First Prize: Zimra Hegedus-Bjelik Emma VondenhoffSecond Prize: Janna SlotboomThird Prize: Eva Haverkamp

Folk Harp Category 3: First Prize: Lisa Kurstjens

Frank Camilleri, Britt Arend, and Gillian Zammit.

Janet Paulus and Mercedes Gómez.

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Second Prize: Marloes NeijensConcert Harp Category 1:

First Prize: Anna PetrovitschSecond Prize: Delphine PalumboThird Prize: Mariska DoverenBest performance of the compulsory work by Dolf de Kinkelder, category 1: Anna Petrovitsch

Concert Harp Category 2:First Prize: Claire SchuurmansSecond Prize: Marlies de LangeBest performance of the compulsory work by Dolf de Kinkelder, category 2: Claire Schuurmans

Concert Harp Category 3: First Prize: Sanne BakkerSecond Prize: Inge van GrinsvenBest performance of the compulsory work by Sylvia Maessen, category 3: Sanne BakkerPrize for the best self made arrangement of a Traditional, category 2 folk harp: Louise Janssen-Boudon

N O R W A YEvents

The “Harp Weekend in Oslo” will take place from the 2 to 3 May 2020 and is organized by the Norwegian Harp Society and the Norwegian Academy of Music. There will be masterclasses, workshops and an improvising concert with Nikolaz Cadoret (FR) and students from the Norwegian Academy of Music. There will also be performances by Karen Vaughan (UK) and Uno Vesje (NO).

NewsThe 12th Nordic Harp Meeting was arranged in Gjøvik, Norway

the 24 to 27 October 2019. The 2019’s Norwegian Variation cel-ebrated the famous Norwegian word “Kose”. Kose is a feeling of warmth, comfort and safety. Stein Villa created a laid-back program, with participant-lead courses – with the exception of Camac sponsored Heather Downie. This variation of the Nordic Harp Festival focused on both harp and the other Nordic tradi-tional instruments, langeleik, bowed lyre, Kantele and more.

Uno Vesje performed his own harp concerto, Bragi’s Harp, with Trondheim Symphony Orchestra & Opera conducted by

Torodd Wigum, 5 October 2019 at Olavshallen in Trondheim.Sylvain Blassel performed a solo recital at the Norwegian

Academy of Music and gave a masterclass with the students of Isabelle Perrin the 14 December 2019.

The Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra’s chamber music series presents Maurice Ravel Introduction et Allegro pour harpe et ensemble and Luciano Berio’s Folk Songs with principal harp-ist Birgitte Volan Håvik and soprano Stina Steingrim Levvel in Gamle Logen in Oslo the 16 February 2020.

The Norwegian Academy of music is holding their yearly music festival “Lyden av musikkhøgskolen” (English: the sound of the academy of Music). The Festival is a three-day music festival all over Oslo from 20 to 22 March. The harp depart-ment has solo, duet and orchestral concerts all around the city. Joanna Thalmann and Emmanuel Padilla Holguin will perform the Bach Double Concerto BWV1060 (originally for harpsi-chord) and Marie Nielsen will perform the Händel Concerto.

P O R T U G A LNews

In January 2020 Ana Aroso, harp, and Isabel Anjo, saxo-phone, gave a concert in Porto, playing works by Portuguese

composers who especially wrote pieces for this duo. Ana Aroso studied with Jana Bouskova.

Angélica Salvi presented her new album Phantone at an elec-troacoustic harp concert at the University of Aveiro, at the GrETUA (Grupo Experimental de Teatro da Universtiy of Aveido).

Carolina Coimbra, former student of Irina Zingg, presented a solo recital at the Teatro Miguel Franco, in Leiria.

R O M A N I A & M O L D A V I ANews

Harpist Xavier de Maistre and Diana Damrau (soprano) performed a recital during the “George Enescu” Festival in

Birgitte Volan Håvik.

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Isabel Anjo, saxophone, and Ana Aroso, harp.

Angélica Salvi


September 2019. The recital was part of the section “Recitals and chamber concerts” and took place at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest. The program included works by F. Mendelssohn, F. Liszt, S. Rachmaninoff, Vladimir Aleksandrovici Vlasov, Reynaldo Hahn, Cl. Debussy, E. Enescu, and F. Poulenc.

Harpist Ionela Brădean and flutist Ioana Bălașa performed W. A. Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp at the Romanian

Athenaeum in Bucharest, with the Engineering Orchestra “Petru Ghenghea”, conductor Andrei Iliescu, in October 2019. The concert was part of “Classic is fantastic. How to understand music”.

Also, in October, harpist Maria Bîldea performed M. Ravel’s Introduction et Allegro and Danse sacrée et danse profane by Cl. Debussy with the George Enescu Philharmonic, conductor Marzena Diakun.

In December Spanish musician Pedro Bonet (cello) and Romanian harpist Roxana Moişanu (Celtic harp) performed at the St. Joseph Cathedral in Bucharest in the concert “The cello, the harp, and the emotions” organized by the Embassy of Spain in Bucharest, with support from the Association for Music, Arts, and Culture and from George Enescu National Museum. Pedro Bonet performed Bach’s Suite No. 3 for cello solo, Solo Cello Suite by Spanish composer Gaspar Cassadó, an emotional but also lively piece, with a pronounced rhythmic component, followed by the Sacher Variations for solo cello by the well-known Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski.

Through the harp works selected for this occasion, Roxana Moişanu proposed an imaginary journey over seven centuries of music, which led the listeners through majestic sounds com-ing from all over Europe: Spain, Germany, Italy, France and Romania.

All the harp arrangements and original compositions by Roxana Moișanu and Mladen Spasinovici included in this recital were world premieres.

Events“Harpissima” will take place between 24 and 26 April 2020,

in Bucharest. Salvi Harps, Lyon & Healy and the Romanian Harpists Association will organize this event which will include concerts, masterclasses, a conference and an exhibition of concert harps and Celtic harps. During “Harpissima”, harpists students will have the opportunity to attend in masterclasses, benefiting from the value and experience of two prestigious harpists, Lucia Bova and Maria Bîldea.

A new Bucharest Harp Festival will take place 23 to 25 October 2020. It is organized by the Romanian Harpists Association and the National Music University of Bucharest and supported by Camac Harps. Special guests will be David Lootvoet and Angela Madjarova.

R U S S I AReport from Russia

Usually our concert season starts in November. The festival “Harp art of Russia” starts in November and pupils from chil-dren music schools and schools of arts take part in 2-3 con-certs. These concerts play a big role in the development of harp education in Russia. The level of participants becomes more professional, the repertoire more interesting and participants and teachers can study from each other. Then in December we have the continuation of the festival and three more concerts take place. Students, professional harpists participate in those concerts. Two more concerts in April we dedicate to outstand-ing harpists from all over the world and we close our festival again with children concerts in May.

For the last three years instead of having concerts in May we had a children competition dedicated to our well known harp-ist Kira Saradjeva, who was a soloist of the Bolshoi Theatre orchestra and professor at the Gnessins’ Musical -Pedagogical Institute and Maymonid State Classical Academy.

This year will be rich with competitions. In January we had the V International competition of musicians-performers “Classical Academy” that gathered 45 harpists. In February we had the competition for young harpists dedicated to Saradjeva, in December we will have the III All-Russia music competition, and the International Competition “Golden Harp”.

Last November Moscow conservatory marked 145 years anni-versary of a harp class. A big forum was organized to celebrate this event. Three concerts and big conference with round table attract-ed the attention of many musicians. Alexander Baranov and Maria Fyodorova were the organizers of this event and other concerts, together with the support of Moscow conservatory administration.

The “Vera Dulova salone” takes place every month and organized by Nika Ryabchinenko. It is open to all harpists who like to perform.

The Russian Harp Society engages not only concerts activities. New recordings, music scores, and books are released every year. This year Natalia Shameyeva has been editing and publishing music by Victor Ulianich Sonata for flute and harp in 4 movements, and Contrasts (two pieces for flute and harp) as well as Akathist to Dulova for two harps and percussion by Valery Kikta, and Fantasia for two harps by Irina Kaynova.

From 18 to 22 March the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg will be hosting the Northern Lyre Harp Music Festival for the fourth time. It will be possible to get acquainted with the sound of the classical harp as well as its national varieties – the oud, the Celtic and Colombian harps – and to hear these instruments in ensembles with violin, viola, cello, cello da gamba, flute, clari-net, and voice. Famous musicians and rising stars will perform harp repertoire classics, contemporary works, and some will perform their compositions.

In April we look forward to a masterclass given by Catherine Michel.

Harp life in Moscow is very active. Harpists from other Russian cities come to participate. The interest to harp even among none musicians is becoming more and more popular. It is very gratifying.

—Natalia Shameyeva

Roxana Moisanu.



Aleksandra Mohorko won the third prize in the international competition Petar Konjović 2019 in Belgrade (Serbia).

Aleksandra Mohorko won the 1st prize and golden plaquette at the 4th International Harp Competition M. A. Rubin in Moscow (Russia).

Brin Bernatović and Veronika Ćiković (harp duo) were were awarded the third prize at the VI Concurso Ibérico de Música de Cámara con Arpa in Madrid, Spain.

S O U T H K O R E AEvents

All events have been canceled due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.

S P A I NEvents

The Festival de l’arpa a Terrassa took place 21 to 22 September 2019 in the Concervatroy of Terassa. Tritan Le Govic was the guest harp-ist. He gave a masterclass on the Celtic harp and a concert. Students from Catalonia worked together and performed during the festival. Camac Harps supported the event and exhibited instruments.

Davi Lootvoet gave a masterclass and concert during the Festival de l’arpa a Zaragoza which took place

beginning of February and was supported by Camac Harps.The events organized by the Associació catalana d’arpistes

included a gathering of 22 students from different catalan music schools performing „West Harp Story“ at the Valencia Conservatory in December, ant the Trobada d’arpes a Santa Perpetua de Mogoda (Barcelona), student’s meeting on 14 March 2020, as well as Trobada d’arpes a L’Escola Municipal de Música de L’Eixample (Barcelona) on 9 May 2020.

AchievementsAt the end of February, a

concert was dedicated to the 60-year-anniversary of creative activities of the great Russian harpist and teacher Natalia Shameyeva.

She performed new composi-tions by contemporary Russian composer Igor Krasilnikov’s Serenade for harp and orches-tra of folk Russian instruments; J. Jongen Waltz, L.M. Tedeschi Improvviso Drammatico for cello (Igor Lifanovsky) and harp; V. Kikta Contrasts for flute (Sergey Juravel) and harp and M. Tournier Vers la source dans le bois. After an intermission and greetings from the Russian Music Academy administration and compos-ers from the Russian Harp Society, V. Kikta and V. Uliyanich, the Moscow cello quartet (all members teach at the Academy) performed Sad Waltz by J. Sibelius and Waltz by D. Shostakovich. After that students and former students of Natalia Shameyeva took part in the concert. The last composition by A. Glazunov from his ballet Maiden-servant-girl was arranged for eleven flutes, eight harps and two percussions by Victor Uliyanich. The concert was a great success and very well attended.

AppointmentsMaria Krushevskaya won the position of principal harp with

the Bolshoi Theatre in St. Petersburg.

S L O V E N I AEvents

At the Festival “Lent” in Maribor (Slovenia), Brin Bernatović and Leto Križanič Žorž performed the M. Malecki Concertino in An Old Style for two harps with the accompaniment of the orchestra of the University of Vilnius (Lithuania).

Flutist Doroteja Senica and harpist Leto Križanič Žorž per-formed the W. A. Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp in C major with the accompaniment of the Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra from Hungary in December 2019. The concert was organized by Festival Ljubljana.

NewsBrin Bernatović and Veronika Ćikovič recorded several com-

positions for two harps for the archive of RTV (Radio and tele-vision) Slovenija. The producer was Smiljan Greif.

The RTV Slovenija has featured Dalibor Bernatović and his work on the cultural program Opus in December 2019.

AchievementsIn April 2019 students of the Conservatory of Music and

Ballet Maribor competed at the 10th international competi-tion Antonio Salieri in Legnago (Verona) in Italy. In Category C, Aleksandra Mohorko won the 1st prize and golden plaquette and Ajda Nina Vivod won the 2nd prize and golden plaquette. In category D, Leto Križanič Žorž won the 1 prize, Premio Assoluto and the special prize, a concert playing solo with the orchestra.

Natalia Shameyeva.


Tristan Le Govic

LUC

CA

VE

LLEC

Camac Zaragoza Ensemble.


MasterclassesCristina Montes will give her annual masterclass in Vilavella

VI Classical music festival in Valencia 22 to 28 July 2020. For more information: todalamusica.es

Associació catalana d’arpistes organizes a summer course at the Barcelona Conservatory 29 June to 3 July 2020.

CompetitionsThe VI concurso Ibérico de música de cámara con arpa took

place 28 November to 1 December 2019 in Madrid at the Conservatorio Professional Arturo Soria. The jury was Isabelle Perrin (FR/NO), Dalibor Bernatovich (RO), Mendmaa Dorzhin (ES). The Agrupación camerística Isolda performed at the opening concert. Masterclasses were given by Isabelle Perrin, Zoraida Avila and Diana Montoya (percussion). Otto Thiel con-ducted a conversation about Henriette Renié. 16 groups from 13 different countries entered the competition. The first win-ner in the adults category, the Jerusalem Duo, was outstand-ing, technically and artistically. The contest was supported by NANJING HARP STUDIO (China), Salvi and Lyon & Healy Harps, Euromúsica Fersán, Todonotas, AIE, and Mendmaa Dorzhin.

The ArpaPlus contest, a nation-al student’s contest, organized by RCSMM, took place at the Real con-servatorio superior de Madrid at the end of February 2020. Park Stickney was guest artist during the contest. Next year the competition will take place in Valladolid.

AwardsCristina Montes was on the finalists list of the International

Acoustic Music Awards. This awards reward the excellence in acoustic music.

S W E D E NEvents

The Scandinavian Harp course with Isabelle Perrin and Erik Groenenstein-Hendriks will take place 21 to 24 May 2020 at Gothenburg Concert Hall. The harp course with focus on orchestra audition repertoire and posture with Alexander tech-nique including individual and collective classes.

The Sweden Harpdays will take place 12 to 14 June 2020 in Danderyd, Stockholm. There will be concerts, masterclasses and workshops by Miriam Overlach, Heather Downie, and Ismahni Björkman.

In Memoriam Karin Langebo (1927-2019)Karin Langebo’s long national and international carrier

as a harpist and opera singer included engagements at the Royal Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Swedish Radio Orchestra and Drottningholms theater in Stockholm. She received several awards and cultural medals and made many recordings with harp. Karin Langebo was and is still a great inspiration to all the harpists of Scandinavia.

S W I T Z E R L A N DNews

A new harp beginners’ book has been released by Franziska Brunner and Sabine Moser, both teachers in and around Lucerne. It is very nicely done and has wonderful colorful pictures and drawings. comprehensive build-up. Six volumes in one folder.

AchievementsViviane Nüscheler won first prize in the Marcel Tournier

competition in Italy as well as at the Helsinki Harp Competition in February 2020.

Marika Cecilia Riedl won third prize in the Luigi Nono com-petition in Italy, open to all instruments.

Both are studying with Sarah O’Brien at the Zurich University of the arts

T H A I L A N DEvents

Tamnak Prathom Harp Centre celebrated its 17th anniversa-ry with a weekend of celebratory concerts on November 30th and December 1st at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

The Saturday afternoon concert included a variety of solo and ensemble performances by teachers and students of TPHC, and guest artist, Ana Ester Santos from Portugal.On Sunday afternoon, we were treated to a fascinating program of songs and arias from well known operas, arranged and performed for clarinet and harp by Jie Zhou and Andreas Oberaigner of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein Düsseldorf, Germany.

The Siam Harp Society brought together 12 professional and student harpists in a program entitled, “Sawasdee Harp”, on August 25, 2019 at Siam Ratchada Auditorium. A variety of solos, duos and chamber pieces were enthusiastically received.

TPHC concert, Nov 30th: L-R, Tongsuang Isarangkun, Ana Ester Santos, Lisa Gracia Supadi, Jie Zhou, and Judith Utley.

L to R: Pasatorn Stieniti, Ema Mitarai, Bhoomsiripansa Dansilp, Zhi Wang, Nichatorn Tangkuptanon, Pansa Soontornrattanarak, Puntaree Wudtipornpong, Chayamon Sanmueng, Suthasinee Siripon, Suwina Yamakup, Thammathorn Bwornanakeskul. (missing from photo, Phuttaraksa Kamnirdratana.)

Cristina Montes.



U S AEvents

March 20-22, 2020 – Virginia Harp Center Festival; Arlington, VA. virginiaharpcenterfestival.com

May 19-21, 2020 – Anne Adams Awards & Grandjany Memorial Competition; Roosevelt University Chicago College for Performing Arts, IL. harpfoundationahs.org

June 21-24, 2020 – 44th American Harp Society, Inc. National Conference; Orlando, Florida. harpsociety.org

July 4-18, 2020 – Young Artist’s Harp Seminar; Gambier, OH. harpseminar.com

July 5-12, 2020 Young Artist’s Harp Seminar Preparatory Division; Gambier, OHharpseminar.com

NewsFall AHS Grant Awards:Chapter Projects

Lyra Chapter - Harp Day 2019 for visiting presenter fees (Phaedra Moll) Amount: $350

New Orleans Chapter of the American Harp Society, Inc. for Erin Hill residency at the New Orleans Jazz & Pop Harp Weekend 2020. (Patrice Fisher) Amount: $500

Phoenix Chapter - 2020 Young Arizona Artist Competition for scholarship awards (Stephen Hartman) Amount: $1,000

School ProgramGuest speaker Colin Campbell, certified Lyon & Healy Harp

Technician, to give a presentation about a career as a harp technician at Cincinnati’s School for Creative and Performing Arts. (Joe Rebman) Amount: $150

ScholarshipsThe Barton Harp Initiative for student scholarships to the

2020 Midwest Harp Festival. (Jaina Carpenter) Amount Requested: $1,000

Houston Youth Harp Ensemble for Spring 2020 student scholarships (Naomi Hoffmeyer) Amount: $500

Student scholarships ($750) and guest artist honorar-ia ($250) at the Harp Camp Virginia 2020. (Virginia Schweninger) Amount: $1,000

CommissionsRuth K. Inglefield Memorial Commission: a solo harp piece

by Uno Alexander Vesje to be premiered by Jasmine Hogan during the session “Ruth Inglefield: A Celebration of Her Life and Legacy” at the 2020 World Harp Congress. (Sonja Inglefield) Amount: $2,950

Commission a piece for harp, flute, clarinet, oboe/English horn, and viola by Brazilian-American composer Clarice Assad to be premiered by the Merian Ensemble in Atlanta, GA in March 2020. (Elisabeth Remy Johnson) Amount: $1,000

Commission a piece for flute and harp by composer Joshua Weinberg to be premiered in Austin, TX in the spring of 2020. (Mallory McHenry) Amount: $1,000

Commission How to be a human being for harp and high voice (soprano or tenor) by Megan Bledsoe Ward with text from the poem of the same name by Chad Murphy to be pre-miered in the fall of 2020 by a consortium of several differ-ent duo ensembles. (Megan Bledsoe Ward) Amount: $500

CompetitionsThe 12th USA International Harp Competition 2022 reper-

toire has been announced:Stage I

Andrea Marescotti: MouvementChoose one:

Elias Parish Alvars: Sérénade Op. 83Jean-Michel Damase: Sicilienne variée

Choose one: Manuel de Falla: Spanish Dance No. 1 from La Vida Breve (any edition)Carlos Salzedo: Jeux d’eau

Stage IIChoose one:

André Caplet: Deux DivertissementsPierick Houdy: Sonata for Harp Sergiu Natra: Ode to the Harp (To obtain music, email: [email protected].)Franz Liszt/H. Renié: Un Sospiro

Stage IIIA free-choice recital of 40 minutes to include:

the winning selection of the USA IHC Composition Contest (max. 8 minutes)one selection from the Baroque period (any length, any edition)

Stage IVGabriel Pierné: Concertstück Op. 39 Free choice encore solo to be played after the concerto (max. 8 minutes)

Anne Adams Awards (19 to 22 May 2020)Marcel Tournier: La Volière magique (found in Suite 4 of Images)Caroline Lizotte: La MadoneOne of the following: Marius Flothius: Pour le tombeau d’Orphée, Op. 37 Carlos Salzedo: Ballade, Op. 28 Marcel Grandjany: Rhapsodie, Op. 10Two orchestra excerpts: Johannes Brahms: Vier Gesänge, Op. 17, harp part Bela Bartok: Concerto for Orchestra, harp 1 part

Grandjany Memorial Competition (21 May 2020)Marcel Grandjany: Children at Play, Op. 16Manuel de Falla, trans. Grandjany: Spanish Dance No. 1Marcel Grandjany: Rhapsodie, Op. 10 Maurice Ravel, trans. Grandjany: “Menuet” from Le Tombeau de Couperinhttp://harpfoundationahs.org

AppointmentsHelen Gerhold has been appointed executive director of the

Lyra Society, a Philadelphia–based nonprofit, providing harps and lessons to students throughout the city.

Julia Coronelli was named principal harpist with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra.

Emmanuel Ceysson has been named principal harpist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.



Marguerite Lynn Williams has been named principal harpist with the Minnesota Orchestra.

Sarah Bullen will join the faculty of the DePaul University School of Music to begin a new harp performance degree pro-gram for both undergraduate and graduate studies.

AchievementsJennifer Higdon won a 2020 Grammy Award (Best

Contemporary Classical Composition) for her Harp Concerto, premiered and recorded by Yolanda Kondonassis and the Rochester Philharmonic.

Angelica Hairston, harpist and founder of Challenge the Stats, received a 2019 Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities in Georgia, for her efforts to bring classical music to diverse communities.

Amy Nam has been selected as the Lyra Society’s 2020 Costello Competition winner. Nam was awarded $1000 to write a new chamber piece featuring the harp, which will receive a premiere in Curtis Field Concert Hall.

In MemoriamRuth Wickersham Papalia (1935-2019)

Ruth Wickersham Papalia was born 5 February 1935 in Quakertown, PA. Ruth had an older sister, Esther, from whom she bor-rowed her first harp. At 17, she entered Oberlin Conservatory of Music, in Ohio, majoring in harp performance under Lucy Lewis. During her college years she stud-ied with Carlos Salzedo at the Summer Harp Colony of America in Camden, Maine. In the 1950’s, Ruth toured the United States and Canada as a member of Columbia Artists’ “The Angelaires,” a Community Concert quintet of professional harpists. Ruth was co-founder of the Central New York Chapter of the American Harp Society (AHS). 1979 began her involvement at the national level: she served as AHS Secretary, AHS Treasurer and Chairman of the Board of Directors. In 2004, Ruth, Lucy Scandrett and Jan Bishop formed a trio named “The Three of Harps” which commissioned two pieces from the British composer Simon Proctor. The trio performed over 20 concerts together. Ruth also performed for over 40 years with the College Community Orchestra at State University of NY at Cortland. In 2008 Ruth received the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, given to honor extraor-dinary service to The American Harp Society, Inc. and the harp.Suzann Davids (1930-2019)

Suzann was born and raised in Elkhart, Indiana. When she went to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music as a piano major, she also studied harp with Lucy Lewis. From Oberlin Suzann went to the University of Iowa for a master’s degree and studied with Carlos Salzedo during the summers. She lived and taught in Denver for 20 years while raising a family, then returned to Elkhart, Indiana. In addition to her music career, Suzann earned her Juris Doctorate from Valparaiso Law School, graduating on her 65th birthday. Suzann became well-known as a professional harpist and harp teacher. She was professor of harp at over a dozen universi-ties in Colorado, Indiana, and Michigan, and she taught many private students from young children to adults. Suzann left a fine legacy in her harp students, with many of them continu-ing into careers as professional musicians, and many of them remaining in contact with her for years past the time of their study with her.

Ruth Wickerham Papalia (1935-2019)

Suzann Davids (1930-2019)


P O S T P O N E D T O6 -12 A U G U S T 2 0 2 1



ANNOUNCEMENT

The WHC Endowment FundTo provide a long-term and resilient financial

framework to support the vision, goals and activities of the World Harp Congress, Inc.

a World Harp Congress Endowment Fund has been established.

You can donate though an Endowment Fund gift, online at

https://www.paypal.me/WorldHarpCongress, or by contacting the treasurer:

[email protected]

Regular member: $5 Patron member: $50 3-year member: $15 Lifetime silver: $500 Lifetime gold: $2000 Lifetime platinium: $4000

These portions of the regular membership fees are bestowed automatically to the endowment fund:

W O R L D H A R P C O N G R E S S C O R R E S P O N D E N T S

Meet the Correspondents

Ilina Sawicka, PolandMy name is Ilina Sawicka. I was born in Warsaw. I am harp

player, conductor and music teacher. My professional music career began at the Karol Szymanowski Music School in Warsaw. After learning the violin and I started to play the harp. After that I continued my music education at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw (UMFC), where I gradu-

ated with a Master of Arts degree in choral conducting and harp. During the studies I participated in the Erasmus Programme at Seville Music Conservatory in Spain and took vocal train-ing under supervision of professor Grażyna

Jędras (Józef Elsner Music School in Warsaw). I also hold a diploma in Marketing of Culture from the University of Warsaw. At the moment I am finishing my PhD studies at UMFC.

As a harpist I have experience giving concerts as a soloist and as an orchestra player, throughout Poland and abroad, like Spain or Thailand. I play chamber music, and especially Early Music in a renaissance ensemble. I also perform with two duos: one with Jerzy Sawicki (viola and harp) and another with Can Kehri (cello and harp).

My passion is teaching the harp (Szkoła Muzyczna im. I.J. Paderewskiego w Sulejówku). My students win prizes and awards in national and international competitions, for example in Ukraine and Prague. They are very active musicians. We organize harp performances in Warsaw and nearby towns: in hospitals, hospices, homes for elderly people, churches, cafes, and other places of culture. I also promote classical music for young audiences in a music magazine “Presto”.

As a choral conductor I have collaborated with variety of vocal ensembles such as the vocal children ensemble at the parish in Stanisłwów Pierwszy, where I also founded the parish choir.

Ilina Sawicka.

I have been the assistant conductor of the Warsaw University Choir and the leading conductor of an amateur choir “Amici Canentes”. The choir, which I have already been working with for three years, consist of former elderly members of Warsaw University Choir, but I am trying to include young singers as well. We give about ten concerts per year in churches and places of culture throughout Poland and every year one special concert in the UMFC. We also organize vocal workshops to improve our singing technique.

In both roles – as a harpist and a choral conductor – I pro-mote choir repertoire with harp accompaniment. The idea is especially visible during choir workshops in UMFC. This unique project was initiated by Professor Marchwicka in 2015 at the department of PhD studies in UMFC, when an “Ad Hoc” choir was formed. Since then musicians has been gathering once a year to perform. For the project we invite amateur singers from Warsaw and we work on new repertoire during several inten-sive days of rehearsing. Everybody learns a lot and appreciates the idea very much.

My hobby is acting (“Łazienki” amateur theatre) and dancing traditional folk dances – I was a part of Folk Song and Dance Ensemble of Warsaw School of Economics and still collaborate with them, now as a vocal trainer.

The Membership Directory is available on the website.

Please check and correct your personal data.

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W O R L D H A R P C O N G R E S S C O R R E S P O N D E N T S

ARGENTINA (AR)

Oscar Rodríguez Do [email protected]

AUSTRALIA (AU)

Verna [email protected]

AUSTRIA (AT)

Julia [email protected]

BELGIUM (BE)

Astrid [email protected]

BRAZIL (BR)

Marcelo Penido F. Da [email protected]

CANADA (CA)

Stana [email protected]

CHINA, PRC (CN)

Jason [email protected] [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC

Ivana Dohnalová[email protected]

COLOMBIA (CO)

Bibiana Ordóñez [email protected]

COSTA RICA (CR)

Priscila [email protected]

CROATIA (HR)

Biserka Krcelic [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC (CZ)

Ivana Dohnalová[email protected]

DENMARK (DK)

Tine [email protected]

EGYPT

Manal Mohei El [email protected]

F INLAND (F I )

Katri Tikka [email protected]

FRANCE (FR)

Isabelle [email protected]

GERMANY (DE)

Isabel Moretón [email protected]

GREECE (GR)

Katerina [email protected]

GUATEMALA

Patrice [email protected]

HONG KONG (HK)

Amy [email protected]

HUNGARY (HU)

Anastasia [email protected] Deborah [email protected]

ICELAND ( IS )

Elísabet [email protected]

INDONESIA ( ID)

Heidi [email protected]

IRELAND ( IE )

Clare [email protected]

ISRAEL

Julia [email protected]

ITALY ( IT )

Nicoletta [email protected]

JAPAN (JP)

Yo [email protected]

LEBANON

Alice [email protected]

L IECHTENSTEIN (L I )

Ernst [email protected]

L ITHUANIA (LT)

Joana [email protected]

MACEDONIA (MK)

Mersiha [email protected]

MALTA (MT)

Anne Marie Camilleri Podestà[email protected]

MEXICO (MX)

Janet [email protected]

THE NETHERLANDS (NL)

Jaike [email protected]

NEW ZEALAND (NZ)

Anna [email protected]

NORWAY (NO)

Uno Alexander [email protected]

PARAGUAY (PY)

Alfredo Rolando [email protected]

PERU

Armando [email protected]

POLAND (PL)

Ilina [email protected]

PORTUGAL (PT)

Áurea [email protected]

PUERTO RICO (PR)

Elisa [email protected]

ROMANIA/MOLDAVIA (RO/MD)

Roxana Moisanu [email protected]

RUSSIA (RU)

Natalia [email protected] Irina [email protected]

SERBIA (RS)

Milena Stanišić[email protected]

SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA (SG/MY)

Katryna [email protected]

SLOVENIA (S I )

Tea Plesnič[email protected]

SOUTH AFRICA (ZA)

Christy-Lyn [email protected]

SOUTH KOREA (KR)

Jeong-eun [email protected] [email protected]

SPAIN (ES)

Margarita [email protected]

SWEDEN (SE)

Lena [email protected]

SWITZERLAND (CH)

Sarah O’Brien [email protected]

TAIWAN, ROC (TW)

Shu-Hsin [email protected]

THAILAND (TH)

Judith [email protected]

TURKEY (TR)

Meriç Dönü[email protected]

UNITED K INGDOM (UK)

Gwenllian [email protected] [email protected]

USA (US)

Sonja [email protected]

VENEZUELA (VE)

Anna De [email protected]

Please send news about new music premieres and publications, festivals, competitions, and other events to your WHC Correspondents no later than August 15 (Fall)/February 15 (Spring).

Advertising in the WHC Review is open to all harp-related businesses and events as well as schools and conservatories. Dead-lines for ad copy are September 1 and March 1. Adver tising copy, payment and inquiries should be directed to:

Sonja Westberg1234 Evans Road, Apt 414San Antonio Texas 78258USAEmail: [email protected]

Index of Advertisers

Harp ManufacturersAoyama Harp Co. . . . . (center)Camac Productions . . . . . . . . .iiiLyon & Healy, Salvi Harps

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iiLyon & Healy, Salvi Harps

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover

Harps/Harp–related ProductsAoyama Harp Co. . . . . (center)Camac Productions . . . . . . . . .iiiLyon & Healy, Salvi Harps


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back cover

Harp Music/PublicationsBerklee Harp . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Clavel Music Enterprise. . . .11Fatrock Ink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Ginastera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Lyon & Healy, Salvi Harps


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back coverMusic Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Music Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

CompetitionsUSA ihc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18




N AT I O N A L H A R P A S S O C I AT I O N S

ARGENTINAAsociación Civil Amigos del ArpaPresident: Marcela MéndezEmail: [email protected]

AUSTRALIAHarp Society of New South Walesc/o Rhonda Taylor, 17 Old Beecroft RoadCheltenham, NSW 2119Email: [email protected] Society of Queenslandc/o Jill Atkinson, 9 Duranta St.Bellbowrie Qld 4070www.harpsocietyqld.org.auHarp Society of South AustraliaGillian Weiss, 53 Old Mount Barker Rd.Stirling, South Australia, 5152Email: [email protected] www.harpsocietysa.blogspot.com.auHarp Society of TasmaniaPresident: Emily SanzaroPO Box 936, Launceston, Tasmania 7250Email: [email protected] Society of Vicoria, Inc.c/o Elsa Clifford, 121 Chadstone Rd. East Malvern, Victoria 3148

BELGIUMHarpe Diem (Flemish community)President: Lieve RobbroeckxSint-Lambertusstraat 3B-3001 Heverleewww.harpediem.beLes Amis de la Harpe Mosane (French community)President: Sophie HallynckAllée des Renards, 33B-5170 Profondevillewww.harpemosane.beHarppunt vzwKasteelstraat 429190 Stekene, BelgiumEmail: [email protected]

CHINA (PRC)Chinese Harpists Association under the leadership of the Chinese Musicians AssociationPresident: Wei LinlinContact: Gan Peixue, Anhua Li, Section 39-2-901, District Chaoyang, Beijing 100101Email: [email protected].

ENGLANDThe Clarsach Society London and South-East BranchAnne Chorley5 Church WalkSudburySuffolk, CO10 1HJEmail: [email protected]

F INLANDSuomen Harpistit ry (Finnish Harp Society)President: Hanna RantalaihoVapaalantie 33 D01650 Vantaawww.harpistit.wordpress.com

FRANCEAssociation Internationale des Harpistes et Amis de la Harpe (AIH)Founder: Pierre JametPresident: Anne Ricquebourg15 rue d’Indépendance, 93270 SevranEmail: [email protected]/Fax: +31-(0)1-43-84-68-16.www.aiharpe.org

GERMANYVerband der Harfenisten in Deutschland e.V.President: Isabel MoretonLange-Hop-Str. 76, 30559 HannoverTel: [email protected]

HUNGARYHungarian Harp SocietyContact: Nora Mercz, Artistic DirectorLatabar v. 7, H-1041, BudapestTel: +36-1-1938586

IRELANDCairde na [email protected] Historical Society of [email protected] Irelandwww.harpireland.ie

ISRAELThe Harp & Zimriya SocietyChairperson: Colette Avital16 Hanaziv Street, Tel Aviv 67018Tel: +972-3-6041808Fax: +972-3-6041688

ITALYNational Harp Associations Italy:Associazione Italiana dell’ArpaPresident: Emanuela Degli EspostiVice-President: Lorenzo MontenzCorrespondent: Nicoletta SanzinEmail: info@associazioneitalianarpa.itwww.associazioneitalianarpa.itAssociation of Harpists (EUA)President: Federico Faitvia F. Patetta 79, 00167 RomeGruppo Amici dell’ArpaPresident and Founder: Irene Rossivia Vochieri 122, 15100 AlessandriaEmail: [email protected]

JAPANNippon (Japan) Harp AssociationFounder and Eternal honorary President: Josef MolnarPresident: Ayako Shinozak Contact: Nippon Harp AssociationStudio D, 3-6-8 Nishi-shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 141-0033Tel +81-3-6426-8876Fax +81-3-6426-8071E-mail: [email protected]

L ITHUANIALithuanian Harp SocietyPresident: Daiva SlyzieneAguonu Gatve 20-65LT-2006 VilniusEmail: [email protected]

THE NETHERLANDSHarp Vereniging Nederlandwww.harpverenigingnederland.nl

NEW ZEALANDThe Harp Society of New ZealandPresident: Carolyn MillsContact: Anna Dunwoodie122 Lynbrooke Ave.Blockhouse Bay, Auckland 0600www.nzharpsociety.org

NORWAYNorsk HarpeforeningChairman: Elisabeth SoenstevoldVice-Chairman: Rebecca HarrissonSecretary & Treasurer: Ann Margret HauknesEmail: [email protected]

POLANDPolskie Towarzystwo Harfowe (The Harp Society of Poland)President: Ewa JaślarRynek 12, 43-400 CieszynEmail: [email protected]

PORTUGALAssociação Portuguesa de Harpa (APH)Founder and President : Áurea GuernerContact: [email protected]ório de Música do PortoPraça Pedro Nunes 4050 - 466 Portowww.apharpa.pt

ROMANIARomanian Harpists Associationhttps://asociatiaharpistilordinromania.roEmail: [email protected]

RUSSIAAssociation of Russian Harp Teachers International (ARHTI)Founder and President: Milda AgazarianContact: ARHTILeningradskoe shosse, 33-36, Moscow 125 212Tel: +7(499)-156-62-26Fax: +7(903)129-45-98Email: [email protected] Harp SocietyPresident: Valery KiktaDirector: Natalia ShameyevaLiapidevskogo 14-68, Moscow 125581Email: [email protected]

SCOTLANDThe Clarsach SocietyMichelle Kelly, AdministratorStudio G43Out of the Blue Drill Hall36 Dalmeny StreetEdinburgh, EH6 8RGEmail: [email protected]

SERBIAUdruzenje harfista i prijatelja harfe Srbije (Harp Association of Serbia)Terazije 26/I 11000 BelgradeEmail: [email protected]

SINGAPOREThe Harp Association (Singapore)UEN: T19SS0141H73 Ubi Road 1, #10-63Singapore 408733Email: [email protected]

SLOVENIADrustvo Harfistov Slovenije (Slovene Harp Society)President: Dalibor BernatovićGlavni trg 24, 2000 MariborTel: [email protected]

SOUTH AFRICAThe Harp Society of South AfricaFounder: Kathleen AlisterChairman: Ingrid Janse van RensburgContact: Ingrid van RensburgPO Box 15, Pinegowrie 2123Fax: +27-11-787-5757Tel: +27-82-494-1538Email: [email protected]

SPAINAssociació Catalana d’Arpistes (Catalan Harpists Association)Founder: Rosa BalcellsContact: Conservatori Superior de Musica de Barcelona, Bruch 110-112, 08010 [email protected]ón Española de Arpistas (AEDA)Email: info@asociaciondearpistas.orgwww.asociaciondearpistas.orgAsociación Arpista LudovicoFounder and President: María Calvo-ManzanoContact: Asociación Arpista LudovicoPaseo Pintor Rosales 42, 28008 Madridwww.arlu.org

Please send updated contact information for associations to: Jennifer Betzer, National Harp Associations Liaison, Email: [email protected]

SWITZERLANDSwiss Harp AssociationFounders: Emmy Hürlimann and Rudolf FrickCo-Presidents: Esther Sévérac and Alexandra HoratContact: Swiss Harp Associationc/o Consuelo GiulianelliSierenzerstrasse 14, CH-4055 BaselEmail: [email protected]: [email protected]

TAIWANTaipei Harpists AssociationContact: Grace Shu-Men Chang5F, #7, A-20, Lane 142, Roosevelt Rd., Sect. 6, TaipeiFax: +886-2-2930-8834Email: [email protected]

THAILANDTamnak Prathom Harp SocietyContact: M.R. Sunida Kitiyakara16 Sukumvit soi 43, Bangkok 10110Tel: +66-2-261-4778-9Fax: +66-2-258 7308Email: [email protected] Harp SocietyContact: Pasatorn StientiTel: +668-6393-7900Email: [email protected]

TURKEYArp Sanati Derneği (Association for the Art of Harp)President: Meriç DönükMecidiye Mahallesi Ambarlidere Yolu Sokak No:5 Beşiktaş / İstanbulTel: +90-545-258-1310Email: [email protected]

UNITED K INGDOMUnited Kingdom Harp Association (UKHA)President: Sioned WilliamsChair: Helen Sharp [email protected] Friern Mount Drive, Whetstone, London N209DLTel. +44(0)7810648658Email: [email protected]: [email protected]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICAAmerican Harp Society, Inc. (AHS)Founder: Marcel GrandjanyPresident: Lynn AspnesKathryn McManus, Executive Director624 Crystal AvenueFindlay, OH 45840Tel: +805-410-4277Email: [email protected] Harp Society (HHS)President: Jennifer SayreEmail: info@historicalharpsociety.orgwww.historicalharpsociety.orgInternational Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen (ISFHC)President: David KolacnyContact: Alice Williams 1614 Pittman DriveMissoula, Montana 59803, USAEmail: [email protected]

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