World Harp Competition
Announcing the World Harp Competition 2024!
The World Harp Competition is back again! Applications are now open, so come introduce yourself and show us your best artistic ideas, because you’re in for the adventure of your musical career. We’re inviting harpists of all ages, from around the world, regardless of musical genre or style of harp, to come pitch their unique program ideas. The jury will be inviting 14 candidates to Utrecht in 2024, and you could be one them!
First Prize in 2022 Awarded to Juanjo Corbalán of Paraguay!
On May 7th and 8th, 2022, six semifinalists traveled to Utrecht to perform their original programs for the competition jury and festival audience. In performance order, they were Héloïse Carlean-Jones, from France; Cara Dawson, UK/Germany; Julie Rokseth, Norway; Maria Sá Silva, Portugal; Nathania Ko, Canada; and Juanjo Corbalán, Paraguay. Coming from wildly different backgrounds, but each bringing their musical passion and world-class talent, these young artists treated listeners to a musical festival within a festival. We’re pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 DHF World Harp Competition:
First Prize | Juanjo Corbalán, Paraguay
Coming all the way across the ocean from Paraguay, along with his own harp and band, Juanjo Corbalán dazzled the audience with a virtuosic and heartfelt presentation of his own compositions. His music draws inspiration from his local roots as well as the wider Latin American soundscape and jazz improvisation. [Read more]
Second Prize & Audience Award | Julie Rokseth, Norway
Joined by her brother Andreas, Norwegian harpist Julie Rokseth combines, classical, Celtic, and tango elements to create her own unique style. Their program is a personal story of their grandparents and a tribute to brave souls lost at sea. [Read more]
Third Prize | Maria Sá Silva, Portugal
Portugese virtuoso Maria Sá Silva has a passion for sharing the music of her country with the world. Her solo program Saudade adapts the traditional Portuguese music genre Fado as well as other musical styles from the Iberian peninsula to the harp. [Read more]
Prizes
First Prize | €5.000 and the personally tailored CCC (Care, Coaching & Career) Development Program
Second Prize | €2.500
Third Prize | €1.500
Audience Award | €1.500 and a complimentary subscription to Harp Column magazine
The Competition
Over four rounds, candidates of the World Harp Competition compete to win the hearts of the jury and ultimately the grand prize. The competition begins with a recorded Preliminary Round, followed by the Video Round, and culminating in the live Semifinals and Finals at the Dutch Harp Festival. During the Video Round, the Scouting Jury screens creative program pitches from the world’s most promising young harpists. A select number of candidates are then invited to present their complete original programs at the Dutch Harp Festival in Utrecht, the Netherlands. In the their journey through the competition rounds, candidates are challenged like never before to perform only at a world-class level of excellence but also in their own unique artistic voice. Watch our video coverage of the 2018 Regional Rounds to see how the World Harp Competition is making a bold break from tradition.
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