14th Contest 2001 – Letizia Belmondo, Italy

In February 2001, Letizia Belmondo won the First Prize and the “Esther Herlitz” Special Prize for the best performance of a contemporary piece in the 14th International Harp Contest in Israel.
Since making her international debut with the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ms Belmondo has won an impressive number of competitions and awards, including the Martine Geliot Prize in 1999 and the International Harp Competition in Lausanne in 2000.

One of the most outstanding harpists of her generation, her technique and musicianship has captivated audiences everywhere. Since making her debut at the Wigmore Hall in London, she has performed to great acclaim throughout Europe and the United States. She recorded her first CD in January 2002 for “Egan records”. She is now Solo Harpist at the “Opera Royal de la Monnaie” in Brussels (Belgium).

Ms. Belmondo was born in Turin in 1981 and began the cello at 5 and the harp at 8 at the Suzuki Talent Center. She continued the harp at the Conservatoire G. Verdi in Turin with G. Bosio, at the CNSMD de Lyon, France, with Fabrice Pierre (where she graduated with honours in 2002) and at the Juilliard School, New York, with Nancy Allen.