Previous Winners
7th Contest 1979 – Emily Mitchell, U.S.A
Emily Mitchell has earned critical acclaim as “a marvelous harpist” (The New York Times) who captivates her audiences with “playing of the utmost delicacy, beauty and subtlety.” (Records and Recording) In the words of The Washington Post, “Mitchell commands a vivid palette of colors and uses them with imagination.” Ms. Mitchell is acknowledged as a [...]
6th Contest 1976 – Ivan Ion Roncea, Romania
Roncea distinguished himself as one of Romania’s most popular musicians, playing with all the Philharmonic Orchestras in his country, and performing numerous recitals. The Romanian harpist graduated the National University of Music in Bucharest, where he was a pupil of Liana Pasquali. In 1977 and 1979 he studied with professor Pearl Chertok in New York. [...]
5th Contest 1973 – Nancy Allen, U.S.A
Hailed by the New York Times, as “a major artist” following her New York recital debut in 1975, Nancy Allen joined the New York Philharmonic in June of 1999 as Principal Harpist. She maintains a busy international concert schedule as well as heading the harp departments of The Juilliard School, Yale School of Music, and [...]
4th Contest 1970 – Chantal Mathieu, France
Chantal Mathieu is a musician and a harpist who’s artistic and human qualities are internationally acknowledged. Originally from the North of France, Chantal Mathieu’s musical gifts were recognized early on and rewarded by numerous prizes: She won the first prize of the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique of Paris when she was only 14 years [...]
3rd Contest 1965 – Martine Geliot, France
Martine Geliot was born to a family of harpists and studied with Pierre Jamet at the Paris Conservatory, where she won first prize as she also did at the Third International harp Contest in Israel in 1965. Since then she appeared throughout the world as recitalist and soloist with many orchestras. Many works were written [...]
2nd Contest 1962 – Lynn Turner, U.S.A
Lynne Turner joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1962, shortly after becoming the first American to win Israel’s International Harp Competition. Born in Saint Louis, she came to Chicago at the age of four and started piano lessons with her mother, Evelyn, at the age of eight. Her father, So Turner, was a member of [...]
1st Contest 1959 – Susanna Mildonian, Belgium
Born in Venice in 1940 of Armenian parents, Suzanna Mildonian studied harp with Margherita Cicognari at the Benedetto Marcello conservatoire in her native city where she obtained the first prize in 1959. In 1962, further studies with Pierre Jamet at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris were again rewarded with a first prize. Suzanna Mildonian [...]
