Chantal Mathieu, First Prize Winner of the 4^th International Harp Contest in Israel, 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 old in the class of Jacqueline Borot.

Chantal Mathieu’s talent was rewarded by the first prize of the very famous International Harp Contest in Israel and first prize of the International Contest of the Soloists’ Guild of Paris, and the 2nd price of the Geneva International Music Competition. Chantal studied harmony, counterpoint and chamber music at the Paris Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique whilst working in several orchestras and continuing her schooling by correspondence. Since, she has pursued an international career as a soloist as well as with famous orchestras (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra notably), alongside well-known conductors and famous partners.

Chantal Mathieu likes to interpret all classical music styles, from baroque to contemporary and including romantic music. Furthermore, Chantal contributes to the creation of future music by commissioning new pieces from numerous composers and friends, whilst transcribing and arranging the pieces that she enjoys for the harp. Her numerous records or CDs. reflect the richness of her repertory (among others: Virtuose Harfe, Bach on the harp, Marcel Tournier Works for harp).

Chantal Mathieu worked in Germany for a while (Symphonic Orchestra of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk and Musikhochshule of Hamburg), before settling in Geneva to start a family. It is with great generosity that she transmits her knowledge to her students at the Lausanne Music High School (Switzerland). Most of them now hold important positions within the musical world. In the same spirit of sharing, Chantal Mathieu invests herself a lot in the associative life. Importantly, she chaired and organized the 8th World Harp Congress in 2002, which brought together more than 1000 harpists in Geneva. Today, Chantal Mathieu initiates and develops many projects in which music production and research hold a crucial place.

Ms. Mathieu has served on the International Jury of the International Harp Contest in Israel.

Nancy Allen, First Prize Winner of the 5^th International Harp Contest in Israel in 1973 was hailed by the New York Times, as “a major artist” following her New York recital debut in 1975. She  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 the Aspen Music Festival and School.

In addition, Ms. Allen appears regularly with The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. In May 2000, Ms. Allen was featured in the Philharmonic’s United States premiere of Siegfried Matthus’ Concerto for Flute, Harp and Orchestra, with Music Director Kurt Masur and Principal Flute Robert Langevin.

Ms. Allen’s busy performing schedule includes solo appearances at major international festivals, and has featured collaborations with soprano Kathleen Battle, clarinetist Richard Stoltzman, guitarist Manuel Barrueco, and flutist Carol Wincenc. She has appeared on PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center with The Chamber Music Society, as well as with Ms. Battle, and has performed as a recitalist for “Music at the Supreme Court” in Washington, D.C. Ms. Allen’s recording of Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with the Tokyo Quartet, flutist Ransom Wilson, and clarinetist David Shifrin received a Grammy Award nomination; she can also be heard on Sony Classical, Deutsche Grammophon, and CRI.

Ms. Allen is a native of New York, where she studied with Pearl Chertok and undertook private studies on piano and oboe. The summer of 1972 took her to Paris, where she studied with Lily Laskine. During that same year, she entered The Juilliard School to study with Marcel Grandjany. In 1973, Ms. Allen won the Fifth International Harp Competition in Israel, and was later awarded a National Endowment for the Arts Solo Recitalist Award.

A teacher for more than 20 years, Ms. Allen’s students hold positions in prominent orchestras around the globe. She currently resides in New York with her eight-year-old daughter, Claire, who studies piano and cello.

The Romanian harpist, Ion Ivan-Roncea, First Prize Winner of the 6th International Harp Contest in Israel, 1976, graduated from 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 City. Ion Ivan-Roncea is Soloist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic and Professor of harp at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

Roncea distinguished himself as one of Romania’s most popular musicians, playing with all the Philharmonic Orchestras in his country, and performing numerous recitals. He has toured extensively in: Austria, Germany, France, England, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, Israel, Moldova, Russia, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Walles, Serbia, Slovakia, China, U.S.A., Switzerland, Sweden, playing on important concert stages, such as: Grosses Schauspielhaus and Mozarteum Halls in Salzburg, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Radio Hall in Frankfurt/Main, Radio Hall and Odd Fellow Palaet in Copenhagen, Radio Hall, Saint David’s Hall and Reardon Smith Theatre in Cardiff, Philharmonic Hall in Liege, Megaro Musikis in Athens, Vigado Hall and Franz Liszt Music Academy Hall in Budapest, Philharmonic Hall in Bratislava, Romanian Atheneum Hall in Bucharest, Palacio de Congresos-Auditorio in La Coruna, Palais des Beaux Arts in Bruxelles, L”Institut Hall in Orleans, Alfred Cortot Hall in Paris.

Ion Ivan-Roncea appeared as soloist with major orchestras, among them: Vienna Philharmonic, Dresdner Philharmonic, Liege Philharmonic, Janacek Philharmonic, Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic, Athens State Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Cardiff BBC Symphony, Prague Radio Symphony, Jerusalem Symphony, Europa Symphony, Collegium Musicum Copenhagen, Paul Kuentz, Budapest Strings and Concerto chamber orchestras, and the French Flutes Orchestra.

He played also in prestigious music festivals, such as: the Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Godollo, Maastricht, Istambul, Cardiff, La Coruna, and Bucharest George Enescu.

As soloist and/or principal harpist of the Bucharest George Enescu Philharmonic Roncea played with great conductors: Sergiu Celibidache, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Genady Rodjetsvensky, Horst Stein, Sir Charles Groves, Michel Plasson, Christian Badea, Ion Marin, Erich Bergel, Cristian Mandeal, Horia Andreescu, Camil Marinescu, Sergiu Comissiona, Edvard Civjel, Pierre Bartholomee and important soloists: Wolfgang Schulz, Pierre-Yves Artaud, Janos Balint, Toke Lund-Christiansen, William Dowdall, Pierre-Alain Biget, Gavril Costea, Virgil Francu, Ion Bogdan Stefanescu, Liviu Prunaru, Aurelian Octav Popa, Dan Grigore, Martin Haselbock, Viniciu Moroianu, Sorin Petrescu, Stefan Ruha, Marin Cazacu, Gheorghe Crasnaru, Georgeta Stoleru, Johnny Raducanu, Maria Bildea, Ioana Nicolescu, Marisa Robles, Chantal Mathieu, Kumiko Inoue, Alice Giles, Naoko Yoshino etc.

He has been invited several times to the World Harp Congresses as guest artist and professor, and between 1985-1990 he was member of the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress.

Ion Ivan-Roncea played and has recorded for important Radio and TV Stations: Vienna, Paris, BBC – Cardiff, Copenhagen, Frankfurt/Main, WQXR – New York, Budapest, Athens, Prague, Jerusalem, Sofia and Bucharest. Some of his best recordings, made in Bucharest, are incorporated in the National Treasured Sound Collection. He has also made several Records, CDs, and DVDs for the Arte Nova Classics-BMG, AIX Records and Electrecord Companies, and appeared in programs for Radio and Television in Romania and abroad.

Many of his students or former students have an active presence on the concert stage as soloists or as members of different music ensembles. Some of them: Maria Bildea, Stasha Grujic, Ioana Nicolescu, Ina Zdorovetchi, Sonja Inglefield, Judith Wunderlich, Anca Beck, Ionela Bradean, Roxana Moisanu, Anna Dermani, Gabriela Chihaescu, Miruna Vidican, Ioana Comsa won prizes in important national and international harp contests.

Ion Ivan-Roncea has taught also at the Master classes in the United Kingdom, France, USA, Austria, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Czech Republic, Switzerland and Holland. In August 2011 he was the Harp teacher at the Gargilesse Stage d’Ete, France.

He served as a member of the Jury of the International Harp Contest in Israel in 1988, 1992, and in 2009 he was vice-chairman of the Jury of the 17th International Contest in Israel Contest – celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Contest that he won in 1976. He has also been a member of the Juries in Cardiff (1991, 1993), ASTH-Lyon (1993), Salvi-Saluzzo (1995), Geneva (1997), German Harp Contest-Weikersheim (1998), Iosef Reinl-Munich (1999), Martine Geliot-Lille (1999), Chisinau (2001), Iosef Reinl-Vienna (2002), UNMB-Bucharest (2002), Lily Laskine-Deauville (2002), ARD-Munich (2004), Belgrade (2005), German Harp Contest-Schlitz (2007), Martine Geliot-Avon (2007), European Young Musicians Competition-Romanian national selection (2004, 2006, 2008), Petar Konjovic-Belgrade (2009).

His repertoire includes original classic and contemporary works for harp, transcriptions, pop, jazz and latin-american pieces, as well as chamber and orchestral music.

In October 2007 Roncea organized the first Harp Festival and Harp Exhibition in Romania.

In June 2009 he became Doctor of Music at the National University of Music in Bucharest.

Prizes, Awards, of Ion Ivan-Roncea:

Diploma of Doctor of Music, 2009

Prize of the Union of Composers and Musicologists for Solo Interpretation, 2009

Prize for Music of the Radio Romania Cultural, 2008

Cultural Merit, Romania, 2004

Certificate of Award of the American Harp Society, 1988

Lily Laskine Award of the Harp Renaissance Society, USA, 1984

Certificate of Appreciation of the American Harp Society, 1979

Critics’ Prize of the Romanian Association of Performing Artists, 1977

First Prize of the Sixth International Harp Contest in Israel, 1976

Quick Facts

Emily Mitchell, First Prize winner of the 7th International Harp Contest in Israel in 1979, 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 brilliant musician with a magnificent beautiful sound.. She has been heard worldwide as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Repeat performances have taken her back most notably to the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Brazil, Israel, and Canada, and she continues to tour the United States. Ms. Mitchell has been profiled on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, CNN, CNBC, Arts & Entertainment, the BBC, DRS-Swiss TV, the New York Times WQXR, Radio France, National Public Radio’s Performance Today and in People Magazine. Most memorable performances include the Mozart Concerto for Flute and Harp at Carnegie Hall with James Galway and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, being presented in concert before British Royalty both in England and at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C, and also performing for First Lady Rosalynn Carter at The White House.

For ten years, Emily Mitchell was principal harpist for the incomparable Eos Orchestra working closely with many of today’s composers She taught with the distinguished artist faculties of New York University and Purchase College, SUNY, for many years where she formed the NYU Harp Ensemble and the Purchase Harp Ensemble. She commissioned wonderful new works for both ensembles.

Recently relocated to Houston, TX, she now teaches on the faculty of Stephen F. Austin State University School of Music. As a chamber musician, Ms. Mitchell performs with numerous chamber ensembles, championing newly commissioned world premieres. But, it is as the other half of the jubilant Legacy Duo, with flutist Margaret Swinchoski, sharing an elegant flute and harp duo with flutist Gary Schocker, and a phenomenal collaboration with trombonist Jim Pugh, that Ms. Mitchell derives the greatest satisfaction in chamber music performance.

Her new CD on the Azica Records label, Garden in Harp. was released early this year. It is a CD of all Gary Schocker compositions of harp chamber music and includes Schocker’s solo harp composition by the same name, Garden in Harp, which has been published by Lyon & Healy.

Dedicated to the advancement of the harp, Ms. Mitchell serves on the Board of the American Harp Society. She is an active contributor to the American Harp Journal and has lectured and performed at many of the American Harp Society’s National Conferences.. Ms. Mitchell will chair the American Harp Society’s 2012, 50th Anniversary Conference – “Then, Now and into the Future,” in NYC, June 30-July 3, 2012. http://www.ahsconference.org/ Among many others, three First Prize winners of the Israel Contest will perform: Nancy Allen, Emily Mitchel, Sivan Magen as well as Second Prize winner, Mariko Anraku.

Ms. Mitchel is a frequent juror for major harp competitions, including the International Harp Contest in Israel, and she is often invited to teach master classes as a visiting clinician at universities and music conservatories, including the Royal College of Music, London, the Eastman School of Music, Juilliard, Berklee College and the University of Texas at Austin.

Living a varied musical life, Emily Mitchell is also an established name in the television, motion picture, and recording studios of New York City. She has recorded with Michael Jackson, Carly Simon, Bernadette Peters, Dawn Upshaw, Diana Krall, Audra McDonald, Natalie Cole, and Harry Connick, Jr. She performed with the historic first Barbra Streisand Tour and the Gil Evans’ Orchestra with Sting at the Umbria Jazz Festival. She performed with Ray Charles and Barry Manilow in NYC, and with Bette Midler on the Martha Stewart Show and The Today Show. Ms. Mitchell can be heard playing on innumerable film scores including Aladdin, Fargo, Wolf, Failure to Launch, Fur, The Good Shepherd, and Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.

Through her popular solo recordings for RCA Victor; Irish Harp Songs, A Celtic Christmas (The Holly and the Ivy), and Flying Dreams (featuring James Galway), Emily Mitchell is recognized as an admirer of folk music, “…a pure-voiced singer, accompanying herself on an Irish harp …with unaffected charm and disarming simplicity.” (The New York Times) Two newer concert harp releases on the JMR label are Impromptu “a pleasant way to give the right brain some stimulation…” (American Record Guide); and Mozart Variations “A peaceful, civilized oasis in a turbulent world.” (Amazon.com–Editorial Reviews)

A Dallas native, Ms. Mitchell is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where she was awarded the distinguished Performer’s Certificate. She is an Associate of the Royal College of Music, London. Her principal teachers were Julia Herrmann Edwards, Eileen Malone, and Marisa Robles.

The most intelligent, sensitive and technically accomplished harpist I have ever met.” Luciano Berio

Alice Giles has been celebrated as one of the world’s leading harp soloists. The Australian-born musician first attracted international notice when she won First Prize in the 8th Israel International Harp Contest at the age of 21. Since then she has performed extensively internationally both in recital and with orchestras. She presented her first solo recital at the age of 13 at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, was awarded the coveted Churchill International Fellowship and an Australia Council Grant to study in the USA and made her New York debut recital at Merkin Hall in 1983.

As a recipient of an Australian Antarctic Arts Fellowship, she performed a solo concert at Mawson Station in February 2011 commemorating the Centenary of the first Australasian Antarctic Expedition.

Regarded by Luciano Berio as the foremost interpreter of his Sequenza II, she has taken part in tributes to Berio at the Queen Elizabeth Hall London, Salzburg Mozarteum, and at the 92nd Street Y in New York to honour his 70th birthday. She has given many premiere performances for her instrument, has commissioned a complete program of works for the electro-acoustic harp, and is Director of the Seven Harp Ensemble (SHE), which has commissioned many new works by Australian composers.

She was invited by Rudolf Serkin to participate for three summers in the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, USA, and has been a guest artist at numerous festival including the Schleswig-Holstein, Insel Hombroich and ‘Ja, Musik!’ Festivals in Germany, Bath Mozartfest, Scotia Festival, Salzedo Centennial in Austin Texas, World Harp Congress Copenhagen, World Harp Festival Cardiff, Edinburgh Harp Festival, Adelaide Festival, Sydney Festival, Australian Festival of Chamber Music, Barossa Festival, Huntington Festival and Coriole Festival.

Concert highlights include solo recitals in London’s Wigmore Hall, New York’s 92nd Street Y, Merkin Hall NY, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Gulbenkian Foundation Lisbon, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Toronto, and concertos with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Collegium Musicum Zürich, Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe, English Symphony Orchestra, Mainzer Kammerorchester, Danish Radio Concert Orchestra, Hamburg Mozart Orchestra, Ohio Chamber Orchestra, Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Israel Chamber Orchestra and regularly with all the major Australian Symphony and Chamber orchestras.

Alice Giles has an international reputation as a teacher, having given master classes in the Salzburg Mozarteum, The Hague Conservatorium, Royal Academy London, Cleveland Institute, Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, Conservatorio G. Verdi Milano, Parma Conservatorio, Glenn Gould School Toronto, Detmold Hochschule, R. Schumann Hochschule, at the International Youth Festival in Bayreuth and gave an annual Summer Course in Alf/Mosel, Germany 1989-1998. From 1990 to 1998 she taught at the Hochschüle für Musik in Frankfurt, and has recently been appointed Associate Professor and Head of Harp Area at the ANU School of Music. Her annual Summer Course is now held in Kioloa NSW. Her two main teachers were June Loney (Sydney Symphony Orchestra) and Alice Chalifoux (Cleveland Orchestra), also studying with Lydia Shaxson and Judith Liber.

She is founder and director of the Harp Centre Australia, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the harp in Australia. An enthusiastic an accomplished chamber music performer, she performs regularly with Duo Corda (Harp/Piano), Australia Ensemble and in unusual combinations such as with Indian Dance. She was on the jury for both the 1998 and 2009 International Harp Contests in Israel, the 2004 USA International Harp Competition, 2007 V. Salvi European Harp Competition Cardiff and the IX Concourso Nationale d’Arpa ‘Victor Salvi’.

Her discography includes several solo harp discs, a concerto disc with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, conductor David Porcelijn, and many chamber music discs including with Duo Corda (Arnan Wiesel, piano), the Budapest Brass Quintet, Seven Harp Ensemble and Geoffrey Collins (flute), for the Tall Poppies, Musikado (Germany), ABC Classics, CDI (Israel), and Marlboro Recording Society labels.

Alice lives on a 17 hectare property in Yass NSW, with her pianist husband Arnan Wiesel and their two daughters Lara and Selena. Here she seeks a balanced life and enjoys the peace, beauty and space nature provides.

Being one of the most outstanding harpists in the international platform today, Ms. Yoshino’s solo engagements with the world’s top orchestras have included the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Zurich’s Tonhalle Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Concentus Musicus Wien among others.

Renowned conductors with whom she has shared the stage include Menuhin, Ozawa, Sawallisch, Mehta, Sinopoli, Harnoncourt, Blomstedt, Dutoit, and Vonk.

A frequent guest at the Lucerne, Salzburg, Lockenhaus, Schleswig-Holstein, Saito Kinen, Marlboro, and Mostly Mozart Festivals, Naoko Yoshino is also known as a recitalist and chamber musician. In 1994, she earned the honor of performing at The Vatican to commemorate the restoration of the Sistine Chapel. Through chamber music, she has come to work with such renowned musicians as violinist Gidon Kremer, violists Veronika Hagen and Nobuko Imai, horn player Radek Baborak, flutists Aurèle Nicolet, Jean-Pierre Rampal, Wolfgang Schulz, and Emmanuel Pahud.

As an advocate of new repertoire for harp, Ms. Yoshino has premiered many works, including Toru Takemitsu’s “And then I knew ’twas Wind” and Toshio Hosokawa’s “Harp Concerto”.

Recordings to date include five releases on Sony Classical, four releases on Philips Classics, and one release on Teldec.

Prizes achieved include: second place – First International Harp Contest (Santa Cecilia Academy, Rome), at the age of 13; first place – Ninth International Harp Contest 1985 (Israel), where she was the youngest participant; 1988, Arts Festival Prize (Japan Agency for Cultural Affairs); 1989 Mobil Music Award for Brilliant Young Musicians.

Born in London, Naoko Yoshino began to study harp at the age of six in Los Angeles, California, with the eminent Susann McDonald, current Distinguished Professor of Music at Indiana University. She started her worldwide career in 1985, after winning first prize at the Ninth International Harp Contest in Israel.

Isabelle Moretti, First Prize Winner of the 10th International Harp Contest in Israel, is one of the most entrancing harpists in the musical world today. She is a vibrant, lively figure of exceptional talent, bringing inimitable style to her instrument – with generosity, sincerity and dignity.

Crowned with international competition prizes in Geneva, Munich and Israel, Isabelle Moretti is engaged by the world’s greatest concert halls, such as New York’s Alice Tully Hall; London’s Wigmore Hall; Paris’s Auditorium du Louvre, Opéra Comique, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Salle Gaveau and Masion de Radio-France; the Metz Arsenal; and the Folle Journée in Nantes.

Isabelle Moretti has performed as a soloist with the Orchestre National de Lyon, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, Bremen Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, Stuttgart Kammerorchester, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Orquestra de Córdoba, Orquesta Sinfónica de la RTVE, Orchestre de la Suisse-Romande, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, SWR Sinfonieorchester, Warsaw National Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She also toured with the Zagreb soloists. Recently she appeared with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, conducted by Sir Neville Marriner.

Isabelle Moretti’s solo repertoire encompasses eighteenth-century music, up to the most complex contemporary world premieres. In 2006, she gave the world premiere of Philippe Hersant’s harp concerto Le tombeau de Virgile at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées in Paris, together with the Ensemble Orchestral de Paris as part of Paris de la Musique. In the same year she also gave the world premiere of Michèle Reverdy’s harp concerto with the l’Orchestre National de Lille.

Isabelle Moretti particularly likes chamber music, and shares it regularly with her friends Magali Mosnier, François Leleux, Philippe Bernold, Henri Demarquette, and the Ebène, Parisii and Psophos string quartets.

Her rich, varied discography has enjoyed great media success, including a Victoire de la Musique, the Grand Prix de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque, the Prix Charles Cros, a Choc du Monde de la Musique, a Dix de Répertoire, and a top rating by Télérama.

In 2012, Isabelle will again perform solo recitals in Germany (including, notably, the world premiere of Cantus II by Thierry Escaich). She will also perform with the Orchestra da Camera di Mantova, in Geneva with the Geneva Chamber Orchestra and the Ginastera Concerto, at the Festival de St Cosmes, in Paris with the Orchestre des Champs Elysées, in Auch with Dame Felicity Lott, and in Toulouse with Magali Mosnier, to name but a few.

An impassioned teacher, Isabelle Moretti gives masterclasses throughout the world, and teaches at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de la Musique et de la Danse de Paris (CNSMD). Since 2008, she has also been Visiting Professor at London’s Royal Academy of Music.

Isabelle Moretti is a Chevalier de l’Ordre National du Mérite.

http://www.isabelle-moretti.com/moretti_site_english.html

Gwyneth Wentink, First Prize Winner of the 13th International Harp Contest in Israel, is renowned for her passionate performances, amazing range of colours and incredible technique. At 28 years of age, she has performed solo recitals and solo concertos with top orchestras all over the world. In addition to her concerto performances, Gwyneth is a dedicated chamber musician.

“Gwyneth plays straight from the heart, without pose or for effect. It is solely about the music” NRC 2008

Highlights of the 2010/2011 season include a concert tour with the Kirwani Quartet through India in January 2011 and the United States in the fall of 2011. In November 2011 Gwyneth performed the harp concerto of A.Ginstera with the Balearic Symphony Orchestra under Salvador Brotons in Palma de Mallorca. Other highlights will be solo- and chamber music performances in New York, Boston, Frankfurt, London and Paris.

In past seasons, Gwyneth has performed as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic, the New York Chamber Symphony, the Philharmonic Orchestre of Bergen, the Helsinki Philharminic, the San Diego Chamber Orchestre, the Orquesta Sinfonica Gran Mariscal de Ayacucho, the Brussels Philharmonic, the National Orchestre of Belgium,the World Youth Orchestra, the Sudwest Rundfunk Orchestre, the National Orchestre of Bucharest, as with many orchestras in The Netherlands, such as the Rotterdam Chamber Orchestra, Gelders Orkest, Brabants Orkest, Residentie Orkest, Orkest van het Oosten, Limburgs Symphony Orkest and more. Conductors Ms Wentink has worked with include Joel Lévy, Simone Young, Peter Eötvos, Jorge Mester, Roberto Benzi, Mikko Franck and Ed Spanjaard.

Gwyneth played solo recitals all over the world. She performed extensively in Europe and

throughout the USA in more than 16 states. In 1999 she gave her recital début in New York (Merkin Hall) as well as in London (Wigmore Hall). In March 2002 she gave her debut concert at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall.

Gwyneth Wentink plays with great passion in a variety of chamber music ensembles all over the world and is dedicated to exploring new sound scapes and repertoire for the harp. She forms duo’s with renowned cellist Larissa Groeneveld and with flutist Felicia van den End and forms ensembles with the Rubens Quartet and the Dutch Harp Trio. A variety of compositions have been written for Gwyneth by, among others, Marius Flothuis, Sergei Natra and Roel van Oosten.

Since 2005 she plays with the world famous Indian bansuri player Pt.Hariprasad Chaurassia, saxophonist George Brooks and tabla player Vijay Gathe in the “Kirwani Quartet”and brings the harp into the world of classical Indian music.

In addition to her performances as a soloist and as a chamber musician, Gwyneth is principal harpist with John Eliot Garndiner’s Orchestre Révolutionaire et Romantique.

Gwyneth’s solo CD, issued by Egan Records, was selected by the Dutch CD Magazine ‘Luister’ as the month’s best buy. In the fall of 2006 Naxos brought out a CD of Gwyneth playing three Harp Concerto’s by Rodrigo. ´Rhapsody´, her second solo CD was extremely well received by the critics.

Daughter of Dutch-Hungarian musicians, Gwyneth started playing the harp at the age of five and had her first performances at the age of six. Her extraordinary talent was soon discovered and she studied with Erika Waardenburg from the age of eight until completing her studies with highest possible marks and was awarded a distinction at the age of nineteen.

Gwyneth has won numerous first prices. In The Netherlands at the Prinses Christina Concours, The SJMN and others. Internationally she won first prices in Japan at The International Nippon Harp Competition in Tokyo, the Torneo Internazionale di Musica in Rome. In 1998 she won the most prestigious Contest of all, The International Harp Contest in Israel, where she became the youngest contestant ever to win this competition and was given the special Gulbenkian Prize for the best performance of the Concerto for harp and orchestra by R.M.Schafer. In 1999 Ms. Wentink gained first prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in New York at the age of 17. She is the first solo harpist ever to be awarded this distinction in Young Concert Artists’40-year history. She has been awarded the Beracasa Foundation Prize, the Mortimer Levitt Career Development Award. In 2000 Gwyneth received the Aaron & Irene Diamond Soloist Prize followed by the Netherland-America Foundation Prize in 2001. The VSCD Classical Musicprize `New Generation`has been awarded to Gwyneth in November 2007. In April 2007 Gwyneth received the Dutch Music Award 2007, which is the highest distinction awarded to musicians in The Netherlands.

Gwyneth plays on Salvi Iris Harp, from the collection of the Nationaal Muziek Instrumenten Fonds.

For more information on Ms. Wentink, please visit

www.gwynethwentink.nl