This is a list of people who are notable as

harpist The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual string (music), strings running at an angle to its sound board (music), soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various way ...

A

* Mike Absalom * Ruth Acuff *

Kirsten Agresta Kirsten Agresta Copely is an American harpist based in New York City. She received her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from Indiana University Bloomington in Harp Performance. Agresta was Bronze Medal winner in the 1989 USA International ...

* Pauline Åhman * Silke Aichhorn *

Nancy Allen (harpist) Nancy Allen (born 1954) is a prominent harpist from the United States. The daughter of a public school music teacher in the Carmel, New York district, she won numerous international competitions starting at a young age. In 1973 she won first pri ...

* Elias Parish Alvars *

Glafira Alymova Glafira Ivanovna Alymova (1758–1826) was a Russian Empire lady in waiting and harpist. Biography Glafira Alymova was the daughter of Colonel Ivan Akinfievich Alymov. She studied at the Smolny Institute from 1764 to 1776, as one of its f ...

* Jon Anderson of the band Yes * Fulgencio Aquino *

Dorothy Ashby Dorothy Jeanne Thompson (August 6, 1932 – April 13, 1986), better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished ...

* Athy

B

Baby Dee Baby Dee (born 1953) is an American performance artist, multi-instrumentalist, and singer-songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio. Early career In the 1970s, Baby Dee began her musical career as a street performer, but soon decided to take work as an ...

Winifred Bambrick Winifred Estella Bambrick (February 21, 1892 – April 11, 1969) was a Canadian classical musician and novelist. She won the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in 1946 for her book ''Continental Revue''. Early life Bambrick was ...

- (1892–1969) - Canadian classical musician and novelist *

Cormac de Barra Cormac de Barra is a harpist, singer and television presenter and is part of the Moya Brennan Band. Biography De Barra comes from a family of traditional musicians and singers from Dublin with roots in County Cork. He studied Irish harp with his ...

- Irish singer, musician, and television presenter; part of the

Moya Brennan Band Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

* William fitz Robert Barry - ( fl. 1615) - blind harper in the service of

David de Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant David Fitz-James de Barry, 18th Baron Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant (1550–1617), sided initially with fitz Maurice, the rebel, in the 1st Desmond rebellion but changed sides and fought against the rebels. He also fought for the crown in the ...

* Derek Bell *

Elinor Bennett Elinor Bennett, Baroness Wigley, OBE (born 17 April 1943) is a Welsh harpist who has an international reputation as a soloist, master instructor, and founded the Harp College of Wales. Biography Bennett was born in 1943 in Llanidloes, Wales. ...

* Stephanie Bennett * Hugo Blanco * Hana Blažíková - (born 1980) - Czech soprano, harpist, and interpreter of Baroque,

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, and Renaissance music *

Nicolas-Charles Bochsa Robert Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (9 August 1789 – 6 January 1856) was a harpist and composer. His relationship with Anna Bishop was popularly thought to have inspired that of Svengali and Trilby in George du Maurier's 1894 novel '' Trilby' ...

- (1789–1856) - French-Australian musician and composer appointed to the Imperial Orchestra *

Jana Boušková Jana Boušková (born 27 September 1970) is a Czech harpist and pedagogue. She has been the principal harpist of the Czech Philharmonic since 2005. Boušková is also a professor at the Royal College of Music in London since 2019, the Academy of ...

(born 1970) *

Robin Huw Bowen Robin Huw Bowen (born 1957) is a player of the Welsh triple harp, known in Welsh as ''Telyn Deires'' ( en, Three-row Harp),. He was awarded the Glyndŵr Award in 2000. Born into the Welsh community in Liverpool, England, into a family originall ...

- Exponent of the Welsh Triple Harp and authentic Welsh harp repertoire * Cristina Braga *

Moya Brennan Moya Brennan (born Máire Philomena Ní Bhraonáin on 4 August 1952), also known as Máire Brennan, is an Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist. She is the sister of the musical artist known as Enya. She began performing pr ...

- (born 1952) - Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist; member of

Clannad Clannad () is an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal by siblings Ciarán, Pól, and Moya Brennan and their twin uncles Noel and Pádraig Duggan. They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history, including ...

Corina Brouder Corina Brouder is an American singer and harpist, born in The Bronx, New York City. As a child, her sister, Christina, spent some time in hospital after a hit and run incident, and Corina and her other siblings started entertaining her recoveri ...

* Giolla Críost Brúilingeach * Olivia Buckley *

Charles Bunworth Reverend Charles Bunworth was an Irish harpist and the Church of Ireland rector of Buttevant, County Cork. Born in 1704, he graduated from Trinity College, Dublin with an M.A. in Divinity Studies in 1730 and was ordained the following year. He w ...

- (1704 – 1772) -

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the secon ...

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

Buttevant Buttevant ( or ''Ecclesia Tumulorum'' in the Latin) is a medieval market town, incorporated by charter of Edward III, situated in North County Cork, Ireland. While there may be reason to suggest that the town may occupy the site of an earlie ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, Ireland * Patrick Byrne - (c. 1794 – 1863) - last noted

Gaelic harp The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring gre ...

ist in Ireland and first Irish musician to be photographed

C

* Maria Rosa Calvo-Manzano * Félix Pérez Cardozo * Dee Carstensen *

Edmar Castañeda Edmar Castañeda (born 1978) is a Colombian harpist. He performs his own compositions as well as tapping into native music of Colombia and Venezuela. He leads a trio with David Silliman on drums and Marshall Gilkes on trombone. He has also been a ...

Emmanuel Ceysson Emmanuel Ceysson is a French harpist and academic. He is principal harpist in the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Formerly, he was principal harpist in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Opéra National de Paris (2005–2015). I ...

Cecilia Chailly Cecilia Chailly (born February 2, 1960) is an Italian harpist, composer, singer and writer. Biography Chailly was born in Milan, Italy into a family of Romagnol and French descent. She is the daughter of the composer Luciano Chailly, and sister ...

* Alice Chalifoux * Máire Ní Chathasaigh - (born 1956) - five-time winner of the

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...

music competition * Pearl Chertok * Elaine Christy * Zhay Clark (1895-1980), later known as Zhay Moor * Marie-Elizabeth Cléry - (1761–1795) - French composer and harpist in the court of

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child ...

Alice Coltrane Alice Coltrane (' McLeod; August 27, 1937January 12, 2007), also known by her adopted Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda, was an American jazz musician and composer, and in her later years a swamini. An accomplished pianist and one of the few har ...

Thomas Connellan Thomas Connellan ( – 1698) was an Irish composer. Connellan was born about 1640/1645 at Cloonamahon, County Sligo. Both he and his brother, William Connellan became harpers. Thomas is famous for the words and music of ''Molly MacAlpin'' ...

- (c. 1640 – 1698) - Irish harper and composer whose "Molly St. George" is one of the earliest Irish harp songs with extant lyrics; brother of William Connellan *

William Connellan William Connellan () was an Irish harper. He was born in Cloonamahon, County Sligo. Connellan was a harper, who may or may not have composed the tune ''Caoineach Luimnigh'' (the lament for Limerick). He was well known in Scotland, where he trav ...

- 17th century Irish harper and composer; brother of Thomas Connellan *

Cécile Corbel Cécile Corbel (born 28 March 1980, in Pont-Croix, Finistère, France) is a French and Breton singer, harpist, and composer. She has released five albums of original music and worked for Studio Ghibli as a composer for its 2010 film, ''The Borr ...

- (born 1980) - Breton recording artist and composer

D

* Abramino dall'Arpa - (1577–1593) - one of the few Jewish musicians in

Mantua Mantua ( ; it, Mantova ; Lombard and la, Mantua) is a city and '' comune'' in Lombardy, Italy, and capital of the province of the same name. In 2016, Mantua was designated as the Italian Capital of Culture. In 2017, it was named as the Eur ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

in the late 16th century * Abramo dall'Arpa - (????–1566) - Italian harpist in the court of

, and later tutor of the children of

Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I ( es, Fernando I; 10 March 1503 – 25 July 1564) was Holy Roman Emperor from 1556, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1526, and Archduke of Austria from 1521 until his death in 1564.Milan Kruhek: Cetin, grad izbornog sabor ...

* Rhodri Davies * Vera Dulova *

Sophia Dussek Sophia Giustina Dussek (née Corri; later Moralt; Edinburgh, 1 May 1775 – London, ca. 1831) was a Scottish singer, pianist, harpist, and composer of Italian descent. In 1792, Dussek married the composer Jan Ladislav Dussek. Following Jan's d ...

E

* Osian Ellis * Víctor Espínola

F

Órla Fallon Órlagh Fallon (born 24 August 1974), professionally known as Órla Fallon, is an Irish singer, songwriter and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna. Early life and education Fallon was born in Knockananna, Irela ...

- (born 1974) - Irish soloist, songwriter, and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir

Anúna Anúna (stylized in all caps) is a vocal ensemble formed in Ireland in 1987 by Irish composer Michael McGlynn under the name An Uaithne. Taking the current name in 1991,Allmusic Biography/ref> the group has recorded 18 albums and achieved a ...

Vincent Fanelli Vincent Fanelli, Jr. (December 23, 1883 – March 2, 1966)''Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014''. Social Security Administration. was an American harpist, teacher, and handball enthusiast. Biography Fanelli was born in New York City. His f ...

- (1881–1966) - Italian-American classical musician and educator, principal harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra *

Charles Fanning Charles F. Fanning, Jr. is an Irish American historian and academic. Life He grew up in Norwood, Massachusetts. He graduated from Harvard College in 1964, with a master's in 1966, and from the University of Pennsylvania with a master's and doct ...

- (1736 – c. 1792) - winner of Ireland's Granard Harp Festival in 1781, 1782, and 1783 *

Piaras Feiritéar Piaras Feiritéar (; 1600? – 1653), or Pierce Ferriter, was an Irish clan Chief of the Name, Chief, and Irish poetry, poet. Although best known for his many works of Bardic poetry in the Irish language, Feiritéar is also a widely revered folk ...

- (c. 1600 – 1653) - poet and Catholic Irish leader * Ignacio Figueredo - (1899–1995) - Venezuelan folk musician *

Catrin Finch Catrin Ana Finch is a Welsh harpist, arranger and composer. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004 and is visiting professor at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama and the Royal Academy of Music in London. ...

- (born 1980) - Welsh harpist, arranger, and composer; Official Harpist to the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

from 2000 to 2004 *

Cheryl Ann Fulton Cheryl Ann Fulton is an American harpist. Fulton performs, records, teaches, and researches the harp. She is a performer of historical harps, and one of the few harpists to play triple harp, medieval harp, and lever harps. Fulton has performed o ...

- American performer and teacher

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Mara Galassi Mara Galassi (born 1956, in Milan) is an Italian harpist, musicologist and recording artist specializing in the music for Early harps, including Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque, in particular double (cross-strung) and triple harps of the Renaissan ...

Marilinda Garcia Marilinda Joy Garcia (born ) is an American lobbyist and politician from the state of New Hampshire. A Republican, she served in the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing the Rockingham 8th district from 2012 to 2014. She previousl ...

* Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis - (1746–1830) - French writer, harpist, and educator known for her children's works *

Adele Girard Adele Beatrice Girard Marsala (née Girard; June 25, 1913 – September 7, 1993) was a jazz harpist associated with dixieland and swing music. She is the first woman to bring the concert harp to prominence in jazz, with only Casper Reardon prec ...

* Betty Glamann *

Félix Godefroid Dieudonné-Félix Godefroid (24 July 1818 - 12 July 1897) was a Belgian harpist, who composed for his instrument and for the piano. Félix Godefroid was born at Namur, where his father failed in a theatre venture and moved the family to Boulogn ...

Marie Goossens Marie Henriette Goossens (11 August 1894 - 18 December 1991) was an English harpist, a member of the famous Goossens musical family and the older sister of Sidonie Goossens, also a harpist. Born in London, she was taught at the Royal College ...

* Sidonie Goossens * Tristan Le Govic * Phamie Gow *

Marcel Grandjany Marcel Georges Lucien Grandjany ( ) (3 September 1891 – 24 February 1975) was a French-American harpist and composer. Biography Early life Marcel Grandjany was born in Paris and began the study of the harp at the age of eight with Henriet ...

H

Keiji Haino Keiji Haino ( ''Haino Keiji''; born May 3, 1952) is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter whose work has included rock, free improvisation, noise music, percussion, psychedelic music, minimalism and drone music. He has been active since the ...

* Rachel Hair - Scottish folk harpist *

Corky Hale Corky Hale (born July 3, 1936) is an American jazz harpist, pianist, flutist, and vocalist. She has been a theater producer, political activist, restaurateur, and the owner of the Corky Hale women's clothing store in Los Angeles, California. Ear ...

Janet Harbison Janet Harbison (born 1955) is an Irish harper, composer, teacher and orchestra director. Early life and education Born in Dublin in 1955, Harbison came to early prominence with the piano and the Irish harp. By 1981, she had won every nation ...

- Irish harper * Ruth Berman Harris * Alphonse Hasselmans * Petra van der Heide *

Deborah Henson-Conant Deborah Henson-Conant (born November 11, 1953 in Stockton, California) is an American harpist and composer. Nicknamed "the Hip Harpist", she is known for her flamboyant stage presence and her innovation with electric harps. Career Deborah Henson ...

Corrina Hewat Corrina Hewat (born 21 December 1970, Edinburgh) is a Scottish harpist and composer who was awarded Music Tutor of the Year at Na Trads in 2013. She has worked with poet Robin Robertson and has written music for the Dunedin Consort. She sings wit ...

- (born 1970) - winner of Scotland's Music Tutor of the Year award at the 2013 Na Trads * Hugh Higgins - (1737–1791) - blind Irish harper * Erin Hill * Franziska Huhn - (born 1977) - German-American performer and composer; winner of the

Jugend musiziert ''Jugend musiziert'' is a music competition for children and adolescents in Germany on regional, federal and national level. ''Jugend musiziert'' in Germany In Germany, the nationwide competition refers to young adults up to 20 years and for the ...

prize * Robert ap Huw

I

Varvara Ivanova Varvara Ivanova (born 1987) is a Russian virtuoso harpist and winner of major prizes in many international harp competitions. She was born in Moscow in 1987 and grew up in a family of musicians, with her father baritone Vladimir Ivanov, her mothe ...

(born 1987)

J

* Angharad James - (1677–1749) - early Welsh female poet and harpist *

James James James James (also known by the bardic name ''Iago ap Ieuan'') (1832–1902) was a harpist and musician from Hollybush, Blackwood, Wales. He composed the tune of the Welsh national anthem ''Hen Wlad fy Nhadau'' (also known as ''Land of my Fath ...

* Siân James - (born 1961) - Welsh traditional folk singer and harpist * Pierre Jamet * Maria Johansdotter * Claire Jones * Edward Jones

K

Skaila Kanga Skaila Kanga (born in India) is a harpist and Professor Emerita of Harp at the Royal Academy of Music in London. After winning a Junior Exhibition to the Royal Academy of Music for piano, she switched to harp studies at age 17. She studied wit ...

Camille and Kennerly Kitt Camille Karie and Kennerly Caye Kitt (born 1989) are American identical twin actresses and electric/acoustic harpists, who compose, arrange, and perform as The Harp Twins. The Kitt sisters have released over 100 singles online, as well as nine ...

* Yolanda Kondonassis * Maria Korchinska * Iris Kroes * Johann Baptist Krumpholtz * Valeria Kurbatova

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* Théodore Labarre - (1805–1870) - French harpist, composer, and professor *

Lily Laskine Lily Laskine (31 August 1893 in Paris – 4 January 1988 in Paris) was one of the most prominent harpists of the twentieth century. Born Lily Aimée Laskine to Jewish parents in Paris, she studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Alphonse Hassel ...

- (1893–1988) - French performer and professor who received the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1958 * Mary Lattimore *

Lucile Lawrence Lucile Lawrence (February 7, 1907 in New Orleans – July 8, 2004 in Englewood, New Jersey) was a leader among American harpists. At the end of her life, she was actively teaching as a faculty member of Boston University and the Manhattan Schoo ...

* Lucinda Belle * Anne LeBaron *

Caroline Leonardelli Caroline Léonardelli (born March 10, 1965) is a French-Canadian concert harpist. Born in France, she graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris (Paris Conservatory) at age of 18 and came to Canada to study at McGill University where she completed ...

- French-Canadian performer and recording artist; principal harpist with the Ottawa Symphony *

Lloyd Lindroth Lloyd Lindroth (June 6, 1931 – June 9, 1994) was an American harpist who was nicknamed "The Liberace of the Harp". He had played for millions of people at the time of his death. A Seattle native, Lindroth began playing at age 14. In 1983, he moved ...

Judy Loman Judy Loman (born 3 November 1936) is a harpist and harp teacher, born and educated in the United States and active in Canada. She was the principal harp of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra from 1959 until her retirement in 1991, and won a Juno aw ...

Lisa Lynne Lisa Lynne is a Celtic harpist, a composer and new-age recording artist. She is a self-proclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has "spent the last eighteen years pursuing her passion for the Celtic harp." Lynne released her first solo albums, sta ...

* Cornelius Lyons - (1670–1740) - Irish harper of the

Earl of Antrim Earl of Antrim is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of Ireland and both times for members of the MacDonnell family, originally of Scottish origins. History The MacDonells of Antrim descended from Sorley Boy MacDo ...

M

* Marie Antoinette - last queen of France * Cormac MacDermott - (?–1618) - harper with the English Royal Musick *

Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach, Chief Harper of Ireland, died 1168. Mac Innaighneorach is one of the earliest recorded Irish professional musicians. The Annals of the Four Masters call him the ''chief ollamh of Ireland in harp-playing'' but provide ...

- (?–1168) - Chief Harper of Ireland, one of the earliest recorded Irish professional musicians * Manuel Machado *

Mary Macmaster Mary Macmaster (born 22 November 1955, Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish harpist and singer. She performs on the clàrsach and the Camac electroharp, and she sings in English and Gaelic. She has worked with Sting, Kathryn Tickell, Norma Waterson ...

- (born 1955) - Scottish harpist who performs with

The Poozies The Poozies are a British all-female traditional folk band formed in 1990. They were at the forefront of a wave that revolutionised traditional Scottish and Gaelic music in the 1990s. Throughout the years they have toured worldwide, attract ...

and in the duo Sileas * Eileen Malone * José Marín *

Harpo Marx Arthur "Harpo" Marx (born Adolph Marx; November 23, 1888 – September 28, 1964) was an American comedian, actor, mime artist, and harpist, and the second-oldest of the Marx Brothers. In contrast to the mainly verbal comedy of his brothers Grou ...

- (1888–1964) * Gulnara Mashurova * Susann McDonald *

Marshall McGuire Marshall McGuire (born 1965) is an Australian harpist, teacher, conductor and musical administrator. He has been described as the world's greatest champion of new music for the harp. Biography McGuire was born in Melbourne in 1965. His interest ...

Loreena McKennitt Loreena Isobel Irene McKennitt, (born February 17, 1957) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer who writes, records, and performs world music with Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. McKennitt is known for her r ...

- (born 1957) - Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist whose albums have sold more than 14 million copies *

Geraldine McMahon Geraldine McMahon ARCM is a British-born harpist and singer of Irish descent. Career McMahon trained at the Royal College of Music in London, winning several prizes including a study scholarship at the Universität Mozarteum, Salzburg, Austria. ...

Katie McMahon Katie McMahon is an Irish singer. She was a soloist with the original Riverdance troupe. Her recordings have largely featured traditional Irish songs, occasionally in the Irish language. Originally from Dublin, McMahon studied Italian and Dram ...

Lavinia Meijer Lavinia Meijer (born February 12, 1983) is a South Korean-born Dutch harpist.Lavinia Meijer
official site ...

* Luisa Menárguez *

Anna Maria Mendieta Anna Maria Mendieta is a professional harpist from the United States best known for pioneering the harp as a contemporary tango instrument. She is the founder, artistic director, and harpist of the award-winning album and an internationally tour ...

* Orazio Michi * Susanna Mildonian * Valérie Milot - Canadian soloist and chamber musician; the first harpist to win the Prix d’Europe *

Áine Minogue Áine Minogue (born 27 May 1977, Borrisokane, County Tipperary) is an Irish harpist, singer, arranger and composer, now living in the Boston area. She has recorded thirteen solo albums in styles generally categorized as Celtic, world, folk, spiri ...

* Rose Mooney * David Murphy

N

François Joseph Naderman François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * Francis I of France, King of France (), known as "the Father and Restorer of Letters" * Francis II of France, Kin ...

* Jean Henri Naderman * Fatma Ceren Necipoğlu *

Lily Neill Lily Neill is an American harp player. She is recognised for her performances of original music and repertoire from various folk traditions. Neill was born in Maryland, United States and started playing the harp at the age of nine, after taking ...

* Joanna Newsom

O

* Máel Sechnaill Ruadh Ó Braonáin * Donell Dubh Ó Cathail * Eachmarcach Ó Catháin * Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin *

Maol Ruanaidh Cam Ó Cearbhaill Maol Ruanaidh Cam Ó Cearbhaill, otherwise ''An Giolla Caoch'' and ''Cam Ó Cearbhaill'', sometimes anglicised as Cam O'Kayrwill (died 10 June 1329) was a notable Irish harpist and player of the tiompan, murdered with many others at the Braganstow ...

* Eoghain Ó Cianáin * Thady Ó Cianáin *

Fláithrí Ó Corcrán Fláithrí Ó Corcrán, Irish singer and harpist, d. 1496. Ó Corcrán bore a surname held by at least two unrelated clans; one was a Brehon family from County Fermanagh, a second was situated in Munster. It is uncertain to which, if either, fa ...

Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh (; fl. 1630), sometimes spelt in English as Carroll Oge O'Daly, was a 17th-century Irish language poet and harpist, who composed the song "". Cearbhall (Carroll) was a common name amongst people of the Ó Dálaigh ( ...

- (fl. 1630) - Irish poet and harpist * Diarmuid Ó Dubhagáin *

Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh Donnchadh () is a masculine given name common to the Irish and Scottish Gaelic languages. It is composed of the elements ''donn'', meaning "brown" or "dark" from Donn a Gaelic God; and ''chadh'', meaning "chief" or "noble". The name is also written ...

Mary O'Hara Mary O'Hara (born 12 May 1935) is an Irish soprano and harpist from County Sligo. She gained attention on both sides of the Atlantic in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Her recordings of that period influenced a generation of Irish female singer ...

* Dominic Ó Mongain * Máel Ísa Ó Raghallaigh *

Turlough O'Carolan Turlough O'Carolan ( ga, Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin ; 167025 March 1738) was a blind Celtic harper, composer and singer in Ireland whose great fame is due to his gift for melodic composition. Although not a composer in the classical sense, ...

Arthur O'Neill Arthur Edward Bruce O'Neill (19 September 1876 – 6 November 1914), was an Irish Ulster Unionist Party politician who was the first Member of Parliament to be killed in World War I. Early life O'Neill was the second but eldest surviving son of ...

Natalia O'Shea Natalia Andreyevna O'Shea (russian: Ната́лья Андре́евна О’Шей, née Nikolayeva, russian: link=no, Никола́ева, known as Hellawes, russian: link=no, Хелависа; born 3 September 1976) is a Russian harpist, si ...

Rüdiger Oppermann Rüdiger Oppermann (born 1954) is a German harpist and experimental musician. He specializes in the Celtic harp, which he began playing in 1973. His instrument, a custom-made clàrsach, has 38 gold-plated bronze strings and a special mechanism t ...

- (born 1954) - German experimental musician; plays a custom-made

clàrsach The Celtic harp is a triangular frame harp traditional to the Celtic nations of northwest Europe. It is known as in Irish, in Scottish Gaelic, in Breton and in Welsh. In Ireland and Scotland, it was a wire-strung instrument requiring grea ...

with 38 gold-plated bronze strings and a special mechanism that allows him to bend notes in a manner akin to

blues music Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

ians *

Coline-Marie Orliac Coline-Marie Orliac (born 1989) is a harpist from Antibes, France. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, she has performed with leading orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic. Musical education Orliac studied at the Nice Conserv ...

- (born 1989) - two-time winner of the

USA International Harp Competition The USA International Harp Competition was founded in 1989 by harpist and pedagogue Susann McDonald. It is the only international harp competition held in the United States, and it is one of only seven music competitions in the United States to be ...

* Alfredo Rolando Ortiz * David Owen * Siobhan Owen - (born 1993) - Welsh-Australian soprano; winner of several music awards including two Irish Music Awards

P

* Annemiek Padt-Jansen * Şirin Pancaroğlu *

Zeena Parkins Zeena Parkins (born 1956) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist active in experimental, free improvised, contemporary classical, and avant-jazz music; she is known for having "reinvented the harp". Parkins performs on standard har ...

* John Parry - (1710–1782) - blind Welsh harpist, credited with writing ''

Deck the Halls "Deck the Hall” is a traditional Christmas carol. The melody is Welsh, dating back to the sixteenth century, and belongs to a winter carol, "Nos Galan", while the English lyrics, written by the Scottish musician Thomas Oliphant, date to 1862. ...

'', inspiration for

Thomas Gray Thomas Gray (26 December 1716 – 30 July 1771) was an English poet, letter-writer, classical scholar, and professor at Pembroke College, Cambridge. He is widely known for his '' Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,'' published in 1751. G ...

's 1757 poem, ''

The Bard (poem) ''The Bard. A Pindaric Ode'' (1757) is a poem by Thomas Gray, set at the time of Edward I's conquest of Wales. Inspired partly by his researches into medieval history and literature, partly by his discovery of Welsh harp music, it was itsel ...

'' * John Parry - (1776–1851) - better known as Bardd Alaw *

Laura Peperara Laura Peverara or Peperara (c. 1550 – 4 January 1601) was an Italian virtuoso singer who was also a harpist and dancer; born and raised in Mantua. Her father, Vincenzo, was a merchant, an intellectual who tutored princes, leading to Laura be ...

Roberto Perera Roberto Perera (born 1952) is an Uruguayan jazz harpist, in the smooth jazz and fusion styles. Born in 1952 in Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay, Perera was barely 12 years old when his mother enrolled him in a music conservatory where he se ...

Edna Phillips Edna Phillips (January 7, 1907 – December 2, 2003), later Edna Phillips Rosenbaum (though she never changed her professional name and was still known as "Miss Phillips"), was an American harpist long associated with the Philadelphia Orchestr ...

Jemima Phillips Jemima Phillips is an English-born Welsh harpist. She was the Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2004 to 2007 but was later convicted of handling stolen goods. Biography Phillips was born in North London, where her father Robert was an ...

* Nicholas Dáll Pierce *

Ann Hobson Pilot Ann Hobson Pilot (born November 6, 1943) is an American musician and the former principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and as a soloi ...

- (born 1943) - former principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Sym ...

R

Monica Ramos Monica Ramos is a Chilean-born Swedish harpist. Biography Monica Ramos is a graduate of the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and has performed in the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Sweden and the Swe ...

* Elizabeth Randles *

Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean Anna-Maria Yordanova Ravnopolska-Dean ( bg, Анна-Мария Йорданова Равнополска-Дийн), born 3 August 1960, Sofia, Bulgaria, is a Bulgarian and American harpist, composer, pedagogue, musicologist and TV host. Biogr ...

- (born 1960) - Bulgarian concert harpist and academic; a founder of the

American University in Bulgaria The American University in Bulgaria (or AUBG) is a private university located in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria. Established in 1991, today AUBG has about 1,000 students from over 40 countries on 5 continents (as of Fall 2019). Close to 50% of the student ...

Casper Reardon Casper Reardon (April 15, 1907 – March 9, 1941) was an American classical and jazz harpist. He studied classical harp at the Curtis Institute of Music and went on to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. L ...

* Susan Reed *

Henriette Renié Henriette Renié (; 18 September 1875 – 1 March 1956) was a French harpist and composer who is known for her many original compositions and transcriptions, as well as codifying a method for harp that is still used today. She was a musical pr ...

* Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz *

Nansi Richards Nansi Richards Jones (14 May 1888 – 21 December 1979) was a Welsh harpist, sometimes known as the "Queen of the Harp"Folktrax 351"Nansi Richards, Triple Harp" or by her bardic name "Telynores Maldwyn". Early life and education Jane Ann "Na ...

- (1888–1979) - Welsh harpist appointed official harpist to

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

* Kim Robertson *

Marisa Robles Marisa Robles (born May 4, 1937) is a Spanish harpist and composer. She was born in Spain, where she studied the harp with Luisa Menarguez, and studied music at the Madrid Conservatory, graduating at the age of sixteen in 1953. She made her concer ...

* Claire Roche * Henrik Rohmann - (1910–1978) - Hungarian performer and teacher * Clotilde Rosa *

Mindy Rosenfeld Mindy Rosenfeld is an American flutist, piper and harpist, noted as a founding member of the Baltimore Consort, specializing in Renaissance music. She is also credited as Mindy Rosenfeld Hedges. Life and career Mindy Rosenfeld, graduated with a B ...

* Diana Rowan * Jaroslav Řídký - (1897–1956) - Czech composed, conductor, harpist, and teacher

S

* Floraleda Sacchi - (born 1978) - recording artist, composer, and musicologist from Italy * Arnold Safroni-Middleton *

Victor Salvi Victor Salvi (\ˈvik-tər\ \ˈsal-vē \); (March 4, 1920 – May 10, 2015) was an American-born harpist, harp maker, and entrepreneur. Salvi, who has been called "harpmaker of the world", was of Italian descent. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he ...

Carlos Salzedo Carlos Salzedo (6 April 1885 – 17 August 1961) was a French harpist, pianist, composer and conductor. His compositions made the harp into a virtuoso instrument. He influenced many composers with his new ideas for the harp's sounds through his ...

Arianna Savall Arianna Savall i Figueras (born 1972 in Basel, Switzerland) is a Swiss-born Spanish classical singer, harpist and composer. She sings in Catalan, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese and other languages of the world. Life and career Savall is the ...

* Anne van Schothorst *

Patsy Seddon Patsy Seddon is a Scottish harpist, violinist and traditional singer in Scots and Gaelic. Biography Seddon was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. She was a member of leading folk band The Poozies from 1990 until 2012, and the duo Sìleas with Mar ...

- Scottish harpist known for work with

, Sileas, and Clan Alba * Therese Schroeder-Sheker * Marianne Smit *

David Snell (musician) David Snell (born 12 May, 1936) is a British harpist, composer and conductor who has worked across a wide range of genres, from jazz, pop and soundtracks through to library music and classical concert works. Snell was born in Grantham, Lincoln ...

* Monika Stadler *

Serafina Steer Serafina Steer (born 30 April 1982) is an English harpist, pianist, singer and songwriter. Early life and education Steer is the daughter of composer Michael Maxwell Steer and stage designer Deirdre Clancy. She started learning the harp at ...

Savourna Stevenson Savourna Stevenson (born 1961) is a Scottish clàrsach player and composer. Her father is the Scottish composer Ronald Stevenson. Actress Gerda Stevenson is her sister. Her musical career began in the late 1970s; at the age of 15, she was alr ...

* Alan Stivell - (born 1944) - Celtic recording artist *

Jessica Suchy-Pilalis Jessica R. Suchy-Pilalis (born 1954) is an American specialist in the theory and practice of Byzantine chant, Byzantine singer, composer, harpist, and music educator. Life and career Jessica Suchy-Pilalis grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wit ...

Tomoko Sugawara Tomoko Sugawara is a harpist from Tokyo, Japan who grew up playing classical and Irish harp before learning to play the kugo or angular harp. With Swedish professor Bo Lawergren, whom she met at a kugo museum exhibit in Nara, Japan she engin ...

Andrei Sychra Andrei Osipovich Sychra (Sikhra, Sichra, in Russian Андрей Осипович Сихра ''Andrej Osipovič Sixra'') (born 1773 (?1776) in Vilnius; died November 21/December 3, 1850, in St Petersburg) was a Russian guitarist, composer an ...

T

* Mia Theodoratus * John Thomas * Thomas Thomas * Julia Thornton *

Miriam Timothy Miriam Timothy (24 February 1879 – 1950) was a British harpist and teacher. She was a soloist, played with many London orchestras and taught harp at the Royal College of Music. Life Miriam Timothy was born in London on 24 February 1879, daughter ...

Juan Vicente Torrealba Juan Vicente Torrealba (20 February 1917 – 2 May 2019) was a Venezuelan harpist and composer of popular music. In 1947 he founded the group Los Torrealberos with his brother Arturo and his son Santana, playing with passion and rich nuances the ...

Marcel Tournier Marcel Lucien Tournier (January 5, 1879 – May 8, 1951) was a French harpist, composer, and teacher who composed important solo repertory for the harp that expanded the technical and harmonic possibilities of the instrument. His works are regula ...

Tuotilo Tuotilo (died 27 April 915) was a Frankish monk at the Abbey of Saint Gall. He was a composer, and according to Ekkehard IV a century later, also a poet, musician, painter and sculptor. Various trope melodies can be assigned to Tuotilo, but wo ...

* JoAnn Turovsky

V

* Verónica Valerio *

Victor Espinola The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

Andreas Vollenweider Andreas Vollenweider (born 4 October 1953) is a Swiss harpist. He is generally categorised as a new-age musician and uses a modified electroacoustic harp of his own design. He has worked with Bobby McFerrin, Carly Simon, Luciano Pavarotti and ...

W

Sylvia Woods (harpist) Sylvia Woods (born 1951 in Tennessee) is an American harpist and composer, and is perhaps best known for her role in the worldwide renaissance of the Celtic harp, or cláirseach. Woods began selling and writing music for Celtic harps in the 1970s ...

* Aristid von Würtzler - (1925–1997) - Hungarian-American leader of the New York Harp Ensemble

Y

* Gráinne Yeats *

Brandee Younger Brandee Younger (born July 1, 1983) is an American harpist. Younger infuses classical, jazz, soul, and funk influences to the harp tradition pioneered by her predecessors and idols Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. Younger leads her own ensemble ...

Z

Nicanor Zabaleta Nicanor Zabaleta (January 7, 1907 – April 1, 1993) was a Spanish harpist. Zabaleta was born in San Sebastián, Spain, on January 7, 1907. In 1914 his father, an amateur musician, bought him a harp in an antique shop. He soon began takin ...

* Liao Zilan * Vincenzo Zitello

References

{{Reflist Harpists Harpists