Harp Column

The May-June 2026 issue of Harp Column magazine is out today! Look for the print copy in your mailbox soon. Can’t wait? Download it now at the link in our bio. 👆 This issue is jam-packed with great harp news and feature articles including:   ⭐️ BEN THERE—our feature interview with Ben Creighton Griffiths (@bencreightongriffiths ) Thirteen years after our first interview with teenage wunderkind Ben Creighton Griffiths, we reconnect with the Welsh harpist to learn how he found his groove in jazz—and built a thriving career packed with gigs. —interview by Kimberly Rowe (@kimharp )    ⭐️ AROUND THE WORLD IN 47 STRINGS— Catch the second installment of our two-part series as we travel the world to visit the unique harp cultures of 25 cities. —article by Heather Cornelius (@harp.heather1 )   ⭐️ SELFLESS SERVICE—Take a lesson from the yoga world and find out how practicing seva­—selfless service—can transform your harp life. —article by Alix Raspé Gray (@followyourharp )   ⭐️ CENTER STAGE—Alexander Boldachev (@boldachev ) makes the case for the harp playing a starring role on stage.   ⭐️ HOW DO I DEVELOP A SENSE OF INNER PULSE? Experts Bridget Kibbey (@bridgetkibbey ), Yolanda Kondonassis (@yolanda_kondonassis_harp ), and Anne Sullivan (@harpmastery ) share their expert advice.   ⭐️ THREE BUDS—Get FREE music by Maeve Gilchrist (@maevegilchrist ) in this issue.   ⭐️ RECORDING REVIEW—Read about new albums from three Montreal harpists: Sarah Pagé (@sarahpageharp ), Valérie Milot (@valerie_milot_harpe ), and Alex Tibbits (@alextibbitts_ ). —review by Alison Young (@blissfulhiker )   ⭐️ MUSIC REVIEW—Get the lowdown on new publications from Carl Swanson, Catherine Michel, Kaffee Peck(@kaffeepeck ), and Mary Muckle. —review by Haley Rhodeside (@harpley_rhodeside )   Not a Harp Column Subscriber? Head to /subscribe now to read this issue today!   🎶 Chrysalism by Ben Creighton Griffiths and Chube (@chubeband )

Forgotten Romantic-era harp music is making a comeback—and these rediscovered gems are worth hearing. 🎼✨ In a new collected edited by Carl Swanson and Catherine Michel, and published by Carl Fischer, Bochsa–Dizi–Parish-Alvars: Intermediate Pieces for Solo Harp, vol. 1 shines a spotlight on rarely heard works from the early Romantic era. "It’s exciting to see modern harpists resurrecting some of these lovely pieces and making them readily available," writes guest reviewer Haley Rhodeside (@harpley_rhodeside ). Whether you’re an advanced student, teacher, or seasoned performer searching for something new, this review dives into why this collection deserves a place on your music stand. 🎶 Read the full review in the May-June 2026 issue of Harp Column magazine. (👆 Link in bio.) Harp Column welcomes your submissions of music publications that have come out within the last year. Visit harpcolumn.com/contact for details on how to submit your new works for review. ✍️ review by Haley Rhodeside (@harpley_rhodeside )

Want to work on shaping phrases and building your technical foundation? In this month's featured lessons at Harp Column Academy, we're digging into trills, intervals, and more. Plus, we have a FREE lesson on tone production. Check out all of this months featured lessons: ⭐️ TONE PRODUCTION, taught by Isabelle Perrin ⭐️ PROCESSIONAL—INTRO AND SECT A, taught by Elzbieta Szmyt ⭐️ PLAYING LARGE INTERVALS, taught by Kim Robertson ⭐️ TRILLS, taught by Jaymee Haefner (@theprofessionalharpist ) ⭐️ MIGUELITO, taught by Felice Pomeranz (@gildedharp )   Find these and more great lessons at the link in our bio! 👆

What if the thing holding you back as a musician isn’t talent… but ego? In this deeply personal piece, harpist and educator Alix Raspé Gray (@followyourharp ) shares how anxiety, imposter syndrome, and self-doubt nearly stole her joy in music—and the mindset shift that changed everything. From teaching with compassion to performing without perfectionism, she explores how the practice of seva—selfless service—can transform the way musicians teach, perform, and care for themselves. If you’ve ever questioned whether you’re “good enough,” this article might change the way you think about being a musician. 🎶✨   Read SELFLESS SERVICE now at the link in our bio. 👆   ✍️ article by Alix Raspé Gray (@followyourharp ) 🎨 design by Alison Reese (@reeseharp )

A decade after his early rise in the classical harp scene, Welsh harpist Ben Creighton Griffiths (@bencreightongriffiths ) has traded competitions for clubs—carving out a thriving jazz career on his own terms.   “It’s taken a long time to get from that point to actually doing loads of gigs in jazz clubs, bars, restaurants, speakeasies—the regular jazz circuit. But now here we are, and it works really well,” Creighton Griffiths says.   Read BEN THERE, our feature interview with Ben Creighton Griffiths, in the May-June issue of Harp Column magazine. (👆 Link in bio.)    ✍️ article by Kimberly Rowe (@kimharp ) 🎨 design by Alison Reese (@reeseharp ) 🎶 music “Swing 42” by The Transatlantic Hot Club (@transatlantichotclub )

We’re talking with featured performers leading up to this summer’s One Harp World, a joint conference organized by the American Harp Society (@harpsociety ) and World Harp Congress (@worldharpcongress.official ). It takes place July 28–Aug 3, 2026, in Toronto.   This month, we’re featuring five performers who are incorporating multimedia into their evening concert performances (pictured clockwise from top left): Sanya Eng (sanya.eng, photo by Dahlia Katz), Lori Gemmell, Caroline Lizotte (@lizotte_caroline , photo courtesy of RougébLeuë Productions), Renée Qin (@reneeeeqin ), and Katryna Tan (@raveharps ).   Visit the link in our bio to read the full Q and A with all five artists. As the Official Media Sponsor of the upcoming One Harp World, Harp Column’s Q and A’s are always FREE to read at our link in bio. 👆 Stay tuned for more in depth interviews and news about One Harp World!

Irish singer-songwriter and harpist Moya Brennan died on April 13, 2026, at age 73. Read a memorial tribute to her at our link in bio.👆

“One of the most exciting collaborations to cross my desk brings together three of Montréal’s most adventurous musical explorers: harpist Sarah Pagé (@sarahpageharp ), tabla player Shawn Mativetsky (@tablamontreal ), and santur virtuoso Amir Amiri (@amiramiri ), performing on the 72-string Persian hammered dulcimer. Their new album, METAMORPHOSE, opens up an entirely new world of sound,” writes Harp Column recording review editor Alison Young.   Read the full review in the May-June 2026 issue of Harp Column magazine. Reviews are FREE to read! (👆 Link in bio.)   Harp Column welcomes your submissions of audio releases that have come out within the last year. Visit /contact for details on how to submit your new works for review.   ✍️ reviews by Alison Young (@blissfulhiker )

The Telynau Cambrian Harps Harp Festival (@cambrianharps ) will to return to the coastal village of Llanrhystud, Wales, from May 15–17, 2026. Featured tutors and performers include (pictured from l. to r.) Luke Webb (lukewebbharpist), Kathryn Rees (kathrynrees_harpist), and Elin Lloyd (@harpistelinlloyd ). For a look at the full schedule, visit our link in bio 👆

The Félix Godefroid International Harp Competition (@felixgodefroid_harpcompetition ) has announced the winners of its 9th edition, which took place April 29–May 3 in Tournai, Belgium. The triennial competition is open to harpists ages 35 and under, divided into four categories based on the length and difficulty of the competition program. In the top category, “Soliste,” Yuki Dempo (@0730popo , pictured left) of Japan and Letizia Lazzerini (@letizialazzerini , pictured middle) of Italy tied for second prize. Maximilian Robin Treller (@maxi_harp , pictured right) of Germany won third prize. No first prize was awarded in this category.   See the complete list of winners and more information about the competition at our link in bio👆

Rules are a great place to start… but a terrible place to stay. 😉 Harp Column editor Alison Reese (@reeseharp ) explores what happens when harpists color outside the lines—and why it matters—in her From the Editor column in the May-June 2026 issue of Harp Column magazine. "... mastering technique and understanding musical context give you the fluency to take the music where you want it to go." writes Reese. You won't want to miss her monthly insights on our current issue, our writers and featured harpists, and all things harp.   This column is always FREE to read. Check it out now at the link in our bio 👆!

Singaporean harpist Lishan Tan (@lishantheharpist ) is the new principal harp of the New Haven Symphony Orchestra (@nhsomusic ). “I’m really excited to be part of an orchestra with such a rich history and a genuine commitment to its community,” Tan says. Read the full story at our link in bio👆