Agenda
Agenda
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The DHC 32 is a special point of focus in Ailie Robertson‘s concert at Borough New Music Series 12, 1PM on January 22nd, 2019. On the programme: Ailie’s own composition ‘Seven Sorrows’, for DHC 32, string quartet and electronics; ‘Fall’ by Kaija Saariaho; Josef Tal’s Concerto for Harp and Electronics; and a new work by Will Handysides.
‘Seven Sorrows’ was commissioned by New Voices, premiered on February 4th, 2018 in Glasgow, and is inspired by the Gaelic grief ritual of keening. The DHC is given three pedal chains on three splits; a bowed, wire-strung harp also features, as do archive sound recordings.
Winner of The Sofia International Composition Competition, the SCO iCompose Prize, and 2nd in the Oslo Grieg Competition, Ailie has received commissions, awards and residences from Creative Scotland, Enterprise Music Scotland, the CCA, Culture Ireland, Celtic Connections, EIFF, and CALQ Montreal. She was chosen for the 2016/17 RSNO Composer’s hub, awarded a BBC Performing Arts Fellowship and was winner of the ‘Achievement in New Music’ prize at the inaugural New Music Scotland Awards. She is one of the LPO Young Composers 2017-18, and is currently in the final year of her PhD in composition at Trinity Laban. She studies with Sam Hayden, Michael Finnissy – and Dominic Murcott, with whom we worked intensively with our MIDI concert harp.
On January 15th, Ailie will also direct another concert for Borough New Music, featuring Gabriella Dall’Olio’s class Trinity Laban. In line with Trinity’s ‘Venus Blazing’ special focus on women composers throughout 2018-19, this concert will include works by Hannah Lash, Mared Emlyn, Ailie Robertson, Anne Marie O’Farrell, Ada Gentile and Kirsty Devaney.
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We are happy to be supporting the harp competition of the Franz Josef Reinl-Stiftung in 2019. This competition is open to harpists born later than January 1st, 1995, and who have not yet finished their conservatoire studies. It will take place in Munich between February 14th – 17th, 2019, with the prizewinners’ concerts in June.
Interestingly, this annual harp competition always runs at the same time as a composition competition, because the Franz Josef Reinl Foundation was set up by Hilde Reinl, the widow of the composer Franz Josef Reinl. Hilde Reinl was also the mother of Hermann Ertl, a well-known harpist of his epoch, and so the idea to support both young composers and young harpists was born. The harp programme requires the Spohr Fantasy, Pierné Impromptu-Caprice, a work post-1960, and a Scarlatti Sonata.
We will be sending concert grand instruments for competitors to perform on, and our German team will also be present with an exhibition.
More information is available in English and German here.
Competition enquiries: Franz Josef Reine-Stiftung
Exhibition enquiries: Camac Harfen Deutschland
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The Concours Français de la Harpe is ten years old this year! We are looking forward to celebrating with Marie Monique Popesco, Véronique Chenuet, and their team of organisers, whose wonderful – voluntary – work has created a keystone of the harp competition calendar over the last decade.
2019’s competition will take place between February 22nd – 24th, 2019, in Limoges. There is a wide variety of categories, from beginner to young professional, and the event is a valuable chance to gain competition experience and perform for a top-level jury. Closing date for applications is January 29th, 2019.
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Happy quarter-century to Harpe en Avesnois! The 25th edition of the festival will take place between February 26th – March 10th, 2019, with the celebrity masterclass and recital from March 8th – 10th. This year’s master will be Nancy Allen, and the closing date to apply to play for her is February 8th.
You can also look forward to a great wider programme, with many creatively-planned concerts. Máire Ní Chathasaigh and Chris Newman’s excellent Celtic harp and guitar duo will appear on March 9th; Mélanie Dutreil and Marie Normant are pairing their regular harp duo with percussionist François Durez on March 2nd; Geneviève Létang and storyteller Philippe Arlaud will perform on February 26th; Sandrine Chatron and her Trio Polycordes will be there on March 3rd…and don’t miss our French team, who will be there with an exhibition over the masterclass weekend.
Further information, masterclass sign-up form and tickets are available from the festival website.
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We are pleased to be supporting the Second “Glowing Harp” International Competition, which will take place in Kharkiv in April of this year. The brainchild of Larisa Klievtsova and Veronika Lemishenko, Glowing Harp began thanks to the support of Valeriy Altuknov, the director of Kharkiv High Music School, and Yuri Yanko, director and chief conductor of the Kharkiv State Philharmonic. The first open harp competition took place in 2006, and in 2017, the competition went international for the first time.
There are categories for both solo and harp duo, from beginners to 25 and under. Thanks to the partnership of the Kharkiv State Philharmonic, the competitions are a particularly good way to gain concerto experience: the final stages of the solo <14, <18 and <25 are all with orchestra or chamber orchestra.
Full information – repertoire, rules, logistics and application details – is available on the competition website. It’s not the first time Camac has been to the Ukraine: we had a fascinating visit to the First Ukrainian International Harp Conference in 2009, and are looking forward to our return, this time to Kharkiv, in April.
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The long-established national competitions in London will take place, as ever, on the UK May bank holiday weekend: Sunday, May 5th and Monday, May 6th at North Bank House. We’re delighted to be welcoming Stephen Fitzpatrick and Emma Ramsdale to be our illustrious jury members. Stephen, British in origin, is now Principal Harpist at the Berlin Staatskapelle under Daniel Barenboim, and is also Professor of Harp at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Emma is an ABRSM diploma examiner, and has taught at Junior Guildhall and many schools during her teaching career, while also pursuing a busy performing schedule.
North London offers competitions for every age and stage, from grade 1 (ABRSM / Trinity syllabuses), to young professional. There are also the increasingly popular junior and senior chamber music classes. The Camac Harp Competition is open to pedal harpists of conservatoire standard and beyond, studying or resident in the UK / Republic of Ireland and aged up to 30.
We are very pleased that once again we can offer a great professional opportunity to the laureate of this competition, in the form of a paid lunchtime recital at the Proms at St Jude’s. Candidates should therefore be available for the scheduled concert date of Friday, June 21st 2019, at lunchtime in London NW11).
Registration is via the online form of the North London festival, which will be activated early in 2019. Meanwhile, you can prepare your programmes using the information in the competition flyer, and register your interest using this form. We will then let you know once registrations are open!
Closing date for applications: Monday, April 1st 2019
Any questions, contact Helen @ Camac!
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We have long been principal sponsors of the International Harp Competition in Szeged, Hungary. Founded by Natalia Gorbunova in 2007, applications to the fifth edition are now open! The competition will take place between November 27 – December 1, 2019, at the Reök Palace in Szeged, and has three categories: U14, U19 and U25. It also has a new Artistic Director, with Anastasia Razvalyaeva taking over the reins.
All information, repertoire, rules, jury lists, downloadable flyer and the application form can be found on the competition’s webpage.
