Harp, Oh Canada

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Angela Schwarzkopf – Ontario

harpist . teacher . JUNO award winner

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Winter. I LOVE the summer but I think I would have to pick winter as well. The music I play that have ties to winter are the ones I feel most connected with. – Angela

JUNO award winning harpist Angela Schwarzkopf concertizes throughout North America as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician. She is guest principal harpist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and principal harp of London Symphonia. The first harpist to become Doctor of Musical Arts in harp performance in Canada, she now teaches at the University of Toronto and maintains a thriving studio of private students. Angela is Chairman of the Board and past President for the American Harp Society. As an advocate for new music, she has worked on commissioning projects with many prominent composers. Her album, detach, comprised of all new Canadian music, won the 2020 JUNO award for Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber. Her second album with The Topaz Duo, lumena, was named Record of the Week on In Concert with Paolo Pietropaolo and one of CBC’s top 22 albums of 2022.

Overview

  • 2020 JUNO Award Winner – Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber
  • Past President and Chairman of the Board, American Harp Society
  • Guest Principal harp, National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada
  • Sessional Faculty at the University of Toronto

Studies

  • University of Ottawa with Lucile Brais Hildesheim
  • University of Toronto (Masters & DMA) with Judy Loman

Commissions (Canadian composers)

  • Castles in the Sand, for solo harp, by Kevin Lau
  • Little Feng Huang,  flute and harp, by Kevin Lau
  • Contemplation for solo harp by Mark Nereberg
  • and one thing leads to another…for harp and marimba, by John Armstrong
  • Sonatina for Vibraphone & Harp by Elisha Denburg
  • Garden for vibraphone and harp by Cecilia Livingston 
  • A Portrait of Tschamiu, solo harp, Patrick Arteaga
  • attach/detach, solo harp, Monica Pearce
  • lumena, flute and harp, Riho Esko Maimets

Albums

  • The Topaz Duo debut album, lumena, available here
  • Click here to buy detach

Links

Connection to Canada and Canadian Harp Music

My connection to Canadian harp music started in my university studies when I regularly learned new music written by my fellow students. As a gift for completing my masters of music degree my parents took inspiration from the commissioning work Judy Loman did, and surprised me with a new solo work for harp written by one of my school colleagues, Mark Nereberg. When I completed my doctorate, my parents again gifted me with another commission for solo harp this time written by Kevin Lau. This further inspired me to continue my work with Canadian composers. Throughout my career I have worked with different composer collectives or groups to workshop and perform many new solo and chamber works for harp. I have commissioned several works myself in addition to these collaborations. Composers often reach out to me and ask for feedback on their works for harp. I have given multiple presentations, lectures, and panel discussions on writing for the harp and Canadian harp music. I strongly advocate for Canadian music and regularly insist my students include Canadian content in their studies. Most recently I have been working with Michelle Gott in her HarpSparks program which includes three new works for harps (duos and trios), and gave a presentation on innovative harp writing. – Angela