Who is the best harpist in the world? She has just been elected

She is the first Italian to win the title after 21 years

The best harp player in the world is called Claudia Lucia Lamanna and she is the first Italian to win this title 21 years after Letizia Belmondo in 2001.

The musician, with her delicate and tapered fingers, snatched the victory in the oldest and most difficult music competition, the International harp contest which took place a few days ago in Akko in Israel.

Claudia Lucia Lamanna is only 26 years old and comes from Noci, a town located in the province of Bari in the beautiful Puglia, a region where she is very celebrated, in Southern Italy.

Her love for the harp is the result of love at first sight as a child during a concert as a spectator, thanks to the sound and elegant shape of this instrument that seems magical. So at 9, he started taking lessons.

At the age of 17, he earned his master’s degree in harp and then began traveling the world to perfect his training and enchant the public.

“The harp is an extension of my body and I have never considered it angelic and ethereal. For me it is powerful, much more pop than you think, ” she told La Repubblica.

The contest

Now she described the thrill of winning the award, recognized as prestigious and authoritative globally, as very strong, and said that this triumph repays her for a life full of sacrifices.

With the celestial sound emanating from the strings, touched with her skill, she beat the competition of as many as 63 participants from 25 countries.

To understand how difficult it can be to reach this goal, just think that the competition in question is not held every year: it takes place every three years. According to media reports, the victory earned her a harp worth $ 55,000 and a concert tour.

The carreer

The musician, as Il Corriere della Sera recalls, has performed from a very young age on the most important world stages: from the Oslo Opera House to the Elgar Room of the Royal Albert Hall in London, from the Merkin Concert Hall in New York to the Auer Hall of ‘Indiana University in Bloomington.

Here are her studies: graduated with honors and honorable mention at the Nino Rota Conservatory in Monopoli, she specialized at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg.

“I consider the harp on the same level as other solo instruments such as the violin or the cello, but it certainly has an unparalleled elegance. It possesses depth, and virtuosity, and is capable of instilling many feelings in the listener. Unfortunately, many artistic directors and theater superintendents tend to ignore the harp, reserving perhaps only one solo concert over an entire season. Yet people love her, at the end of each of my concerts they are always enthusiastic. As I have already said, the harp is an instrument like any other: why neglect it? It is something that must change ”is his comment reported by the Corriere.

Present and future

She released his first album entitled “The Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary Series” in 2020. The next concert is scheduled for April 30 in Antibes with the Cannes National Orchestra, but the World Harp Congress is already on the horizon in Cardiff from 23 to 28 July.

This is the open letter imbued with happiness that Claudia Lucia Lamanna entrusted to Facebook a few hours ago:

“Dear all, it is really difficult to find the right words to express all the emotions I have been feeling for a few days now. I am filled with a whirlwind of enormous and wonderful sensations, that are now helping me to realize what really happened to me just over a week ago. I still have alive in my mind the frenzy, the adrenaline, the fears, the joy of those days, and I promised to myself that, immediately after the competition, I would take a period of — I think deserved — rest, after so much tension. However, it was not so, because I was literally overwhelmed by so many very welcome messages of affection, to which I am still answering. Thanks for your incredible support!

Winning the First Prize at The International Harp Contest in Israel is a dream come true, considering what this prestigious competition has always represented in the harp world and history. This is the result of years and years of hard work, hours spent alone next to the harp, seeking the perfect nuances, and it represents the reward of a life of sacrifice not only on my part but also on those closest to me. It really means winning Olympic gold!

I apologize from now on if I could probably forget some names in my thanks. For the achievement of this important milestone, my first thanks go to all my professors, and also to those I had the pleasure to meet for shorter periods. It has always been essential for me to continue to improve, go further and acquire the most disparate points of view. So, my warm thanks to my great mentor Stephen Fitzpatrick at Mozarteum, who accompanied me from the beginning to the end of this adventure and who has heartened me in difficult moments, with his undeniable musical expertise and wisdom.

Big thanks to Karen Vaughan at the Royal Academy of Music, for guiding me in the building of my debut album, which made me artistically grow up (and to the inspiring Trevor Pinnock and Skaila Kanga); to Isabelle Perrin at Norges musikkhøgskole, for teaching me how to become professionally autonome and with whom I musically grew up since we first met twelve years ago; to Jana Boušková during my Erasmus year at Koninklijk Conservatorium; to Sara Terzano at Conservatorio Nino Rota, with whom I finished all my studies in Italy in a sparkling atmosphere (and to all the ones who preceded her); and to my cherished Gabriella Perricci, who first instilled in me the love for this instrument. Special thanks to my dearest Luisa Prandina from Teatro alla Scala, for all her precious advice and for encouraging me to participate in this contest.

Thanks also to my colleagues and friends around the world, of whom I felt their sincere closeness during this period. Most of all, my gratitude goes to those who played a leading role during the preparation of the competition: the flutists Ylenia Carbonara and Ilaria Stoppini in Italy, the flutists Leona Rajakowitsch and Beatrice Lanaro in Salzburg, the cellists Charlotte Lang and Anna Skladannaya in Salzburg, the pianists Roberto Corlianò and Carlos Murakami. A kind thanks to Piero Liuzzi and Teatro Gabrieli for their availability in the provision of spaces for my performances tryouts.

My congratulations go to the Chairperson of the contest Colette Avital, the Music Director Rovinsky Julia, and all the Committee and Staff who, despite the hard times that the whole world is experiencing, have managed to organize an event of such prestige in such commendable way. Many thanks to all the Jury, for believing in me! My huge congrats to the finalists Beatriz Cortesão e Lea Maria Löffler and to all the talented harpists who competed with me.

Dulcis in fundo… ‘Epic’ thanks to my uncles, to Antonello and Roberta for their enthusiastic cheer for me! Immense thanks to the sweetest grandmother ever, nonna Lucia! Lots of love to my adorable Jack!

Now… the words are not enough to express how deeply touched I am by the biggest support I could ever imagine receiving from the only two persons who know me best, with whom I have spent the happiest and darkest moments of my life, and who always helped me, with all their strength, to never give up.

Without their unconditional love, day after day, all this would never have been possible. They will agree with me to dedicate this victory to my beloved father Patrizio. Stefania e Mamma, vi voglio bene!

Thrilled for my next experiences to come! Again thanks and good music to all!”.