Elizabeth Hainen, harp

Elizabeth Hainen has earned an international reputation as one of classical music’s great harp ambassadors. Hailed by the Washington Post for her “unusual presence with silky transparency” and by the New York Times for her “earthy solidarity,” Hainen has thrilled audiences throughout the world with programs showcasing the diversity–and virtuosity–of her modern-day instrument. As Solo Harpist with The Philadelphia Orchestra for over 19 years, she has presented numerous featured performances to captivated audiences and has been praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer for “her ability to blend and color the musical line,” and “to find transparency in an almost timeless atmosphere.” In high demand as a guest artist, Hainen has collaborated with such eminent conductors as Charles Dutoit, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Wolfgang Sawallisch. In addition to The Philadelphia Orchestra, she has appeared as a featured soloist with the City of London Sinfonia, Iris Orchestra, Kennedy Center Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, Bulgaria National Radio Orchestra, Camerata Ducale in Italy, Chicago Civic Orchestra, Mexico State Symphony, the Vienna Boys Choir, and in numerous recitals at Carnegie Hall. “She is a complete harpist who knows and uses her instrument’s strength and brilliance and strikes its fire,” says the Miami Herald’s James Roos. “You miss nothing she wants you to hear.”

As a contemporary and chamber music enthusiast, Hainen has launched major commissioning projects, including works by Pulitzer Prize winners Bernard Rands and Melinda Wagner, the latter being a world premiere of Pan Journal with the Juilliard String Quartet for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. This season Hainen will treat audiences to the premiere of a new concerto commissioned for her by The Philadelphia Orchestra, written for her by acclaimed Beijing Olympics composer Tan Dun. The collaboration between composer and artist will prove to be a groundbreaking work for the harp community and classical fans. Hainen has performed at the festivals of Cartagena, Grand Tetons, Kingston, Marlboro, Sachsisch Bohmisches, and at the World Harp Congress; she has appeared on concert series by Lyon & Healy, the Korean Embassy in Costa Rica, the French Embassy in Washington D.C., the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Saratoga Chamber Music Festival, among others.

2013-14 brought Hainens’ fourth solo recording Les Amis, original works by Debussy and Caplet for the Avie label. Hainen’s discography includes the lushly romantic Music for Solo Harp on the Naxos label and a recording series for Lyon & Healy harps on the Egan label. Hainen’s recently released Harp Concertos on the Avie label with Rossen Milanov and the Bulgarian National Orchestra, was given a four star review by The Telegraph (London): “The tonal range of Hainen’s playing, coupled with her technical finesse and sense of style, bring allure to the entire disc.”

A highly sought after harp pedagogue, Hainen serves on the faculties of the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music and Temple University and has been invited to adjudicate major international harp competitions in the U.S. and in Europe. In 2004 she founded the Saratoga Harp Colony, in Saratoga N.Y., which welcomes approximately 20 of the most promising young harpists for two weeks of intensive study each summer. Through her nonprofit foundation The Lyra Society, Hainen has provided educational outreach to hundreds of school children in urban Philadelphia and the surrounding area.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, Elizabeth Hainen began the harp at age ten. Her extraordinary progress took her to her mentor and teacher, Susann McDonald, at Indiana University School of Music where she was awarded the “Performance Certificate,” and two degrees in performance. Ms. Hainen has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Winner of the American String Teachers Association and the Chicago Symphony Civic Orchestra Competitions, and Silver Medalist at the First USA International Harp Competition.