About the Artist

With his powerful, virtuoso playing, Emmanuel Ceysson sweeps away all the clichés associated with his instrument. His infectious enthusiasm and boundless energy reveals the harp in all its sparkling splendor, in a world where poetry rhymes with temperament. Chosen amongst 70 others of his best peers in a totally blind and anonymous audition process, he is since September 2020 the new Los Angeles Philharmonic Harpist under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel. This exciting symphonic position comes after almost 15 years playing opera in the pit, as Principal Harp: first with the Opéra National de Paris, a job he won aged 22, and then for five full seasons with the legendary New York MET Opera Orchestra. Born and raised in France, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire under the tutelage of Isabelle Moretti, and then managed to collect the highest international distinctions and prizes in the course of five years: Gold Medalist at the 2004 USA international Harp Competition, First Prize at the New York Young Concert Artists Auditions in 2006, and First Prize at the 2009 ARD competition in Munich; thus securing a press acclaimed solo career, as recitalist in major concert venues like Carnegie Zankel Hall, Wigmore Hall, Salle Gaveau, Munich Gasteig, Wiener Konzerthaus, Hyogo concert hall, and as a soloist with orchestras such as the Oslo Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Orchestra, Deutsche Symphonie Orchester, RAI Orchestra Torino, Orchestre National de Lyon, and PKF Prague Philharmonia. He also took part in important music festivals all over the planet including the Edinburgh International Festival, the Cartagena Music Festival, the Mecklenburg Vorpommern Festival, Hong Kong Premiere Performance, Caramoor and Classical Tahoe. As a recording artist, his wide discography covers solo, chamber music and concerto harp repertoire with labels such as Naxos, BR klassik, Naïve, Aparte, Alpha Classics, and received praise from the specialized press. He also invests lots of time teaching masterclasses worldwide, held Visiting Professor positions at the London Royal Academy of Music and Helsinki Sibelius Academy, and teaches a harp studio at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Finally, he was recently appointed Associate Artistic Director of the USA International Harp Competition, and works hand-in-hand with Linda Wood Rollo and Elizabeth Hainen-DePeters to help prepare the upcoming competitions.