The USA International Harp Competition proudly invites these seven distinguished musicians to be members of the 13th Competition Jury:
Patrizia Tassini (Jury President) studied harp with Evelina Vio at the Giuseppe Tartini Conservatory of Trieste, graduating cum laude. She studied in France and in the USA at the Eastman School of Music, earning a Master’s Degree in Performance and Literature and a Performance Certificate.
She was the first prize winner of the 2nd International Harp Competition in Varallo; in 1982 she won second prize at the International Harp Contest in Israel; and in 1984 she won the USA Concerto Competition. She has recorded for the Italian National Radio Network (RAI) and Radio France.
She has been a member of the jury at the International Harp Contest in Israel, the Martin Geliot Harp Competition in Lille, the Prix at the Conservatoire National Superieur in Paris, the Félix Godefroid Harp Competition in Tournai, the International Jeunesses Musicales Competition in Belgrade, and now the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington.
She has collaborated with flutists Maxence Larrieu, Giorgio Marcossi, and Massimo Mercelli, as well as with the Mainz Kammerorchester, the Zagreb Soloists, and the Serbian Radio Television Orchestra. In 2002 she was elected to the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress. Recently, she has performed concerts and masterclasses around Europe, China, Taiwan and Turkey.
She conducts the harp orchestra Ventaglio d'Arpe and taught harp at the Jacopo Tomadini Conservatory of Udine in Italy.
Karen Lindquist has enjoyed a busy career as a chamber music player, soloist, and teacher. She has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the White Mountains Festival, Music from Angel Fire, Bravo! Vail, and the Manchester Music Festival in Vermont.
She has toured the United States as a member of Speculum Musicae and the Aurora Trio and performed frequently with the Theatre Chamber Players of the Kennedy Center. She was a featured performer with the members of the Chicago Symphony in Symphony Hall where she performed the world premiere of Michael Tenzer’s Sources of Current, a co-production with the Brooklyn Philharmonic.
Ms. Lindquist has been a soloist with major orchestras across the United States and Europe including the National Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Brooklyn Philharmonic, and the Vienna Austria Symphony. She has served as a member of the jury for international harp competitions in Israel, Mexico City, Moscow and the United States. Currently, she serves as a member of the board of directors for the World Harp Congress.
For over 20 years, Ms. Lindquist has been a member of Canta Libre, a quintet comprised of harp, flute and strings. Karen maintains a busy teaching studio in New York City as well.
Ms. Lindquist began her harp studies at the age of 10. She was a student of Suzanne Balderston and Eileen Malone and later graduated from the Juilliard School, earning both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees under Marcel Grandjany. She can be heard on Varese, Sarabande, Orion, Music Masters and Bridge records.
Described by the New York Times as a "harpist of extraordinary range" whose "brilliant sound and remarkable technical acumen shatter any stereotype of his instrument", Sivan Magen is the only Israeli to have ever won the International Harp Contest in Israel, and is a winner of the Pro Musicis International Award as well as of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award. In fall 2017 he was appointed Principal Harpist of the Finnish Radio Orchestra, and since summer 2023 he is Professor of Harp at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin.
Sivan Magen appeared as a recitalist and as a soloist with orchestras across the United States, South America, East Asia, Europe, and Israel, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, the Sydney Opera House, and the Vienna Konzerthaus, and with orchestras such as the Israel, Tampere, and Strasbourg Philharmonics, the Finnish Radio Orchestra, the Saint-Paul, Vienna, and Scottish Chamber Orchestras, and the Sydney, Jerusalem, and Israel Symphony Orchestras.
An avid chamber musician, Mr. Magen has performed at the Marlboro, Aspen, Rosendal, Kuhmo, Delft, and Jerusalem International Chamber Music festivals. He is a founding member of the award winning Israeli Chamber Project and of Trio Tre Voci with flautist Marina Piccinini and violist Kim Kashkashian.
In addition to two solo albums for Linn records, Mr. Magen has released acclaimed recordings for Avie, Azica, Koch International, ECM, and with Musicians for Marlboro. His most recent recording for Ondine is of the harp concerto Sigla by Lotta Wennäkoski, commissioned for him by the Finnish Radio Symphony. The album was the winner of the 2023 Gramophone Award in the Contemporary category.
Marcela Méndez is an accomplished Argentinian harpist, pedagogue, and writer. Her career spans performance, education, research, and social initiatives, with a focus on promoting Argentine and Latin American harp music. She studied in Argentina with Elena Carfi, continued her studies in France with Marielle Nordmann, and furthered her education in Italy with Mirella Vita.
Ms. Méndez has performed across Latin America, North America, and Europe in recitals, concerts, masterclasses, and lectures. She has recorded five albums, showcasing works by Argentinian composers for the pedal harp. She served as Principal Harpist for 30 years with the Symphony Orchestras of Entre Ríos and Santa Fe. Marcela has served as a member of the board of the World Harp Congress.
A passionate researcher, Ms. Méndez has contributed extensively to the understanding of the harp’s role in Argentina, focusing on its history and repertoire. She has published five books, several articles, and numerous scores for pedal harp. She founded the International Harp Academy of Argentina as well as Amigos del Arpa, an association dedicated to promoting the harp and supporting young talents. Ms. Méndez participated in the Global Leaders Program (2019-2020), and she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Educational Management from the Universidad Católica Argentina (2013).
She is Professor of Harp and Harp Repertoire at the Universidad Autónoma de Entre Ríos. She founded the harp department at the Escuela de Niños 9901 in Santa Fe and has served as Director of the harp class for SOIJAr (Sistema de Orquestas Infantiles y Juveniles de Argentina) since 2017. She was the 2021-2022 Academic Director of SOIJAr. In 2021, Ms. Méndez became the first Suzuki harp teacher in Argentina, teaching at the Suzuki School of Paraná.
A disciple of Pierre Jamet, Brigitte Sylvestre, and Gérard Devos, Ghislaine Petit-Volta is a renowned harpist, distinguished for her solo career and chamber music performances. Eclectic and open to all forms of musical expression, she has collaborated with leading composers such as John Cage, Tôn-Thất Tiết, Peter Eötvös, Martin Matalon, and Pierre Boulez. She recently premiered Arnaud Petit's “Orbis” for augmented electric harp, and Christophe de Coudenhove's “En blanc et bleu” for two harps and jazz orchestra (in collaboration with Isabelle Moretti and the Orchestre national de jazz).
Her discography ranges from medieval music (Harmonia Mundi) to the contemporary repertoire conducted by Pierre Boulez (Deutsche Grammophon). Her two latest albums, Hommage à Rameau (Suoni e Colori) and Concert pour Debussy with the Antara trio (Paraty), confirm her artistic commitment and her exploration of classical and contemporary repertoires.
Guided by a deep desire to pay tribute to her master Pierre Jamet, she wrote the TV film Pierre Jamet, un siècle de harpe for ARTE, directed by Michka Gorki in 1990.
A passionate teacher, Ghislaine Petit-Volta has trained numerous students at the Conservatoire régional de Paris (CRR) and the Pôle supérieur Paris-Boulogne. She continues to share her knowledge within the pedagogy department of the Paris Superior Conservatoire (CNSMDP). She also leads summer courses and masterclasses in Europe and Asia.
Committed to promoting exchanges between young harpists and composers, she founded, in collaboration with Laurence Bancaud and the association Les signes de l'arc, the Collegium21competition and masterclasses, which have become central in the world of contemporary harp.
Guan Wang is Professor and Doctoral Supervisor of Harp at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, China, as well as the Deputy Director of the Teaching and Research Office for Percussion, Harp, and Guitar. She is also a board member of the World Harp Congress. Her outstanding contributions to the field of harp are evident in her teaching, performances, judging of competitions, and promotional activities, all of which have garnered her widespread recognition.
Ms. Wang graduated with outstanding results from the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. With a scholarship from the French government, she pursued further studies in Paris and graduated with high honors. After returning to China, she began teaching at the Central Conservatory of Music, where she has nurtured many exceptional students.
Ms. Wang regularly performs solo and chamber music concerts both domestically and internationally and has collaborated with numerous symphony orchestras in concerto performances.
Ms. Wang is committed to promoting and popularizing the harp in China by organizing harp lectures, festivals, and competitions nationwide. Since 2011, she has hosted an annual harp summer camp at the Forbidden Concert Hall, nurturing a considerable number of harp enthusiasts. Guan has released four albums, including Harp Classics, which is China's first album entirely dedicated to classical harp repertoire. In 2021, she co-edited the harp grading textbook for the Central Conservatory of Music. In 2024, in recognition of her students' consistent success in international competitions, Guan Wang was awarded the Golden School Badge by the Central Conservatory of Music for her teaching achievements.
Arthur Fagen is Professor of Music in Orchestral Conducting and Co-chair of the Department of Orchestral Conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he has been on faculty since 2008. Additionally, he has been Music Director of the Atlanta Opera since 2010.
Mr. Fagen has conducted opera productions at the world’s most prestigious opera houses and music festivals. From 1998 to 2001, he was invited regularly as guest conductor at the Vienna State Opera. On the concert podium, he has appeared with numerous internationally known orchestras. With an opera repertory of more than 100 works, he has served as Principal Conductor in Kassel and Brunswick, as Chief Conductor of the Flanders Opera of Antwerp and Ghent, as Music Director of the Queens Symphony Orchestra, and as a member of the conducting staff of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
From 2002 to 2007, he was Music Director of the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra and the Dortmund Opera. He and the Dortmund Philharmonic were invited to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and the Palais de Beaux Arts in Brussels as well as to Salzburg, Beijing, and Shanghai. Fagen conducted a new production of Turandot at the Atlanta Opera in 2007, opening the season and inaugurating the new opera house, the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Center. He was first-prize winner of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conductors’ Competition as well as a prize winner of the Gino Marinuzzi International Conductors’ Competition in Italy.
Mr. Fagen has recorded for BMG, Bayerischer Rundfunk, SFB, and WDR Cologne. He records regularly for Naxos, for which he has completed the six symphonies of Bohuslav Martinu. His Naxos recording of Martinu’s piano concertos was awarded an Editor’s Choice award in the March 2010 issue of Gramophone magazine.
