USA International Harp Competition

After 10 days of fierce competition amongst 39 harpists representing 15 nations, a gold-medal winner was chosen in the 2010 USA International Harp Competition 17 July at the Musical Arts Center (MAC) of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, reports the IU news bureau.

Agnès Clément (pictured, left) of Lyon, France, won the gold over two other finalists in front of a crowd of more than 1,400 people. The 20-year-old Clément led a field that included Rino Kageyama of Japan, 20, who won the silver medal, and Russian harpist Vasilisa Lushchevskaya, 21, who took the bronze. Susann McDonald, competition founder and artistic director, is pictured, at right.

The eighth triennial contest, which opened 7 July, featured an all-female field. After traveling thousands of miles and memorizing over two hours of required repertoire, competitors vied for more than $100,000 in cash and career assistance.

The fourth- through eighth-prize recipients were:

* 4th Prize: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* 5th Prize: Jimin Lee, United Kingdom/South Korea
* 6th Prize: Ruriko Yamamiya, Japan
* 7th Prize: Gwenllian Llyr, United Kingdom (Wales)
* 8th Prize: Marta Marinelli, Italy

Special Prizes went to:

* Jan Jennings Prize for Best Performance of "Awakening Stillnesses" by Michael Maganuco: Coline-Marie Orliac, France
* Mario Falcao Prize for Best Performance of Concerto for Harp and Orchestra by Reinhold Glière: Rino Kageyama, Japan

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