Harp Column
The European Concert Hall Organization (ECHO) recently named Anaïs Gaudemard a Rising Star for its 2018–2019 season. Since 1995, ECHO annually nominates six young artists and groups to receive professional development support and perform concert tours across Europe. In addition to Gaudemard, this year’s recipients include the Amatis Piano Trio, the Arod Quartet, baritone Josep-Ramon Olivé, cellist Kian Soltani, and trombone player Peter Moore. “I am very happy to highlight the harp as a solo instrument next year in the most prestigious concert halls and to be nominated as a Rising Star, even if it is impossible to be a ‘star’ next to the harp, because it fascinates, intrigues, and dazzles,” says Gaudemard.
“The thing that motivates me the most is [having the opportunity to]share a lot of exciting moments with the audience. Music is a beautiful way to get a message across,” she says in her ECHO promotional video. Her program for the upcoming year is titled, “Into the Wild,” and includes works inspired by the natural, such as “The Lark” by Glinka, Smetana’s “The Moldau,” and “Le Rappel des Oiseaux” by Rameau. “I invite the listener to discover pieces that count among the most beautiful works ever written.”
Gaudemard won first prize at the 2012 International Harp Contest in Israel and second prize from the Münchener Kammerorchester at the ARD Munich Competition in 2016. Later that year, Claves Records released Gaudemard’s first album of harp concertos with the Orchestra de l’Opéra de Rouen Normandie. She has collaborated with orchestras in Switzerland, Israel, France, Hong Kong, and Germany, among others, and will be an associate artist with the Orchestra Symphonique de Mulhouse starting in September 2018. Gaudemard studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur Musique et Danse de Lyon and then at the Haute École de Musique in Lausanne where she obtained the Master of Arts Soloist with the highest honors.
To learn more about ECHO’s rising stars, visit http://www.concerthallorganisation.eu/rising-stars/20182019-season. Click here to see Gaudemard’s performance dates.
BY HARP COLUMN ON AUGUST 24, 2018
