Bridget Kibbey

Acclaimed harpist Bridget Kibbey is a recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Juilliard School Peter Mennin Prize for Musical Excellence and Leadership, Premier Prix at the Chamber Music Competition of Arles, France (in collaboration with flutist Julietta Curenton), and a winner of Concert Artist Guild's 2007 International Competition and Astral's 2003 Auditions. Her solo performances have been broadcast on NPR's Performance Today, WQXR, WRTI's Crossover, and A&E's Breakfast with the Arts. Kibbey holds both Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees from the Juilliard School as a student of Nancy Allen, and is currently on the harp faculties of New York University, Vassar College, and the Juilliard Pre-college program.

Jan Jennings

Jan Jennings is well known in the harp community for her work with organizations such as the American Harp Society (Past Director at Large and Treasurer) and the World Harp Congress (Board of Directors and Treasurer); she has been a featured artist and faculty member for many national conferences and maintains a thriving freelance business in Orlando, Fla., where she performs as both a classical and pop harpist. Jenninngs is Music Review Editor for Harp Column magazine, and has published her own collection of books and arrangements for harpists.

Dan Yu

2001 USA International Harp Competition First Prize winner Dan Yu has performed solo recitals and chamber music concerts throughout the world. Her debut CD "The Nightingale" was released on the Egan Record label in 2002; "Spring on the Moonlit River" was released in fall 2005. Ms. Yu was born in Shenyang, China, and moved to the U.S. in 1993 to study harp; she holds Bachelor of Arts and Mater of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and an Artist Diploma from Indiana University. Dan Yu now resides in Atlanta, Ga., where she teaches in her private studio and continues to concertize as a soloist.

Nancy Lendrim

Principal Harpist of the Toledo Symphony since 1980, Nancy Lendrim forms half of the Salzedo Harp Duo and can be heard on their recently released "Short Stories" CD. Lendrim has appeared frequently as a soloist with the Toledo Symphony, and has also performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is on the faculties of the University of Toledo and Heidelberg College, the Saratoga Harp Colony, and was formerly on the faculty of the National Music Camp at Interlochen, Mich. Lendrim is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she studied with Alice Chalifoux.

Kathleen Wilson

Kathleen Wilson's multifaceted career includes achievements in harp, long distance swimming, and politics. As Principal Harpist with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, in South Carolina, she has appeared as a soloist many times. As an athlete, Wilson has international standing as an open water marathon swimmer and has completed swims around Key West, Manhattan Island, and the English Channel, among others. In 2005 Wilson was elected to Charleston City Council, representing District 12. Wilson continues to pursue all facets of her career and appears as a public speaker through her company AquaHarp Presentations.

Hye-Yun Chung Bennett

An award winner at the Fifth International Harp Contest in Israel, Hye-Yun Chung Bennett made her Carnegie Hall recital hall debut in 1979, earning a New York times review, and has concertized throughout the U.S. under the auspices of the American Harp Society Young Artist program. She has performed at the World Harp Congress, and has appeared as a soloist with many orchestras in the U.S. and Korea. Bennett served on the harp and piano faculty at Louisiana State University, and has adjudicated competitions throughout the U.S. as both a harpist and pianist. She studied at California State University, Columbia University, and at the Juilliard School, where she completed the Professional Study Plan.

Kimberly Houser

Kimberly Houser serves as Professional-in-Residence at Lousiana State University. She received Bachelor, Masters, and Doctoral Degrees in Music from the University of Arizona where she studied music composition as well as harp as a student of Carrol McLaughlin. Houser has performed at the World Harp Congress, the American Harp Society Conference, and at the Soka City International City, in Japan. She served for three years as Principal Harpist with the Billings Symphony, in Montana, and has recently released a CD, Pure Harp, which was reviewed in Fanfare magazine.

Cheryl Dungan Cunningham

As a soloist, orchestral musician, and chamber musician, Cheryl Dungan Cunningham has performed extensively in the mid-Atlantic region. She is a co-founder of the Southampton Trio, and Principal Harpist with the Delaware Valley Philharmonic, Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra, and Boheme Opera, NJ. Cunningham also serves as Director at Large and 1st Vice President of the American Harp Society. She received Bachelor and Master of Music degrees, as well as a Bachelor of Music Education, from Indiana University as a student of Susann McDonald and Peter E. Eagle.

Heaven Lai

Taiwan native Heaven Lai has concertized throughout Asia, Australia, Europe, and the U.S., and served as a juror at the National Harp Competition in Taipei, Taiwan, in 2007. She has performed at international festivals including the Fukai Harp Festival, in Japan, and the World Harp Congress, in Prague. Principal Harpist with the Knoxville Symphony for five years, Lai appeared in concerto performances with them and also with the Knoxville Chamber Orchestra. Lai is a founding member of the Pacific Harp Quartet, and a winner of the Anne Adams Awards in 1996; she is currently a doctoral candidate and Indiana University.

Seeking Judges

If you are a harpist of high moral and artistic character who is interested in serving on the judging panel now or in the future, please e-mail us.