Harp
Reflecting the versatility of its professor Sandrine Chatron, the Harp class at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) offers rich and varied training that prepares students for the different facets of the life of a harpist: solo playing, playing with a chamber ensemble, playing with an orchestra, creating projects, transcription and writing, broadcasting and the media.
Each student’s artistic project is defined and supported during the school classes, and refined on the basis of the experiences offered both in the classroom and outside it. With no compromises on the technical, stylistic and musical level required in order to tackle professional life, the emphasis is placed on accompanying the student with their own musical flourishing. The students are invited to compile a repertoire, but also to improvise, write, and collaborate with their peers. They are encouraged to take part in performances by orchestra academies.
Mrs Chatron’s expertise in this domain, along with the life experience she has had in several countries, is an advantage when it comes to preparing the students for learning the ropes in the professional world. She also provides practical orchestra and chamber music classes.
Every year, the harp class proposes a project that is open to the other classes at the HEM, or to other subjects. The class is particularly dynamic in the field of creative output. It also engages with the projects initiated by the school, themed days exploring a composer or set of issues, orchestra sessions, chamber music sessions, etc.
Benefiting from its professors’ international network, our students have appeared at the Messian Festival and Zurich harp festival, among others, and are given numerous opportunities to take part in the rich tapestry of local musical life. The opportunities to play in public are numerous and encouraged; a class performance is scheduled approximately every 6 weeks, with a general class around every 3 weeks.
Facilities and instrument collection
Our students have three rooms dedicated to classes and practice. The HEM makes a full collection of instruments available to them, with concert harps by Lyon & Healy, Salvi, and Camac, including an electro-acoustic Big Blue, and a celtic harp, David, Horngacher, and an Erard with single and double movement. Our students can thus prepare for all types of competitions, by having access to the harps played in different countries. They can also experiment with music that involves electronics, with a Loop pedal and effects. They discover historically informed practice, with suitable instruments, and can play centuries-old harps in the department of music of the past.
Examples of projects implemented
2022-23 : A Swiss production of ‘The Forest of Gargilesse’ by Ton That Tiêt for 7 harps
2021-22:
- project ‘R’ design and implementation of pieces for harp and electronics written by students in the composition department
- ‘Debussy’s Sonata and its contemporary resonances’, in the format of a trio - flute, viola and harp.
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