Historical harps
Under the guidance of its professor Maria Christina Cleary, a renowned soloist and chamber musician, the historical harps class supports its students as they learn the main repertoires, ranging from the medieval period to the 19th century.
The historical harps class at the Haute école de musique de Genève (HEM) prepares its students for a multifaceted career in music, ranging from the interpretation of the soloist repertoire to that of polyphonic and orchestral works, but also to the teaching and passing on of knowledge.
The class collaborates with most European harp manufacturers, enabling the students to have access to a unique range of historical harps with varied levels of sonority. The class has a particularly rich inventory of instruments, made up of medieval and Renaissance harps with one or two rows of strings (with strings made of catgut and metal), the Iberian dos doppie harp, the Italian arpa doppia, the Welsh triple harp, the Davidsharfe, and an original Erard harp with the classic set-up.
Our students are encouraged to take part in numerous activities arranged by the HEM’s department of music of the past, which regularly invites eminent performers and researchers from all over the world to give Masterclasses and seminars. The goal is to encourage the development of a thoughtful approach, with a view to achieving a deeper contextualization of the practice and repertoire of their instrument.
The historical harps class regularly collaborates with the HEM’s other departments, and with internationally acclaimed Swiss ensembles, on ‘side-by-side’ artistic projects, which constitute a real gateway to the professional world.
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