Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, solo harp

Mozetich: Songs of Nymphs
1. Prelude
2. Reflection
3. Ritual
4. Freedom

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh, harpist

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh was the Vancouver Symphony’s Principal Harpist from 1982 to 2018, after six years as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra.

Her career includes concerto performances with the Grammy-winning VSO and other orchestras, chamber music concerts, movie soundtracks and recordings. She commissioned and premiered two Canadian harp concerti with the VSO: Michael Conway Baker’s Harp Concerto, and Sonata for Harp and Strings by Scott Good. She has also premiered pieces by other Canadian composers, such as John Armstrong and Frederick Schipizky. She has appeared on the roster of the VSO Chamber Players’ concerts and VSOI faculty concerts.

Through the years, some comments from reviews include: “one of the best harpists in the world” (Nigel Barbour), “a harpist of great skill” (Ray Chatelin), “achingly lovely playing” (Michael Scott), “very fine playing” (Sebastien Lipman, former harpist of Berlin Phiiharmonic), “beautiful playing” (Judy Loman), “unparalleled purity and subtlety” – David Gordon Duke, Vancouver Sun, Oct. 29, 2012, “scintillating” – Alexander Varty, Georgia Straight, Oct. 1, 2014.

Elizabeth’s students have won awards such as the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Edith Lando Gifted Youth Scholarship, RCM Medals, and/or have been accepted into the National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Aspen Music Festival, VSOI, PRISMA, Curtis Summerfest and CISHI. Many are successful professional harpists.
She has taught privately and at institutions such as the UBC, VSO School of Music, PRISMA, VSOI, Vancouver Academy of Music, Island Mountain Arts Festival, and she co-founded CISHI in 2012. She taught and performed at the International Harp Workshop in Crea, Italy in 2012.

Her compositions for solo harp, some of which are included in the Royal Conservatory of Music and Trinity College London Syllabi, are being performed all over the world. She is currently President of the BC Chapter of the American Harp Society / West Coast Harp Society and was Chair of the World Harp Congress Host Committee in Vancouver in 2011.

Elizabeth has a YouTube channel in which she performs her own compositions and arrangements, among other pieces. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZS9CU_3d3xdc7njcSjFXoQ