International Harp Competition and Festival, Mexico

Multi-faceted harpist Irina Zingg - teacher, performer, publisher, producer -  holds degree with honors of Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, studied with Professors Milda Agazarian and Olga Erdely. She is appointed, since 2015, to teach the harp at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado.

Her performing career began in Moscow in the earlier 1990 as principal harpist with the International Harp Duo Ailos Harp.  After the fall of the Soviet Walls, her career took an international emphasis: living in the Middle East, activities included performing, lectures for cultural foundations, initiation of educational program Harp and More, or chamber music project  Hommage to Feiruz, exploring new dimensions of the harp in context of oriental music. 

Today I. Zingg engages to teach around the world at annual seminars: Porto Harp Week (Portugal), Maribor Harp Seminar (Slovenia), Seoul Harp Seminar (Korea), has given seminars at the Düsseldorf Hochschule der Kunste, Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado, and Conservatorio di Musica di Torino. Irina Zingg is the Professor-in-Residence at ISHA HarpMasters, and teaches at the Talent Music Master Courses (Verona, Italy).

Engaging herself with the development of the harp today, Irina Zingg is the Founder & Artistic Director of the HarpMasters Academy & Festspiele, which serves today as an important link between generations of harpists worldwide.

She research, ongoing, on the harp schools history and is the Correspondent for the World Harp Congress Review; her publications appeared in various harp periodicals internationally. She has one solo and two chamber CD albums to her credits.

Irina Zingg is regularly invited to serve as jury member for national and international competitions.  

Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche won the prestigious Prix d'Israel, the highest distinction for the harp in the world, and acquired early an international reputation for her musicality and brio. She has taught in Paris, Lyon, Rome and Nice and gives concerts and master-classes all over the world, from Japan to the U.S. where she was invited by the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia. Her Kyoto recital won the National Award in Japan. As one of France's most gifted performers, Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche enchants audiences with her passion, her dynamics and her poetry. Her accomplishments are a wonderful homage to her master teacher, Marcel Tournier.

Described by critics as "captivating optimism and charm" and "virtuoso harp playing", Dr. Heaven Fan was invited internationally as a featured soloist in recitals, orchestral concerts, and music festivals such as the MasterWorks Festival in Indiana, the Festival of Chinese Performing Arts in Boston, the Fukui Harp Festival in Japan, the Boston Harp Festival, the World Harp Congresses in Czech Republic and Switzerland, and the Qingdao Municipal Opera and Dance Drama Theater Orchestra in China.

Dr. Fan has received her Bachelor's degree with highest distinction in both harp and piano from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (Griffith University) in Australia, and her Master's degree, Artist Diploma, and Doctor of Music from Indiana University. Dr. Fan is the founder and director of the Anderson University Harp Department and its summer Harp Camp, and serves as harp faculty at the acclaimed MasterWorks Festival.

Miya Otake is principal harpist of the Chilliwack Symphony Orchestra in Canada and her musical career has taken her around the world as solo and duo performances in Asia, Europe, and North and South America, including the memorable performances with her beloved sister Kaori Otake at the Carnegie Hall in New York. Miya is also founder and artistic director of the award winning Westcoast Harp Ensemble. She completed her Postgraduate Programs at the Royal Academy of Music in London, England obtaining the diploma degree for the advanced studies. Her early musical education started in Japan, continuing on as a award winning scholarship student at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and the Vancouver Academy of Music where she currently reside as faculty along with Langley Music School, Showcase Academy & Chilliwack Academy of Music. She also has her own successful private studios inspiring and creating the next generation of harpists.

It has been recognized as the Coatlicue medal and the prize of the Mexican Union of Chroniclers of Music and Theatre. In the United States he won the Medal Brodosky. She is the founder of the Ossla in 2004 , at the invitation of the teacher Gordon Campbell.

Dr. Erzsébet Gaál Rinne is a Hungarian-American harpist, a Kodály pedagogue, and a researcher in physical wellness for musicians. She has given concerts all across Europe and America.  Her most recent telematic performances appeared in Asia.  She is a recipient of the Pro Artibus Award that she has received from the Artisjus Foundation for promoting Hungarian contemporary music abroad. 

Her professional work can be heard on her solo harp CD recordings Harpa Hungarica and Harpchipelago, and seen on her DVD program Harp Playing for Life.  Her articles, appearing in different journals, are available on her web site www.harpahungarica.com.  In her teaching career, there have been a number of former students who have achieved successes and recognitions in the professional world of music. 

Dr. Erzsébet Gaál Rinne is an honor graduate of the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary, holding a Doctor of Music degree from the Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.  She is a member of the faculty at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Indianapolis, IN, at University of Evansville, Evansville, IN, and Meridian Music School, Indianapolis, IN.  As part of her Private Studio and Tune Up! Music School program, she offers online instructions. 

Alfredo is one of the most active Mexican performers.

As a concert soloist, he also performs with orchestras, and with chamber ensembles.

Currently he participates in festivals and concert halls in Mexico City and throughout the entire country of Mexico. He has been soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonic of Mexico City, the Symphony Orchestra of Coyoacan, the Symphony Orchestra Carlos Chavez, the Symphony Orchestra of Aguascalientes, the Chamber Orchestra of Fine Arts, the Symphony Orchestra of Chihuahua and the Orchestra of the Academy Sofia, Bulgaria.  As well Alfredo has had the honor of performing under the baton of Enrique Arturo Diemecke, András Ligeti, Nada Matozevik, Jesus Medina, Román Revueltas, Marco Parisotto, Bartosz Zurakowski, Enrique Eduardo Garcia Barrios Barrios and others.

He earned his Master of interpretation at UNAM and currently belongs to the concert of Fine Arts and teaches at the National Conservatory of Music.