Elizabeth Volpé Bligh

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh was the Vancouver Symphony's Principal Harpist from 1982-2018, after six seasons as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. A graduate of University of Toronto's Bachelor of Music program in 1975, she studied with Judy Loman (Toronto Symphony), Alice Chalifoux (Cleveland Orchestra) and Edna Phillips (Philadelphia Orchestra). 
 

Ms. Volpé Bligh's career includes concerto performances with the Grammy-winning VSO and other orchestras, chamber music concerts, movie soundtracks and recordings. She is featured in The Greater Vancouver Album, a collection of works by Michael Conway Baker, and performed his Harp Concerto, written for her and performed with the VSO. 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), "ensemble and musicianship was spectacular" (Howard Jang), "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 is also a composer of mostly solos for lever and/or pedal harp, some of which are in the harp syllabi for the Royal Conservatory of Music and Trinity UK. Her YouTube channel Elizabeth Volpé Bligh videos has examples of these pieces, and more.

For more about Elizabeth see her website!