On Sunday, May 21, 2017, 37 harpists between the ages of 6 and 18, converged upon the Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC) in Foster City, California, with harps and benches in tow to compete in the biennial Yvonne LaMothe Schwager Competition for Young Harpists. An esteemed panel of judges, Celia Chan-Valero, Karen Gottlieb, and Madeline Jarzembek, listened thoughtfully, provided positive feedback and identified awards for these high-achieving young people.
The winners by division and their teachers are:
| Award Level | Winner | Teacher |
| Preliminary Division-up to and including age 9 | ||
| Gold | Charlotte Trinh | Dominique Piana |
| Silver-tie | Emilie Campbell | Jacqueline Venter |
| Silver-tie | Anton Taffin | Lynn Taffin |
| Harpiana Prize | Emilie Campbell | Jacqueline Venter |
| MusicWorks Prize | Charlotte Trinh | Dominique Piana |
| Level 1-up to and including age 12 | ||
| Gold | Sophia Shan | Linda Rollo |
| Silver | Aden Eva Barbuta | Jacquelyn Venter |
| Bronze | David Lin | Dan Levitan |
| Harpiana Prize | David Lin | Dan Levitan |
| MusicWorks Prize | Aden Eva Barbuta | Jacquelyn Venter |
| Level 2-up to and including age 15 | ||
| Gold | Danielle Nam | Linda Rollo & Sonya Yu |
| Silver | Judy Liu | Linda Wood Rollo |
| Bronze-tie | Hannah Ewell | Kristal Schwartz Barlaan |
| Bronze-tie | Kartika Santoso | Sonya Yu |
| Harpiana Prize | Margaret (Meg) Larsen | Dominique Piana |
| MusicWorks Prize | Judy Liu | Linda Wood Rollo |
| MusicWorks Prize-Honorable Mention | Hannah Ewell | Kristal Schwartz Barlaan |
| Level 3-up to and including age 18 | ||
| Gold | Tiffany Wong | Linda Wood Rollo |
| Silver | Elizabeth Vo – Phamhi | Doug Rioth |
| Bronze | Karissa Yau | Sonya Yu |
| Harpiana Prize | Shannon Zheng | Dominique Piana |
| MusicWorks Prize | Tiffany Wong | Linda Wood Rollo |
Congratulations to all who participated!
Many thanks go out to the teachers who worked so hard with their students to help them prepare for the competition.
Also THANK YOU to our team of volunteers: Aruna Bhasker, Constance Koo, Daphanie Lin, Janice Ortega, Krista Strader, Melinda Chinn, Sarah Goss, Silvia Pratt, Sonya Yu, and Suki Russack. This competition could not happen without you!
And finally, gratitude goes to the Competition Committee: Dominique Piana, Artistic Director and Chairperson, Alice Yothers and Susie Spiwak.
Come out and celebrate the achievements of the young harpists and hear beautiful music next Sunday, May 28, 2017 at 2:00pm, when the Bay Area Chapter of the American Harp Society will present the winners of the biennial Yvonne LaMothe Schwager Harp Competition in recital at the San Damiano Retreat Center in Danville.
This concert, “Romancing the Harp” will be featured as part of the International Harp Festival sponsored by Diablo Valley Arts Academy at San Damiano Retreat, located at 710 Highland Drive, in Danville, CA 94526. General admission is $20 and $12 for students up to age 18. Tickets can be ordered in advance at harpfestival.org/register or purchased at the door.
Participants will perform compositions by harp pedagogues Susann McDonald and Linda Wood Rollo, harpists-composers Andrès, Godefroid, Grandjany, Hasselmans, Pratt, Renié and Salzedo, as well as composers such as Albeniz, Dussek, Liszt, Purcell and others.
Guest artist Madeline Jarzembak will crown the recital with two brilliant virtuoso works, Die Moldau by Smetana, as arranged for harp by Hans Trneček, and Carlos Salzedo’s Variations sur un thème dans le style ancien. A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Madeline is Principal Harp of the Santa Cruz Symphony, and studies currently at the San Francisco Conservatory with Doug Rioth of the San Francisco Symphony.