List of harpists
This is a list of people who are notable as harpists, ordered by the first letter of their family name.
A
- Mike Absalom - English musician, poet and children's entertainer
- Ruth Acuff - American singer-songwriter and harpist
- Kirsten Agresta - American harpist and a board member of the World Harp Congress
- Pauline Åhman - Swedish harpist
- Silke Aichhorn - German harpist
- Nancy Allen - American harpist
- Elias Parish Alvars - English harpist and composer
- Glafira Alymova - Russian lady-in-waiting and harpist
- Jon Anderson - English-American singer, songwriter and musician, and member of the band Yes
- Fulgencio Aquino - Venezuelan musician and composer
- Dorothy Ashby - American jazz harpist and composer
- Athy - Argentinian harpist and composer, also known as 'Athy, the electric harp'
B
- Baby Dee
- Winifred Bambrick - - Canadian classical musician and novelist
- Cormac de Barra - Irish singer, musician, and television presenter; part of the Moya Brennan Band
- William fitz Robert Barry - - blind harper in the service of David de Barry, 5th Viscount Buttevant
- Derek Bell
- Lucinda Belle
- Elinor Bennett
- Stephanie Bennett
- Hugo Blanco
- Hana Blažíková - - Czech soprano, harpist, and interpreter of Baroque, Medieval, and Renaissance music
- Nicolas-Charles Bochsa - - French-Australian musician and composer appointed to the Imperial Orchestra
- Alexander Boldachev - Swiss Russian composer, arranger, harpist of academic, improvised and crossover work; founder of Zurich Harp Festival
- Jana Boušková
- Robin Huw Bowen - Exponent of the Welsh Triple Harp and authentic Welsh harp repertoire
- Cristina Braga
- Moya Brennan - - Irish folk singer, songwriter, harpist, and philanthropist; member of Clannad
- Corina Brouder
- Giolla Críost Brúilingeach
- Olivia Buckley
- Charles Bunworth - - Church of Ireland rector of Buttevant, County Cork, Ireland
- Ursula Burns
- Patrick Byrne - - last noted Gaelic harpist in Ireland and first Irish musician to be photographed
C
- Maria Rosa Calvo-Manzano
- Félix Pérez Cardozo
- Dee Carstensen
- Edmar Castañeda
- Clotilde Cerdà, also known as Esmeralda Cervantes
- Emmanuel Ceysson
- Cecilia Chailly
- Alice Chalifoux
- Máire Ní Chathasaigh - - five-time winner of the All-Ireland music competition
- Pearl Chertok
- Elaine Christy
- Zhay Clark, later known as Zhay Moor
- Marie-Elizabeth Cléry - - French composer and harpist in the court of Marie-Antoinette
- Alice Coltrane
- Thomas Connellan - - Irish harper and composer whose "Molly St. George" is one of the earliest Irish harp songs with extant lyrics; brother of William Connellan
- William Connellan - 17th century Irish harper and composer; brother of Thomas Connellan
- Cécile Corbel - - Breton recording artist and composer
D
- Abramino dall'Arpa - - one of the few Jewish musicians in Mantua, Italy in the late 16th century
- Abramo dall'Arpa - - Italian harpist in the court of Mantua, Italy, and later tutor of the children of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor
- Rhodri Davies - British harpist and composer
- Mikaela Davis - American musician, harpist, songwriter, vocalist and producer, known for her work with the band Southern Star
- Vera Dulova - Russian harpist and instructor
- Sophia Dussek - Italian-British harpist, singer and composer
E
- Osian Ellis - Welsh harpist, composer and teacher
- Víctor Espínola - Paraguayan multi-instrumentalist and singer, best known for playing the Paraguayan harp
F
- Órla Fallon - - Irish soloist, songwriter, and former member of the group Celtic Woman and the chamber choir Anúna
- Vincent Fanelli - - Italian-American classical musician and educator, principal harpist of the Philadelphia Orchestra
- Charles Fanning - - winner of Ireland's Granard Harp Festival in 1781, 1782, and 1783
- Piaras Feiritéar - - poet and Catholic Irish leader
- Ignacio Figueredo - - Venezuelan folk musician
- Catrin Finch - - Welsh harpist, arranger, and composer; Official Harpist to the Prince of Wales from 2000 to 2004
- Cheryl Ann Fulton - American performer and teacher
G
- Mara Galassi
- Marilinda Garcia
- Stéphanie Félicité, comtesse de Genlis - - French writer, harpist, and educator known for her children's works
- Adele Girard
- Betty Glamann
- Félix Godefroid
- Marie Goossens
- Sidonie Goossens
- Tristan Le Govic
- Phamie Gow
- Marcel Grandjany
H
- Keiji Haino
- Rachel Hair - Scottish folk harpist
- Corky Hale
- Janet Harbison - Irish harper
- Ruth Berman Harris
- Alphonse Hasselmans
- Petra van der Heide
- Deborah Henson-Conant
- Corrina Hewat - - winner of Scotland's Music Tutor of the Year award at the 2013 Na Trads
- Hugh Higgins - - blind Irish harper
- Erin Hill
- Franziska Huhn - - German-American performer and composer; winner of the Jugend musiziert prize
- Robert ap Huw
I
- Varvara Ivanova - Russian harpist
J
- - Canadian female traditional Celtic folk singer and harpist
- Angharad James - Welsh female poet and harpist
- James James Welsh musician, composer of the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
- Siân James - Welsh traditional folk singer and harpist
- Pierre Jamet - French harpist and teacher
- Elizabeth Jaxon - American harpist, director of the DHF World Harp Competition and member of the band Atlantic Harp Duo
- Maria Johansdotter - Swedish harpist, folk music player and parish clerk, put on trial for homosexuality and for posing as a man
- Claire Jones - Welsh harpist
- Edward Jones (Bardd y Brenin) - Welsh harpist and collector of music
K
- Skaila Kanga
- Camille and Kennerly Kitt
- Eduard Klassen
- Yolanda Kondonassis
- Maria Korchinska
- Iris Kroes
- Johann Baptist Krumpholtz
- Valeria Kurbatova
L
- Théodore Labarre - - French harpist, composer, and professor
- Lily Laskine - - French performer and professor who received the Legion of Honour in 1958
- Mary Lattimore
- Lucile Lawrence
- Anne LeBaron
- Caroline Leonardelli - French-Canadian performer and recording artist; principal harpist with the Ottawa Symphony
- Melanie Lewy -
- Lloyd Lindroth
- Judy Loman
- Lisa Lynne
- Cornelius Lyons - - Irish harper of the Earl of Antrim
M
- Marie Antoinette - last queen of France
- Cormac MacDermott - - harper with the English Royal Musick
- Amhlaeibh Mac Innaighneorach - - Chief Harper of Ireland, one of the earliest recorded Irish professional musicians
- Manuel Machado
- Mary Macmaster - - Scottish harpist who performs with The Poozies and in the duo Sileas
- Eileen Malone
- José Marín
- Harpo Marx -
- Gulnara Mashurova
- Susann McDonald
- Marshall McGuire
- Loreena McKennitt - - Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist whose albums have sold more than 14 million copies
- Geraldine McMahon
- Katie McMahon
- Lavinia Meijer
- Luisa Menárguez
- Anna Maria Mendieta
- Orazio Michi
- Susanna Mildonian
- Valérie Milot - Canadian soloist and chamber musician; the first harpist to win the Prix d’Europe
- Áine Minogue
- Rose Mooney
- David Murphy
N
O
- Máel Sechnaill Ruadh Ó Braonáin
- Donell Dubh Ó Cathail
- Eachmarcach Ó Catháin
- Ruaidri Dáll Ó Catháin
- Maol Ruanaidh Cam Ó Cearbhaill
- Eoghain Ó Cianáin
- Thady Ó Cianáin
- Fláithrí Ó Corcrán
- Cearbhall Óg Ó Dálaigh - - Irish poet and harpist
- Diarmuid Ó Dubhagáin
- Donnchadh Ó Hámsaigh
- Mary O'Hara
- Dominic Ó Mongain
- Máel Ísa Ó Raghallaigh
- Turlough O'Carolan
- Arthur O'Neill
- Natalia O'Shea
- Rüdiger Oppermann - - German experimental musician; plays a custom-made clàrsach with 38 gold-plated bronze strings and a special mechanism that allows him to bend notes in a manner akin to blues musicians
- Coline-Marie Orliac - - two-time winner of the USA International Harp Competition
- Alfredo Rolando Ortiz
- David Owen
- Siobhan Owen - - Welsh-Australian soprano; winner of several music awards including two Irish Music Awards
P
- Annemiek Padt-Jansen
- Şirin Pancaroğlu
- Zeena Parkins
- John Parry - - blind Welsh harpist, credited with writing Deck the Halls, inspiration for Thomas Gray's 1757 poem, The Bard (poem)
- John Parry - - better known as Bardd Alaw
- Laura Peperara
- Roberto Perera
- Edna Phillips
- Jemima Phillips
- Nicholas Dáll Pierce
- Ann Hobson Pilot - - former principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops
R
- Monica Ramos
- Elizabeth Randles
- Anna-Maria Ravnopolska-Dean - - Bulgarian concert harpist and academic; a founder of the American University in Bulgaria
- Casper Reardon
- Susan Reed
- Henriette Renié
- Lucas Ruiz de Ribayaz
- Nansi Richards - - Welsh harpist appointed official harpist to Charles, Prince of Wales
- Kim Robertson
- Marisa Robles
- Claire Roche
- Henrik Rohmann - - Hungarian performer and teacher
- Clotilde Rosa
- Mindy Rosenfeld
- Diana Rowan
- Isabella Rudkin
- Jaroslav Řídký - - Czech composed, conductor, harpist, and teacher
S
- Floraleda Sacchi - - recording artist, composer, and musicologist from Italy
- Arnold Safroni-Middleton
- Victor Salvi
- Carlos Salzedo
- Arianna Savall
- Anne van Schothorst
- Patsy Seddon - Scottish harpist known for work with The Poozies, Sileas, and Clan Alba
- Therese Schroeder-Sheker
- Marianne Smit
- David Snell (musician)
- Monika Stadler
- Hilary Stagg
- Serafina Steer
- Savourna Stevenson
- Alan Stivell - - Celtic recording artist
- Jessica Suchy-Pilalis
- Tomoko Sugawara
- Andrei Sychra
T
- Mia Theodoratus
- John Thomas
- Thomas Thomas
- Julia Thornton
- Miriam Timothy
- Beste Toparlak
- Juan Vicente Torrealba
- Marcel Tournier
- Tuotilo
- JoAnn Turovsky
V
- Verónica Valerio - Mexican harpist, singer and composer
- Remy van Kesteren - Dutch harpist and founder of the Dutch Harp Festival
- Andreas Vollenweider - Swiss harpist
W
- Maria Jane Williams - Welsh harpist
- Sylvia Woods (harpist) - American harpist and composer
- Aristid von Würtzler - Hungarian-American leader of the New York Harp Ensemble
Y
- Gráinne Yeats - Irish harpist, singer and historian
- Brandee Younger - American harpist