About The World Harp Congress
The World Harp Congress, Inc. a private non-profit organization, was founded in 1981 and incorporated in 1982. It originated from the Harpweeks in The Netherlands, organized by Phia Berghout and Maria Korchinska, that first met in 1960.
The WHC is held every three years around the world and seeks to promote the exchange of ideas, stimulate contact, and encourage the composition of new music for the harp. Concerts, workshops, seminars and exhibits concerning all aspects of harp musicology and performance are offered at these triennial sessions. Past Congresses have been held in Maastricht, The Netherlands (1983); Jerusalem, Israel (1985); Vienna, Austria (1987); Paris-Sèvres, France (1990); Copenhagen, Denmark (1993); Seattle-Tacoma, Washington USA (1996); Prague, The Czech Republic (1999); Geneva, Switzerland (2002); Dublin, Ireland (2005); Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2008); Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (2011); Sydney, Australia (2014); and Hong Kong, China (2017). The next Congress will take place in Cardiff, Wales, UK in 2021 (www.whc2021.wales).
The World Harp Congress has members representing over 50 countries.The Board of Directors welcomes all persons who are interested in the harp to join this international organization.
World Harp Congress Review
In response to the Covid-19 restrictions being experienced across the world, the World Harp Congress has decided to make available the Fall 2019 and Spring 2020 WHC Reviews to all harpists through our website.
14th World Harp Congress postponed to Summer 2022.
Exclusive online event to take place in 2021.
28 August 2020
It is with regret that we today announce that the 14th World Harp Congress will be postponed until the summer of 2022.
With uncertainty regarding Covid-19 and its effects on health, work and international travel, we have decided to make an early announcement to enable delegates to plan for 2022.
We appreciate that the majority of artists will need the summer of 2021 to catch up on significant work lost during this difficult period and we are aware that the extra cost of attending a conference next year might be financially difficult for many.
It is not an easy decision to make, especially as the Congress has already been postponed one year, but these are unprecedented times, and the wellbeing of our delegates must be the deciding factor. The Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress agree that postponing the Congress is the only feasible option and look forward to an even bigger and better Congress in 2022.
We can confirm the new dates will be July 22nd to 28th 2022, and it is hoped that the schedule will stay as close as possible to the original 2020 programme. We realise that some artists might wish to change their programme for 2022, and of course we will be mindful of this. There will also be an opportunity for new ideas to be put forward and new proposals to be considered.
We will keep in touch with you throughout this period via the website and social media and hope to connect with you all virtually in some way next summer. In the meantime, please stay safe and take care of yourselves.
The WHC2022 Team.
Caryl Thomas, Chair
Catrin Finch, Artistic Director
Stephen Burkitt-Harrington, Event Director
