NZ Harp Performance Competition
Our next competition will be the Holiday Music Competition! Closing date is December 1st 2021
In the meantime feel free to watch some of the awesome videos on the NZ Harp Performance Competition Youtube Channel, or past winners (go back up to the tabs to navigate to the older pages of winners) to get some ideas for your next performance, and sign up below to get reminders about the competition.
In the meantime feel free to watch some of the awesome videos on the NZ Harp Performance Competition Youtube Channel, or past winners (go back up to the tabs to navigate to the older pages of winners) to get some ideas for your next performance, and sign up below to get reminders about the competition.
Click here to see the 2021 winners! |
Our sponsorship for these competitions comes from The Wings Club
Sign up to be a sponsor here 
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NZ HARP PERFORMANCE COMPETITION 2021
Again, we invite harpists to take part in a New Zealand wide harp performance competition for New Zealand harpists of any age!
*Initial/Grade One. (3 mins) $50 prize money
*Grade Two/Three (3 mins) $100 prize money
*Grade Four/Five (3 mins) $100 prize money
*Grade Six/Seven (2-5 mins) $150 prize money
*Grade Eight (3-6 mins) $150 plus harp regulation by Kim Webby
First Timers Award – a $50 spot prize for a harpist who is entering the competition for the first time in 2021.
The Fay Mills Award for Outstanding Achievement. To be awarded to a student who is re-entering the competition and shows significant improvement and musical maturity since their entry in 2020. Students of Carolyn Mills are not eligible. Cash prize and two skype lessons as awarded by Carolyn Mills.
Please note that there must be three harpists entered into a class for the competition to go ahead at that level. Prizes will not be awarded if the standard of the performances in the any of the classes are not of a suitable level, or if the conditions of entry are not met.
New in 2021!! World Music on the Harp
This is a $75 people’s choice spot prize for performance by an amateur harpist at any level up to grade 8.
The music must be an arrangement of a traditional song or tune from the culture or country the harpist identifies with, and you must introduce yourself, and make the connection between you and the music apparent in the introduction.
Please note, it doesn’t have to be your main contemporary cultural identity – it could be (and this is my own personal identity) ‘ My 4x grandfather was born in India to a Scottish Army officer and his Indian wife, and I have always had a fascination with Indian music’ Anna Dunwoodie.
With the addition of this new competition class, centred around World Music, harpists may enter both for the graded classes and put in a second entry for the World Music class. The harpists will be asked to submit an entry at their graded level of harping ability, but as with the Holiday Harp Music Competition, it will be voted on by members of the NZ Harp Society. It is acceptable to use one piece of music for both parts of the competition, but if you feel it is more advantageous to submit one piece for the Graded competition, and one piece for the World Music competition, that is acceptable.
For more details, check out the webpage https://www.annadunwoodie.co.nz/nz-harp-perf-comp.html and sign up to the competition mailing list, or contact Anna at harpmad@gmail.com
Conditions of Entry
Have a look at the other performances on the YouTube channel “NZ Harp Performance Competition – the videos are grouped into playlists of each year since 2015, and the overall winners.
Know from the start, that it is more than likely to take multiple times to get your video just right. If it is not working – take a break – watch your videos and see what you like and don’t like about them – make adjustments to your camera angle, your dynamics, your performance – and don’t leave it all to the eleventh hour to start trying to put a recording together – it takes time!!!!
Most important – TUNE YOUR HARP UP!!! To be out of tune will be detrimental to your performance– being in tune is part of a good performance. If you have been trying to record your performance for a chunk of time, don’t forget you might need to retune to make sure you are still in tune.
Make sure your face, hands, and harp are all clearly shown in the video, and try to keep the music stand out of the way of the performance. This is a performance competition – it’s worth going to the effort to find a nice backdrop rather than just sitting on the end of an unmade bed!
Again, we invite harpists to take part in a New Zealand wide harp performance competition for New Zealand harpists of any age!
*Initial/Grade One. (3 mins) $50 prize money
*Grade Two/Three (3 mins) $100 prize money
*Grade Four/Five (3 mins) $100 prize money
*Grade Six/Seven (2-5 mins) $150 prize money
*Grade Eight (3-6 mins) $150 plus harp regulation by Kim Webby
First Timers Award – a $50 spot prize for a harpist who is entering the competition for the first time in 2021.
The Fay Mills Award for Outstanding Achievement. To be awarded to a student who is re-entering the competition and shows significant improvement and musical maturity since their entry in 2020. Students of Carolyn Mills are not eligible. Cash prize and two skype lessons as awarded by Carolyn Mills.
Please note that there must be three harpists entered into a class for the competition to go ahead at that level. Prizes will not be awarded if the standard of the performances in the any of the classes are not of a suitable level, or if the conditions of entry are not met.
New in 2021!! World Music on the Harp
This is a $75 people’s choice spot prize for performance by an amateur harpist at any level up to grade 8.
The music must be an arrangement of a traditional song or tune from the culture or country the harpist identifies with, and you must introduce yourself, and make the connection between you and the music apparent in the introduction.
Please note, it doesn’t have to be your main contemporary cultural identity – it could be (and this is my own personal identity) ‘ My 4x grandfather was born in India to a Scottish Army officer and his Indian wife, and I have always had a fascination with Indian music’ Anna Dunwoodie.
With the addition of this new competition class, centred around World Music, harpists may enter both for the graded classes and put in a second entry for the World Music class. The harpists will be asked to submit an entry at their graded level of harping ability, but as with the Holiday Harp Music Competition, it will be voted on by members of the NZ Harp Society. It is acceptable to use one piece of music for both parts of the competition, but if you feel it is more advantageous to submit one piece for the Graded competition, and one piece for the World Music competition, that is acceptable.
For more details, check out the webpage https://www.annadunwoodie.co.nz/nz-harp-perf-comp.html and sign up to the competition mailing list, or contact Anna at harpmad@gmail.com
Conditions of Entry
- All entries will be posted on the NZ Harp Performance You Tube Channel. If you do not wish to have your video online, please do not enter the competition. This is a PERFORMANCE competition – the PERFORMANCE aspect is important!
- Your video is to comprise of one piece only. To play an excerpt from a longer piece is acceptable. It must be filmed in one take and must not exceed the time limit given, otherwise it will not be eligible to be entered. The introduction of yourself can be in a separate take from your actual performance, but needs to be edited to make one file.
- Your entry needs to be validated by a teacher to confirm you are playing at your actual ability. If you are not currently under the guidance of a teacher, please get in touch to discuss how your entry will be validated. If you won your level in the competition in a previous year, you may not enter that class again, unless you are moving up the grade …eg: Grade 4/5 with a grade 4 validated entry previously, and are now entering with a grade 5 validated entry in 2021.
- World Music competition – new in 2021 – you can either use the same piece of music for both competitions or two different pieces of music submitted on the same form.
- Your performance is to be videoed and submitted with the registration form (QR code here). The form can also be found on the at https://www.annadunwoodie.co.nz/nz-harp-perf-comp.html
- Please introduce yourself and your piece on the video, and label your video and entry form in this way 2021, Grade ?/? (or World Music), and full name
- Entries must be received by 8pm Sunday 1st August 2021. No late entries will be accepted. Results will be published in the NZHS November Journal and on the NZ Harp Society email list in August
- The fee is $10 for NZHS members, and $20 for non-members. Discount for the second piece entered by one performer.
Have a look at the other performances on the YouTube channel “NZ Harp Performance Competition – the videos are grouped into playlists of each year since 2015, and the overall winners.
Know from the start, that it is more than likely to take multiple times to get your video just right. If it is not working – take a break – watch your videos and see what you like and don’t like about them – make adjustments to your camera angle, your dynamics, your performance – and don’t leave it all to the eleventh hour to start trying to put a recording together – it takes time!!!!
Most important – TUNE YOUR HARP UP!!! To be out of tune will be detrimental to your performance– being in tune is part of a good performance. If you have been trying to record your performance for a chunk of time, don’t forget you might need to retune to make sure you are still in tune.
Make sure your face, hands, and harp are all clearly shown in the video, and try to keep the music stand out of the way of the performance. This is a performance competition – it’s worth going to the effort to find a nice backdrop rather than just sitting on the end of an unmade bed!
Winners from the past competitions are listed on the individual year pages (go back up to the tabs and choose which year you wish to view) or 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020(holiday comp)
.....And for a bit of a blast from a past (and giggle) I'm compiling pairings of videos of the younger harpies who appeared in the first competition and the current one - look how far they have come!!!!
Sascha 2015 to 2o20
Odyssee 2015 to 2020
.....And for a bit of a blast from a past (and giggle) I'm compiling pairings of videos of the younger harpies who appeared in the first competition and the current one - look how far they have come!!!!
Sascha 2015 to 2o20
Odyssee 2015 to 2020