ABOUT

 

The newly appointed Principal Harpist of the Sarasota Orchestra, Canadian harpist, Phoebe Powell, has been praised for her breadth of expression ranging from “mature and virtuosic to gorgeously musical and sweet”. Ms. Powell previously held the principal harp position with the New World Symphony Orchestra in Miami Beach, FL (2020-2023).

As an orchestral musician, Phoebe has performed extensively with some of the top orchestras in North America including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Ms. Powell is an active participant in summer festivals, performing as Principal Harpist with the Sun Valley Music Festival (Idaho), and has previously been a fellow at the Aspen Summer Music Festival (Colorado), Spoleto Festival USA, NYO Canada, and Ticino Musica (Lugano, Switzerland). She has been fortunate to study privately in the US, Canada, Switzerland, and Germany, with internationally acclaimed harpists Nancy Allen, Fabrice Pierre, Susann McDonald, Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Anneleen Lenearts, Emmanuel Ceysson, and Sivan Magen.  

Second prize winner of the 2018 OSM Manulife Competition in Montreal, Ms. Powell was also awarded the Aspen Summer Music Festival scholarship.


Ms. Powell has been the recipient of the Ihnatowycz Emerging Artist Scholarship, Aspen Summer Music Festival Fellowship, NYO Canada Award of Excellence, and an Alberta Foundation for the Arts Career Development Grant.

Phoebe holds a Bachelor of Music degree and an Artist Diploma from The Glenn Gould School of The Royal Conservatory of Music, in Toronto, Canada where she studied with world-renowned harpist, Judy Loman.