Elizabeth Hainen has earned an international reputation as one of classical music’s great harp ambassadors. Hailed by the Washington Post for her “unusual presence with silky transparency” and by the New York Times for her “earthy solidarity,” she has thrilled audiences throughout the world with programs showcasing the diversity—and virtuosity—of her modern-day instrument. As Principal Harp of The Philadelphia Orchestra for over 25 years, she has presented numerous featured performances to captivated audiences and has been praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer for “her ability to blend and color the musical line” and “to find transparency in an almost timeless atmosphere.”
In high demand as a guest artist, Ms. Hainen has collaborated with such eminent conductors and musicians as Joshua Bell, Hilary Hahn, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Michael Tilson Thomas, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Michael Stern, and the Juilliard String Quartet. In addition to The Philadelphia Orchestra, she has appeared as concerto soloist with the City of London Sinfonia, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Bulgaria National Radio Orchestra, and the Mexico State Symphony, and she has appeared regularly with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. As an international juror, she has adjudicated for the Baltimore International Guitar Competition, the Korea International Harp Competition (Seoul), the Lily Laskine Competition (Paris), and Suoni d’Arpa (Saluzzo), as well as appearing at festivals such as the International Music Festival (Cartagena, Colombia), OZ (Australia), Lyon & Healy Harptacular (Chicago), and Shanghai Arts Festival (China). Her most recent recording, Home, was described by the Irish Times as “utterly gorgeous.” A champion of new music, Ms. Hainen gave the United States, China, European, and Australian premieres of Nu Shu: Secret Songs of Women, written especially for her by Tan Dun. The world premiere audio and video recording with The Philadelphia Orchestra and Nézet-Séguin was released in the 2021–22 season.
Ms. Hainen’s extraordinary progress took her to the Indiana University School of Music, where she received bachelor and artist diploma degrees as a student of Susann McDonald. She serves as the artistic director for the USA International Harp Competition in the very organization founded by her teacher, as well as being the Silver medalist in the first competition in 1989. Ms. Hainen holds the Maryjane Mayhew Barton Chair in Harp Studies for the Curtis Institute of Music and also teaches on the faculty at Boyer School of Music, Temple University. As founding artistic director of the Lyra Society, an organization that promotes new works for the harp and educates young harpists, she has provided educational outreach to hundreds of school children in urban Philadelphia.