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Yolanda Kondonassis – The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp

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Yolanda Kondonassis – The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp

Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis Announces New Book

The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp

As one of the world’s most renowned harp soloists and a passionate champion of new music for her instrument, Yolanda Kondonassis presents a comprehensive guide and conversational text on composing idiomatically for the harp, in her new book, The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp, published by Carl Fischer.

The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp(Carl Fischer Music), a comprehensive guide and conversational text on composing idiomatically for the harp. The book features 22 detailed chapters on a full spectrum of topics, including technical logistics, chromaticism, notation, context, resonance management, special effects, and more.

Topics covered in Kondonassis’ book include:

  • navigating the harp’s pedal system
  • idiomatic technical configurations
  • symbols and practical notation
  • register, volume, and resonance
  • tempo and context
  • traditional and extended contemporary effects with notation
  • props, electro-acoustics, and media integration

The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp also features six original illustrations by cartoonist Jeffrey Curnow. Each cartoon was drawn especially for the book and imparted Curnow’s gift of musical humor. A multi-talented artist, Curnow is Associate Principal Trumpet of the Philadelphia Orchestra and draws a weekly featured cartoon for National Public Radio’s Classical Facebook page.

As an author, composer, and arranger, Kondonassis has published three books to date: On Playing the HarpThe Yolanda Kondonassis Collection, and The Yolanda Kondonassis Christmas Collection, all published by Carl Fischer Music. Kondonassis carries her passionate artistic commitment to issues regarding the protection of natural resources, air quality, and climate change. Royalties from several of her projects are donated to earth causes and she is the founder and director of Earth at Heart, a non-profit organization devoted to earth literacy and inspiration through the arts. Her first children’s book, entitled Our House is Round: A Kid’s Book About Why Protecting Our Earth Matters, was published in 2012 by Skyhorse Publishing and was a featured title from Scholastic Books in 2019.

About Yolanda Kondonassis

Yolanda-KondonassisYolanda Kondonassis is celebrated as one of the world’s premier solo harpists and is widely regarded as today’s most recorded classical harpist. With “a range of colour that’s breathtaking” (Gramophone), she has been hailed as “a brilliant and expressive player” (Dallas Morning News), with “a dazzling technique unfailingly governed by impeccable musical judgment” (Detroit News). She has appeared around the globe as a concerto soloist and in recital, bringing her unique brand of musicianship and warm artistry to an ever-increasing audience. Also, a published author, speaker, professor of harp, and environmental activist, her many passions are woven into a vibrant and multi-faceted career.

Since making her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, Kondonassis has brought new audiences to the harp and has appeared as soloist with numerous major orchestras in the United States and abroad such as The New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, the English Chamber Orchestra, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic, to name a few. She has been featured on CNN and PBS as well as Sirius XM Radio’s Symphony Hall, NPR’s All Things Considered and Tiny Desk ConcertsSt. Paul Sunday Morning, and Performance Today.

Kondonassis has also earned a reputation as a world-class chamber musician, collaborating with artists such as the Shanghai, JACK, Jupiter, and Vermeer string quartets, pianist Jeremy Denk, and guitarist Jason Vieaux, among others. The Kondonassis/Vieaux duo released their debut album, Together, in January 2015 on Azica Records.

With hundreds of thousands of discs and downloads sold worldwide, Kondonassis’ extensive discography, released on the Telarc, Azica, Oberlin, New World, and Channel Classics labels, includes twenty titles. Her 2016 album, Ginastera: One Hundred, celebrates Ginastera’s centennial and pays tribute to his iconic harp concerto. Her 2008 release of music by Takemitsu and Debussy, Air (Telarc), was nominated for a Grammy Award. Her many albums have earned universal critical praise as she continues to be a pioneering force in the harp world, striving to push the boundaries of what listeners expect of the harp.

Born in Norman, Oklahoma, Kondonassis attended high school at Interlochen Arts Academy. She continued her education at The Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a student of Alice Chalifoux. Kondonassis heads the harp departments at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and The Cleveland Institute of Music and presents masterclasses around the world.

For more information on the book, visit www.carlfischer.com

For more information on Yolanda Kondonassis, visit www.yolandaharp.com.

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