BLIGH, Elizabeth Volpé

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh is an acclaimed Canadian classical harpist, educator, and composer. Best known for her distinguished 36-year tenure as the Principal Harpist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO), she has transitioned into a prolific second career focused on pedagogy and composing original pedagogical and solo repertoire for both lever and pedal harps. Born in 1953, Volpé Bligh pursued her formal musical education at the University of Toronto, graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree in Harp Performance in 1975. She had the privilege of studying under some of the most prominent harpists of the 20th century. Volpé Bligh entered the professional orchestral scene immediately after university, serving as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra from 1976 to 1982. In 1982, she was appointed Principal Harpist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, a position she held until her retirement in January 2018. Throughout her orchestral career, she featured regularly as a concerto soloist, performed in numerous chamber ensembles, and recorded extensively for movie soundtracks and classical albums. Notably, she premiered Michael Conway Baker’s Harp Concerto, a piece specifically written for her. As a composer, Volpé Bligh creates melodic, atmospheric works written primarily for solo harp. Her music has gained significant international recognition and is widely utilized in classical testing frameworks. Multiple pieces from her collections are included in the prestigious Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Syllabus and the Trinity College London syllabi. Volpé Bligh currently serves as the Adjunct Professor of Harp at the University of British Columbia (UBC) School of Music and teaches at the VSO School of Music. She is also a co-founder of the Canadian International Summer Harp Institute (founded in 2012) and frequently conducts international masterclasses. Deeply involved in the global harp community, she served as the Chair of the Host Committee for the 11th World Harp Congress in Vancouver (2011) and functions as the President of both the British Columbia Chapter of the American Harp Society and the West Coast Harp Society.