The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance announces that Yolanda Kondonassis will join the Department of Strings faculty as director of the Harp Studio this fall. Kondonassis has performed around the globe as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber musician. Kondonassis will assume leadership of the Harp Studio upon the retirement of Professor Joan Holland, who has directed the studio since 2008.
“I have known Joan Holland for over 40 years and consider her one of my dearest friends and most respected colleagues,” shared Kondonassis. “She is truly one in a million, both as a person and an artist. I cherish the opportunity of continuing her tremendous legacy in harp at the University of Michigan and wish her a wonderful and fulfilling next chapter.”
Kondonassis has released over 25 commercial recordings and her music has been sold and downloaded by millions of listeners. She was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo for her world-premiere recording of Jennifer Higdon’s Harp Concerto with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (Azica). Her album of music by Takemitsu and Debussy, Air (Telarc), was also nominated for a Grammy Award. She has been featured on CNN and PBS, as well as Sirius XM Radio’s Symphony Hall and NPR’s All Things Considered and Tiny Desk Concerts.
Since making her debut with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta at age 18, Kondonassis has appeared as soloist with countless major orchestras in the United States and abroad. A devoted chamber musician, Kondonassis’ performances have been featured at festivals such as Santa Fe, Marlboro, Mainly Mozart, Bravo!Vail, and Chamber Music New Zealand. As half of the Kondonassis/Vieaux Duo, she tours and records actively with guitarist Jason Vieaux.
Prior to her solo career path, Kondonassis did extensive orchestral work as guest principal harpist with the San Francisco Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony, and The Cleveland Orchestra, and was acting principal harp with the Saint Louis Symphony for one season.
Committed to the advancement of new music for the harp, Kondonassis’ body of solo harp commissions includes works by Aaron Jay Kernis, Michael Daugherty, Reena Esmail, Chen Yi, Bright Sheng, Jennifer Higdon, Stephen Hartke, Takuma Itoh, Zhou Long, Donald Erb, Keith Fitch, and Arturo Sandoval, among numerous others. Her book, The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp (Carl Fischer), was released in 2019.
As a pedagogue, composer, and arranger, Kondonassis has published several books to date, including first and second editions of On Playing the Harp (Carl Fischer), The Yolanda Kondonassis Collection (Carl Fischer), and The Earth Collection (Theodore Presser), a curated volume of newly composed, earth-inspired works for solo harp.
“As I conclude my 17th year at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance, I feel very grateful and excited to have international concert artist and extraordinary teacher Yolanda Kondonassis succeed me in leading the Harp Studio,” said Joan Holland, associate professor and director of the Harp Studio. “Harp students will be in the hands of a teacher who is committed to each student; who imparts beautiful musical and organizational skills; who teaches a harpist to play with integrity, excellence and expressiveness; and who embraces contemporary, current music while honoring the deep traditions of the musical past.”
Selected by Musical America as one of the Top Professionals of 2023, Kondonassis previously headed the harp departments at Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Cleveland Institute of Music. She has presented master classes around the world and is currently the founding director of the American Harp Institute, which offers a popular summer program each year for young harpists on the Campus at Marlboro Music in Vermont.
Kondonassis attended Interlochen Arts Academy as a high school student and continued her studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received her BM and MM degrees in harp performance.