Lavinia Meijer - Biography

Lavinia Meijer was supported by BBT between 2007 and 2009.  For an up-to-date biography visit www.bluoceanarts.com

Award-winning Dutch–South Korean harpist Lavinia Meijer is one of the most diverse harpists of the 21st century. After her debut at the Carnegie Hall in New York in 2007, she is regularly performs as a soloist in Europe, Asia and America. In 2007 she was awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship and in 2009 the Dutch Music Prize, the highest distinction by the Dutch Government for a Dutch classical musician. In 2014 she joined the Dutch King and Queen during their State visit to South Korea and performed a solo evening.

Meijer is passionate about broadening the possibilities of the harp. Her affinity with the music of Philip Glass and her intense ground breaking renditions of his music have mesmerised audiences across the world. Her albums Metamorphosis/The Hours and The Glass Effect feature works by Philip Glass, a process Glass himself was involved in. Their meeting marked the beginning of a new musical journey for her.

She has performed as a soloist with the Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra, Israeli Philharmonic, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Seoul Philharmonic amongst others. Conductors she has collaborated with include Andrew Grams, Thierry Fischer, Charles Floyd, Franz Bruggen, Hannu Lintu and Marco Boni. She has performed with artists such as Iggy Pop, Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Sufijan Stevens, Ludovico Einaudi and the Kronos Quartet.

Future plans include a performance at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam with the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra Netherlands and Ludovic Morlot of Kaija Saariaho’s Harp Concerto.

Last updated: October 2018

So far, I have been able to use my Borletti Buitoni Trust Fellowship to accomplish very practical things, such as a professional photo session, promotional concerts, useful performing equipment, and subsidizing experimental ensembles with a modern dance troupe. Aside from this, the BBT has used their prestige to promote me to important people in the music world. Also, their advice and encouragement has helped me to take steps in the right direction.

Photographs by Marco Borggreve