Tony Phillipps percussion

Elizabeth Volpé Bligh became the Vancouver Symphony's Principal Harpist in 1982, after six seasons as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. A graduate of University of Toronto's Bachelor of Music program in 1975, she studied with Judy Loman (Toronto Symphony), Alice Chalifoux (Cleveland Orchestra) and Edna Phillips (Philadelphia Orchestra). She also attended master classes with Ossian Ellis, Nancy Allen, Heidi Lehwalder and Cheryl Ann Fulton.

Ms. Volpé's career includes concerto performances with the VSO and other orchestras, chamber music concerts, movie soundtracks and recordings. She is featured in The Greater Vancouver Album, a collection of works by Michael Conway Baker, and performed his Harp Concerto, written for her, first with the Orchestra of the Kootenays, then the VSO. Through the years, some comments from reviews include: \"one of the best harpists in the world\" (Nigel Barbour), \"a harpist of great skill\" (Ray Chatelin), \"achingly lovely playing\" (Michael Scott), \"ensemble and musicianship was spectacular\" (Howard Jang), \"very fine playing\" (Sebastien Lipman, former harpist of Berlin Philharmonic).

Many of Elizabeth's students have won awards such as the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Edith Lando Gifted Youth Scholarship, and RCM Silver Medal, and four students have been members of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Her teaching career has included private students and institutions such as the Vancouver Academy of Music, UBC, Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, and the Island Mountain Arts Festival. Students have come from all over the world, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and France.

Ms. Volpé has had articles published in the Teachers' Forum of the American Harp Journal, Dutch Harp Journal, the New Zealand Harp Association newsletter, and online. She has given master classes in China, NZ, the USA and Canada. Her compositions for solo harp, six of which are included in the 2008 Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus, are being taught and performed all over the world. She is currently President of the BC Chapter of the American Harp Society and the Chair of the World Harp Congress Host Committee for 2011. One of her pieces, \"Winter in Vancouver\" will be performed at the 2011 World Harp Congress Opening Gala. She has been featured in American Harp Society Conferences, invited to be a judge at the OSM Standard Life Competition, and has been invited to teach at the International Harp Workshop in Italy in July, 2012.

Outside of music, she is married to Ross Bligh and is the mother of twins, James and Katrina. Past hobbies include skiing, flamenco dancing, cooking and gardening.

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