French harpist Xavier de Maistre belongs to an elite category of soloists who are redefining what is possible with their instrument. Aside from commissions from composers such as Kaija Saariaho, he has earned acclaim for performances of masterful arrangements of works that are usually played by an entire orchestra (for example, Smetana’s Ma Vlast and Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez). He has appeared with major orchestras worldwide under the direction of Riccardo Muti, André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, and many other eminent conductors. His artistry has been praised at leading international festivals, including those of Schleswig-Holstein, Salzburg, Budapest, and Mostly Mozart. He received first prize at the 1998 International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana, subsequently becoming the first French musician to join the ranks of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Since 2001 he has taught at the Hamburg Academy of Music while also giving regular masterclasses at New York’s Juilliard School of Music, Tokyo’s Toho University and London’s Trinity College of Music. An exclusive recording artist with Sony Music, de Maistre has released six albums to date. He has been honored with the 2009 Echo Klassik Award 2009 as Instrumentalist of the Year, and in 2012 his album “Notte Veneziana” entered the top ten in the classical music charts. Recent releases include a DVD with soprano Diana Damrau and a CD of Mozart piano concertos arranged for harp.
