Harpists Lindsay Buffington (USA) and Céline Gay des Combes (Switzerland) met during their studies at the Conservatory of Lausanne in Switzerland, where they both studied with the French harpist Chantal Mathieu-Balavoine. Having obtained their respective diplomas, they created their harp duo Deux En Harpe in June of 2008 in order to share their passion for chamber music and the harp with each other and the public. The aim of the duo is to blend their individual sounds to create a special tone color that only two harps can make together. Their experiences in orchestras, harp duets and harp ensembles, and as soloists have given the young harpists a strong foundation for their endeavor. They hope to help to introduce audiences to the diverse catalogue of harp duet music, which is mostly unknown to the public.

Tickets: $15 general/$12 Baltimore Harp Chapter members, seniors and students

Céline Gay des Combes, Biography

Born in 1980, the Swiss harpist Céline Gay des Combes started the harp at the age of ten with Isabelle Martin-Achard at the Popular Conservatory of Geneva, where she obtained her certificate with distinction and the Geneva State Council prize in 1999. In the same year, she won the first prize in the Swiss competition for young musicians.

From 1999 to 2008, she studied at the Lausanne Conservatory of Music in Chantal Mathieu-Balavoine's class, where she obtained her teacher's diploma, her concert diploma with honors and her soloist's diploma in 2008.

First laureate of the Moscow International Competition in hommage to Vera Dulova in 2000, Céline Gay des Combes was selected in 2002 to participate in "Focus On Youth" at the 8th World Harp Congress. In 2004, she won the Marescotti Foundation Scholarship, then in 2005, she was a finalist in the International Harp Competition of the Cité des Arts in Paris.

In 2006, she was selected to participate in the Swiss tour of the Boswil Contemporary Ensemble, conducted by Peter Hirsch.

Passionate about chamber music, she won the Geraldine Whittaker second prize at the 28th Swiss National Competition for an Instrumental Trio in 2008, with her flute, viola and harp trio cordes ô vent. She also plays with other groups, including her own harp duo Deux en Harpe, as well as duos with flute, viola and even clarinet.

In addition to her performance career, Céline Gay des Combes has pursued an active teaching career since 2001 at the Ribaupierre Institute of Lausanne. She is a certified Willems Musical Education method teacher since 2008.

Lindsay Buffington, Biography

Lindsay Buffington was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1985, and she grew up in Glenwood in Howard County in the same state. She began her harp studies at the age of fifteen with harpist Elaine Bryant. Her previous studies of the piano and clarinet allowed her to make rapid progress with the harp.

In August 2003, she began her professional studies with the harpist Rebecca Anstine Smith at the University of Maryland, College Park. Here, she widened her musical experience to include opera, choral accompaniment, and renaissance music on period instruments, in addition to her extensive solo, orchestral and chamber music studies.

From 2005 to 2007, she studied with French harpist Chantal Mathieu-Balavoine at the Conservatory of Lausanne in Switzerland. At the end of her two years of studies, she successfully performed a solo recital attesting to her instrumental level equivalent of the Swiss Teaching Diploma.

Following this, she returned to the U.S.A. and completed her Bachelor of Music degree summa cum laude at the University of Maryland in December of 2008. As of September 2008, she is a graduate student in the Master of Music Performance program at the Conservatory of Lausanne, where she expects to receive her diploma in June 2010.

Parallel to her studies, she created the duo Deux en Harpe with harpist Céline Gay des Combes in June of 2008.

PROGRAM:

Song in the Night - Carlos Salzedo
Sixth French Suite - Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed by Carlos Salzedo
Serenade - Franz Schubert, arranged by John Thomas
Parvis - Bernard Andres
Mother Goose Suite - Maurice Ravel
Grand Duo for Two Harps in Eb Minor - John Thomas
Rumba and Tango - Carlos Salzedo