Contact & Workshops

Miriam & Sabien

Sabien Canton earned her Master’s Diploma in 2001, studying with Ernestine Stoop and Catherine Michel. Her heart primarily belongs to chamber music (Duo+, TriDalí), contemporary music (Insomnio, De Koene Ridders) and performance art. Sabien teaches at the Fontys Conservatory of Music and released the international harp tutor ‘Harpologie’. She is actively involved in the harp world (Dutch Harp Festival, Harp Bulletin). www.duo-plus.nl

The German harpist Miriam Overlach moved to Holland for her studies at the Amsterdam Conservatory with Erika Waardenburg. Her solo competition successes include the Concertgebouw prize for Young Soloists, and the Dutch Harp Competition in 2007. Contemporary music, chamber music (for example, with her Ensemble Lumaka), and interdisciplinary performances are her principal interests. She also plays regularly with orchestras such as The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Dutch Philharmonic Orchestra. www.miriamoverlach.com

Workshops & Concerts

Miriam and Sabien offer an extension to this website in the form of ‘Composing for Harp’ workshops at conservatoires and music festivals. The workshops are designed for harpist and composers alike.

We offer the following two formats:

  1. A lecture presenting the harp and its playing techniques, followed by a short concert of contemporary music. Afterwards there will be the possibility to ask questions and try the harp.
  2. An ongoing course for harp and composition students over several weeks. This course aims to have harpists and composers create new pieces together. We start with a lecture as in format 1, followed by sessions on sketches of new work. The workshop ends with a presentation of the new compositions.
  • We also offer to give you advises and personal workshops via internet/skype. Send us your piece and we will work on it and have scan it with harpist’s eyes. Afterwards we give you advise you about playabitity, techniques and notation. Fee per hour: 40$
  • 3. We also give “Double Solo Recitals”, where we each play new harp solos, written for us or written no more than fifteen years ago. These include works by Kaija Saariaho, George Aperghis, Martin Schütter, Wilbert Bulsink, ….

    Acknowledgments & Sponsors

    Many thanks to:
    Camac Harps,
    Broekmans en van Poppel,
    numerous Indiegogo sponsors,
    Liluc Design,
    Eric de Clerq,
    Wilbert Bulsink,
    Gaudeamus
    and the Dutch Harp Festival