Hailed by the New York Times as a harpist with "powerful playing and musicianly energy," Yolanda Kondonassis is recognized as one of the world's foremost harpists, performing both as a concerto soloist and recitalist throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Since making her debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, she has appeared as a soloist with numerous major orchestras around the world, including solo appearances at Lincoln Center and Taiwan’s National Concert Hall.

As a Telarc recording artist, Ms. Kondonassis was praised by Gramophone magazine for the "clarity, color, and rhythmic vitality of [her] playing." She has won universal critical acclaim for her twelve discs, which include much of the standard repertoire as well as her own transcriptions and compositions for harp.

Ms. Kondonassis' first book, On Playing the Harp, is a comprehensive guide to harp technique and methodology. Published in 2003, it has quickly become an important addition to the harp pedagogy literature.

Ms. Kondonassis was born in Norman, Oklahoma, where she began studying the harp at age 9. She attended high school at Interlochen Arts Academy and continued her education at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor's and Master’s degrees as a student of Alice Chalifoux.

For a complete biography and more information about Yolanda Kondonassis, visit www.yolandaharp.com.

In celebration of OAI's 30th Anniversary, Ms. Kondonassis offers her memories of the Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute:

"I remember my time at OSAI with great fondness. It was my first festival experience and I recall it quite vividly. I remember rehearsals in the open air amphitheater and the excitement of the concerts. I also remember tuning my harp constantly to try and keep it reasonably in tune in the heat and humidity - great practice in coping at all the summer festivals I've been to since then in the past 30 years! Many thanks and congratulations on 30 years of bringing a wonderful opportunity to young artists!!"