The American Harp Foundation Board of Directors and Competition Committee are proud to announce the winners of the 2026 Grandjany Memorial Competition:
Winner: Lauren Swain
Honorable Mentions: Daniel Reeder, Joshua Ho
Lauren Swain
Solo, chamber, and orchestral harpist Lauren Swain has studied for eight years with Nashville-based Professor Carol McClure, Artistic Director of The Harp School, Inc., as well as having learned in masterclass performance and private lessons with Catherine Michel, Elinor Bennett, Isabelle Moretti, Judy Loman, Elizabeth Hainen, and Parker Ramsay.
Lauren has won prizes in numerous national and international competitions, including the Young Artists’ Harp Competition, the Hong Kong Harp Competition, Midwest Harp Festival Competition, the Great Composers International Competition, and the International Grande Music Competition. Lauren was selected as a national prize winner in harp by YoungArts National Competition, 2021, as well as winning (with her duet partner) First Prize in the United States International Duo Piano Competition (Colorado Springs). In 2022, Lauren competed in and won First Prize in the Lyon and Healy Awards Competition (Chicago). In April of 2023, Lauren was awarded Second Prize in the Wales International Harp Competition (Chief Musician) in Caernarfon, Wales.
In January of 2024, Lauren made her debut in Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall as a First Prize-winner in the Crescendo International Music Competition. Lauren was selected as Third Prize-winner in the 2024 edition of the Glowing Harp Competition. Most recently, Lauren was awarded Second Prize in the Franz Josef Reinl Harp Competition held in Vienna, Austria in September of 2025.
Lauren holds the Associate of the Royal Schools of Music (ARSM) with Distinction, the Diploma of the Royal Schools of Music (DipABRSM) with Distinction, and the Licentiate of the Royals Schools of Music (LRSM) with Distinction. In June of 2023, Lauren presented a solo recital and defended her dissertation, “A Performer’s Perspective: Works by Four Twentieth Century Female Composers That Merit Inclusion in Mainstream Harp Performance Repertoire,” for the awarding of the FRSM (Fellowship of the Royal Schools of Music) which she received in August of that year.
Daniel Reeder
Daniel Reeder is a North Carolina–born harpist whose musical life began at the age of five, immersed in a household where music, and specifically the harp, was ever-present, due to two of his older sisters who also played the harp. He pursued formal study under Bette Roth, former Principal Harpist of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, with whom he studied through his senior year of high school, laying a rigorous technical and musical foundation. His orchestral experience began early, performing regularly in recitals and with the Youth Orchestra of Charlotte under the direction of Dr. Ernest Pereira, including concerto performances and appearances at the American Harp Society and the North Carolina Harp Ensemble. As his passion continued to grow for the harp, he decided to audition at a number of schools for harp performance.
Reeder is currently a student at the Eastman School of Music, where he studied for one year with Kathleen Bride and is now under the coaching of Andrea Mumm, Principal Harpist of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. Reeder will go on to study with Bridget Kibbey in the upcoming school year. Reeder continues to expand his professional experience through freelance engagements. He loves doing independent gigs such as weddings, background music, funerals and church gigs. He also enjoys doing more professional gigs like playing with orchestras. Daniel has served as a substitute Principal Harpist with ensembles including the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra.
In addition to his orchestral work, Reeder has collaborated with several internationally recognized harpists. In the summer of 2025, he performed in a harp ensemble alongside Joel von Lerber, Frances Duffy, Andrew Chan, and Alexander Boldachev. Reeder has also worked with the French harp legend, Catherine Michel, both in masterclasses and performances. These experiences continue to shape his artistic voice as he develops a career grounded in both solo and orchestral performance.
Joshua Ho
Joshua Ho was born and raised in Los Angeles where started his harp studies at the age of eight with Hee Jin Yoon and shortly after with JoAnn Turovsky. He is now in his first year of the Bachelor of Music program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music where he continues to study with Ms. Turovsky. Mr. Ho is an avid chamber musician and his group, the Lusingando Trio, was a semifinalist at the 2025 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Junior Division. In 2025, he received an honorable mention at the Music Center’s Spotlight and was a finalist in theAmerican Harp Society Competition. Mr. Ho was the principal harpist of the Colburn Youth Orchestra and Colburn Youth Sinfonietta from 2021–25. In the summers, he has studied with notable harpists such as Franziska Huhn, June Han, and Yolanda Kondonassis. Outside of music, he enjoys following his favorite baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also enjoys trying out new restaurants across Los Angeles.
The Grandjany Memorial Competition winners receive an award of $3,500. This competition was established in 1979 by the American Harp Society Board and was funded by Bernard Grandjany in honor of his father Marcel Grandjany. It was enhanced by bequests from Mary Wheeler and Hermine Herbring to continue performances and appreciation of the works of Marcel Grandjany. Judges for this competition were Sarah Bullen (Chicago Symphony Principal Harp, retired), Caroline Leonardelli (Soloist and Professor at Carleton University), and Janice Weber (former Piano Faculty, The Boston Conservatory).
With gratitude to all who helped make this competition possible,
American Harp Foundation Board of Directors and Competition Committee
Frances Duffy, AHF Competitions Director, Treasurer and Donor Relations
Carrie Kourkoumelis, President
Kathleen Bride, Vice President
Holly Avesian, Secretary
Kristina Finch, Development
Elizabeth Huntley, Communications Director
Paula Page, Donor Relations & Competitions Repertoire