“I spent my whole life trying to make the harp sound like a piano.”
Yolanda Kondonassis is the first classical harpist nominated in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo for a concerto with orchestra (in 2020, for Jennifer Higdon’s Harp Concerto). Her lively, inspiring conversation with Zsolt ranges from mastering a uniquely challenging instrument to strategizing success. The world-renowned artist explains how being a “pianist at heart” explains her instrument’s electrifying sound; she reveals her “obsession with timing,” and attributes her stellar career to a love for “18-step, labor-intensive processes,” turning daily practice into a high-stakes undertaking, and to using a yellow pad to avoid “false economy.” (Episode 74)
