Dafne Paris

Dafne Paris is an Italian-Dutch harpist and performer. She is dedicated to expanding traditional harp repertoire through collaborations with contemporary composers and by integrating vocal and theatrical elements into her performances. She performs on a Salvi Arianna harp from the prestigious collection of Het Muziekinstrumentenfonds.

She is an alumni of ‘Conservatorium van Amsterdam’ under the guidance of Erika Waardenburg, Gwyneth Wentink, and Sandrine Chatron. Thanks to the Holland Scholarship Programme for Excellent Students, she furthered specialised in contemporary repertoire in New York City, working with pioneers of experimental music such as Joan La Barbara.

A rising voice in experimental music theatre, Paris was awarded the “Best Performance” prize at the 66th International Festival Biennale Musica di Venezia – Out of Stage (2022). Her solo and ensemble appearances span prestigious venues and festivals, including Lincoln Center (New York), the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ (Amsterdam), TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht), the Auditorium Parco della Musica and Vatican Gardens (Rome), the Ravello Festival, Biennale di Venezia, and the Italian Chamber of Deputies Christmas Concert. She has also been featured at leading Dutch festivals such as the Grachtenfestival and Fiber Festival.

Her work has been featured in international media, including a joint concert broadcast by BBC Radio 3 and Rai Radio 3, hosted by Tom Service. She was also interviewed by Francesco Antonioni for Rai Radio 3’s Suite Magazine, and by Giovanna Natalini for the station’s documentary series Tre Soldi.

She is currently developing two major music-theatre projects: a re-staging of Giorgio Battistelli’s Il Combattimento di Ettore e Achille, a work for harpist/actor and percussionist/actor; and a new evening-length sound-theatre work commissioned by National Sawdust (New York), created in collaboration with experimental composer X. Lee, exploring the relationship between harp and movement.