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Evelyn Huber

Evelyn Huber

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Evelyn Huber

The harpist who combines jazz, world music, and orchestral art into a radiant sound journey

Evelyn Huber has been shaping the harp as a solo instrument beyond classical boundaries since the 1990s. Born in Munich, trained by Helga Storck and refined through jazz studies in the USA, she leads a music career characterized by artistic development, international stage presence, and stylistic curiosity. As a virtuoso spanning jazz, world music, and "new classics," she unfolds a distinctive tone—sometimes devotedly meditative, sometimes fiercely pulsating. Her discography includes solo albums, chamber music, orchestral productions, and collaborations, which the music press has repeatedly highlighted for the transparency of the harp sound, sovereign improvisation, and dramatic intuition.

Biography: From classical masterclasses to global sound

Beginning on the piano at an early age, and with the harp at nine, Huber laid the foundation for precise technique and a heightened awareness of sound. After earning a master's diploma at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, she taught harp there from 1998 to 2009 and was appointed guest professor at the Guildhall School of Music in London in 2007. Study trips and jazz workshops in Arizona (with Dr. Carrol McLaughlin) and Boston (with Deborah Henson-Conant) opened the harp to her for improvisation, extended technique, and orchestral sound fantasy. These experiences made her a sought-after musician, seamlessly blending genres, eras, and playing styles.

Milestones in her career include early ensemble work with Giora Feidman and Rudi Zapf, the duo with Mulo Francel, and her formative time as a member of the world music band Quadro Nuevo (2008–2020). With Quadro Nuevo, Huber toured worldwide; the ensemble received the Echo Jazz award in 2010 and 2011 for "Live Act of the Year." Since 2020, Huber continues her journey with solo and orchestral projects—from intimate harp solos to chamber music settings, all the way to grand symphonic works.

Artistic development: Improvisation, phrasing, and sound colors

Huber's playing is characterized by nuanced touch, differentiated dynamics, and a phrasing-conscious tone production. In her artistic development, improvisation plays a key role: she utilizes modal scales, arpeggiated voicings, percussive dampening techniques, and glissandi as building blocks of a language that connects jazz harmony, tango pulse, Mediterranean colors, and impressionistic shades. The harp appears in her work as an orchestral body of sound: she makes it resonate like a guitar, vibraphone, or small percussion, without losing the warmth of the string tone.

This expansion of playing technique positions Huber musically between the jazz harp tradition (influenced in part by Henson-Conant) and current crossover trends, where composition, arrangement, and improvisational openness form an equal trio. Her stage presence remains sovereign and narrative—moderation, humorous anecdotes, and lively timing subtly involve the audience in the musical flow.

Discography: Solo, chamber music, orchestra

The discography reflects Huber's stylistic diversity. After early recordings with Rudi Zapf and Mulo Francel, she shaped several releases with and around Quadro Nuevo. As a solo artist, she made significant highlights with "Somerville Samba" and the atmospheric solo album "Calm" (GLM, 2021), which emerged during the pandemic in an intimate studio setting. "Joy" (GLM, 2022) expands this universe with the radiant sound depth of a symphonic apparatus with the Philharmonie Salzburg under Elisabeth Fuchs; at its center is the world premiere recording of the three-movement suite "Soñando en Español" by Deborah Henson-Conant, orchestrated in vibrant colors.

In recent years, Huber also released the duo album "Sherpa – acht Trails" (2023) with Matthias Frey—a fully improvised musical journey with prepared piano, Nay, and Duduk offering colorful accents—as well as the chamber music debut "Niebla" (2023) with the Schimmer Trio. All productions exhibit a coherent dramaturgy between composition, arrangement, and spontaneous development: clearly structured themes, cohesive forms, and a sense for dramatic peaks.

"Joy" and the orchestral color: The harp as a solo storyteller

"Joy" encapsulates Huber's understanding of music: the harp is not just accompanied but stands in a dialogical exchange with the orchestra as a soloist. The repertoire ranges from Ibero-American soundscapes and flamenco-associated rhythms to contemporary, jazzy idioms. The press praises the transparency and lightness of this connection; the suite "Soñando en Español" is considered a thematic focus that unites improvisational spaces, motivic development, and orchestral brilliance. The recording exemplifies how Huber mixes sound colors, sets rhythmic accents, and positions the harp as a storyteller.

"Calm": Intimacy, breathing, and sound direction

"Calm" portrays Huber's solo aesthetic: reduction, tranquility, and controlled resonance. At its center is the harp as a breathing instrument; microphone placement, room acoustics, and a delicate play with overtone richness create a meditative dramaturgy. The album was created in a deliberately chosen intimate atmosphere— a decision that guides the production towards "sound closeness": every stroke, every breath of the instrument is audible without ever seeming demonstrative. Thus emerges a contemplative density that carries through from the first to the last track.

Cooperations and new projects

Cooperations have always been a driving force in Huber's work: from collaboration with Giora Feidman and Mulo Francel to her long-standing involvement with Quadro Nuevo, and to newer encounters with Elisabeth Fuchs and the Philharmonie Salzburg, the Sirius Quartet, and jazz harp legend Deborah Henson-Conant. In chamber music, Huber pursues a poetic language of sound with the Schimmer Trio, and the release of "Niebla" in 2023 programmatically represents this boundary-crossing.

Currently, two paths outline her artistic year: On one hand, the aftermath of the orchestral "Joy" project in the form of video playlists and concert recordings; on the other, fresh impulses from travels and sound diary ideas like "Camino – a sound path," which draws from a pilgrimage planned for 2025. Additionally, there are curated stage programs like "The Magic of Harp," which combines a solo evening with moderation into an entertaining concert format.

Style and technique: Between groove, glissando, and fine articulation

Huber's style combines rhythmic precision with melodic elegance. In grooving passages, she employs polyrhythmic patterns, syncopated accents, and percussive dampening techniques to ground the harp sound in a dancerly manner; in lyrical sections, a cantabile line, supported by subtle dynamic shaping and finely drawn embellishments, carries the musical line. Harmonically, she navigates between modal fields, extended jazz chords, and impressionistically tinted tonalities. Her arrangements are based on clear forms, recurring motifs, and colorfully contrasting sections—a signature that shines both in solo and orchestral contexts.

Awards, institutions, and musical authority

Huber has received the Culture Prize Bavaria and has been awarded the German Jazz Award (Gold) multiple times. With Quadro Nuevo, she received the Echo Jazz as "Live Act of the Year" in 2010 and 2011. Her educational profile includes teaching assignments, a guest professorship in London, and international workshops; since 2022, she has served on the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress. These stages demonstrate a reliably grown authority—rooted in classical technique, expanded through jazz expertise, and confirmed by music press and institutions.

Critical reception and press reviews

The music press emphasizes the brilliance of the harp sound and the stylistically confident dramaturgy in Huber's productions. "Joy" receives particular resonance: reviews praise the connection of harp and orchestra as airy, clear, and emotionally appealing. The orchestral premiere recording of Henson-Conant's suite is also highlighted, as it exemplarily encapsulates Huber's duality of virtuosity and sound transparency. Concert reports further underline her ability to charm the audience and playfully guide them through sound worlds of tango, klezmer, jazz, and classical music.

Cultural influence: The harp as an instrument of the present

Huber makes a significant contribution to contemporary harp culture: she expands the repertoire with improvisation, groove, and chamber crossover; she demonstrates how the harp becomes dialogically engaging in jazz and world music contexts—without denying its classical origins. Her productions act as catalysts: students, ensembles, and orchestras discover the harp as a richly colored solo instrument that opens orchestral sound spaces while enabling intimate narratives. This influence is pedagogically anchored, stage-tested, and discographically documented—a sustainable trace in the European harp scene.

Live experience: Narrative program dramaturgy

On stage, Huber connects musical storytelling with a cleverly curated dramaturgy. A solo evening might begin with silence, allowing the strings to breathe, gradually transitioning into rhythmic energy. In orchestral settings, contrast and color dramaturgy take center stage—the harp as a beacon leading through a multivoiced sound fabric. In chamber music, Huber seeks intimate conversation: harp, violin, and bass clarinet resonate in elegant counterpoints, rhythmic ostinatos carry the groove, and improvised lines expand the space. This concept makes her concerts moments to remember.

Conclusion: Why Evelyn Huber inspires

Evelyn Huber combines technical skill with imagination and stylistic openness. Her discography shows depth and contours; her compositions and arrangements give the harp a contemporary voice. As a solo artist, chamber musician, and in dialogue with orchestras, she creates experiences that shift musical horizons—without being showy, with a great sense of form and color. Those who want to experience her art should attend a concert: It is there that the unique blend of sound poetry, groove, and transparency, which characterizes her playing, unfolds.

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