About

As an advocate for new music, Angela has worked on commissioning projects with many prominent composers. Her debut album, detach, of all Canadian new music won a 2020 JUNO award for Classical Album of the Year: Solo or Chamber, and is regularly played on CBC radio. detach, features several new Canadian commissions by composers Monica Pearce, Elisha Denburg, Kevin Lau, and Mark Nerenberg. She has received grants from the American Harp Society for commissioning new works and a grant from the Ontario Arts Council for her recording project. In the spring of 2022 Topaz Duo released their debut recording, lumena, featuring works by living North American composers including a new commission by Kevin Lau. The recording was named Record of the Week on In Concert with Paolo Pietropaolo and one of CBC’s top 22 albums of 2022. They received grants from both FACTOR Canada and the Ontario Arts Council for this project. Angela’s past collaborations with organizations like the Caution Tape Sound Collective and the Toy Piano Composers have yielded several new harp solo and chamber works for harp. Angela continues to actively support Canadian new music giving presentations on writing for the harp to different organizations including the Canadian League of Composers.

Angela is an instructor at the University of Toronto. Outside of her university teaching, she maintains a thriving studio of private students both virtually and in person. As a juror she has adjudicated for recitals, juries, chamber music, orchestral exams, and auditions of all kinds. Most recently she has adjudicated for the NACO Bursary Competition, the Kiwanis Music Festival, and for the Montreal Harp Society. Angela has also given masterclasses and presentations at several institutions including the University of Arizona, Interlochen Arts Academy, and the University of Michigan.

A contributor to the international publication Harp Column, Angela also served on the editorial board of The American Harp Journal 2018-2022. An extract of her doctoral dissertation was published in the 2016 summer edition of The American Harp Journal. During the summer of 2016 Angela presented her research at the American Harp Society National Conference in Atlanta. In 2019 and 2022 she was invited to perform recitals and speak on a panel discussion at the American Harp Society Summer Institute and Conferences. After serving as President of the Toronto Chapter of the American Harp Society from 2012-2018, she served as President for the American Harp Society from 2022-2024 and currently is Chairman of the Board. Angela Schwarzkopf received a Bachelor of Music in harp performance from the University of Ottawa in 2007; a Master of Music in harp performance from the University of Toronto in 2009; and a Doctorate of Music in harp performance from the University of Toronto in 2015.