The Jury of the Paris International Harp Competition 2027
Isabelle MORETTI, Présidente du jury
Isabelle Moretti ranks among the most acclaimed French classical harpists of her generation. Born in Lyon, she began her musical studies at the Conservatoire de Lyon in the class of Germaine Lorenzini, before entering the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris in the class of Jacqueline Borot, where she was awarded a First Prize in 1983.
Quickly noticed on the international scene, she has been a prize-winner in several major competitions: Munich in 1983, Bordeaux in 1984, Geneva in 1986, and won First Prize at the International Harp Competition of Israel in 1988. In 1996, she received a Victoire de la Musique Classique in the "New Talent" category.
A sought-after performer, Isabelle Moretti appears as a soloist with leading international orchestras and is deeply committed to chamber music alongside the Ysaÿe, Parisii and Lindsay quartets, violinist Gérard Poulet, violist Bruno Pasquier, as well as with the Quintette Érard. Her discography, released notably on Harmonia Mundi, Naïve and Auvidis Valois, covers an exceptionally wide repertoire, from C.P.E. Bach to Ginastera, and earned her the Prix de l'Académie Charles-Cros in 2001 for her recording of Rodrigo's Concierto serenata.
A renowned teacher, Isabelle Moretti has been Professor of Harp at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris since 1995, and also teaches at the Académie Villecroze as part of its programme dedicated to young talents.
She was appointed Officer of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2016) and Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite (2017). She also received the Tissier-Grandpierre Prize, awarded by the Institut de France, in 2024.
Alexandra BIDI
Principal harp of the Orchestre de Paris since January 2026, Alexandra Bidi is establishing herself as one of the most remarkable young French harpists of her generation.
The Stuttgarter Zeitung has praised her "immense joy of playing" and her "technical mastery", while the German radio station SWR highlights her "powerful musical energy" and "the richness of her tonal palette".
Born in 2002, she distinguished herself at only 21 by winning the Second Prize at the prestigious ARD International Music Competition, as well as the Prize for Best Performance of the Commissioned Work — awards that have taken her to the greatest concert halls in Europe.
Following her solo debut in 2023 with the Munich Chamber Orchestra and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, she has been invited to perform with the SWR Symphony Orchestra, the Badische Philharmonie Pforzheim, the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Lorraine and the Ciconia Consort. Selected by the EBU's Euroradio Top Young Performers programme, her concerts are regularly broadcast throughout Europe.
Her training reflects a truly international path: she has studied in Italy, Spain and France, before joining the class of Isabelle Moretti at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique et de danse de Paris, where she recently obtained her Master's degree with the distinction of the jury. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the same institution, while simultaneously studying Applied Mathematics at Paris-Dauphine University — a dual path that testifies to the rigour, curiosity and intellectual demand that characterise her artistic approach.
Sarah O'BRIEN
A harpist of exceptional versatility, Sarah O'Brien demonstrates that the harp can move beyond the romantic repertoire alone to find its own voice, from Baroque to contemporary music. "Sarah O'Brien lets the harp sing", wrote the NH Dagblad.
For more than twenty years, she held the position of principal harp of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam and of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra — two of the world's most prestigious symphonic ensembles. This orchestral career has led her to perform in the greatest halls of Europe, Asia and the United States, under conductors such as Bernard Haitink, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Chailly, Christian Thielemann, James Levine and Lorin Maazel. As a soloist, she has performed with the Concertgebouw, the Munich Philharmonic, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Fabio Luisi, as well as with the Basel Radio and Polish National Radio orchestras.
Trained at the Geneva Conservatory in the class of Catherine Eisenhoffer, where she obtained a First Prize of Virtuosity in 1991, she also studied under Pierre Jamet in Paris and Susann McDonald at Indiana University Bloomington. She was a prize-winner at the Geneva International Music Competition in 1997.
In 2014, she chose to devote most of her time to teaching. She is now Professor of Harp at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and at the Basel Academy of Music. Her students regularly win international competitions and secure orchestral positions.
Mathilde CALDERINI
Renowned for her full, velvety sound and her lively temperament, Mathilde Caldérini stands out as one of the most sought-after flautists of her generation on the international scene. A multifaceted artist, she pursues in parallel a career as a soloist, an orchestral musician and a chamber musician.
Principal flute of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France since 2020, she previously held the same position with the Orchestre National de Lille. As a soloist, she is regularly invited by leading orchestras: the Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, the Orchestre National de France, the WDR Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart, the Sinfonia Varsovia, the Bursa State Symphony Orchestra, the Hyogo Performing Arts Orchestra of Osaka, and the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie.
Her career has been marked by major distinctions: First Prize at the prestigious Kobe International Flute Competition in Japan, First Prize at the Buffet Crampon Competition, First Prize at the Lyon Chamber Music Competition and at the Carl Nielsen International Competition with the Ouranos ensemble, and Prize for Best Young Talent at the Maxence Larrieu International Competition.
A "Révélation Classique" of the Adami in 2012, she was nominated in the Instrumental Soloist category at the 2024 Victoires de la Musique Classique.
A passionate chamber musician, she co-founded with clarinettist Amaury Viduvier the Ensemble Ouranos, a wind quintet and Associate Artist of the Fondation Singer-Polignac.
Philippe CUPER
Born in Lille, Philippe Cuper is among the most illustrious French clarinettists of his generation. Principal clarinet and super-soloist of the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris since 1984, he has also been regularly invited to occupy the same position with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Sinfonia Varsovia, as well as the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.
Trained at the Lille Conservatory and then at the Conservatoire national supérieur de musique de Paris (unanimous first prizes) in the classes of Guy Dangain, Guy Deplus and Henri Druart, he completed his training with musicology studies at the Sorbonne. His international record of achievements is impressive: the Munich (ARD), Prague (unanimous first prize), Viotti in Vercelli, Geneva and Saint-Petersburg (Mravinsky Medal) competitions. In 2002, he founded the Louis Cahuzac International Competition in Versailles, of which he has organised four editions.
He has performed under the direction of the greatest conductors: Ozawa, Sawallisch, Abbado, Maazel, Mehta, Boulez, Prêtre, Barenboim, Salonen, Harding, Jurowski, Myung-Whun Chung — and has been welcomed as a soloist by some sixty orchestras around the world, from the Czech Philharmonic to Los Angeles, from Tokyo to Buenos Aires. A passionate advocate of new music, he has worked closely with Messiaen, Jean Françaix, Boulez, Berio, Dutilleux, Bacri, Escaich, Connesson and many other contemporary composers.
A recognised teacher, he is Professor at the Conservatoire à rayonnement régional de Versailles and at the École normale de musique de Paris — Alfred Cortot. He also directs the Choir of Clarinets of Versailles — the first ensemble of its kind in France, which he founded in 1992 — and regularly gives masterclasses around the world.