Biography

Amanda Kengor is a Baroque and classical harpist from Pittsburgh, PA, currently studying under Nancy Allen at The Juilliard School. In 2019 she was named a Young Artist for the Pittsburgh Concert Society and was a prizewinner in the American Harp Society National Competition in Winston-Salem, NC. A former member of both the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, she won both orchestras' concerto competitions in the 2019-20 season. Amanda was also selected to participate in the 2020/2022 World Harp Congress: Focus on Youth, which earned her a performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. In 2022 she attended the Académie Internationale d’Été de Nice, studying with Marie-Pierre Langlamet.

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Amanda has performed in a variety of world-class venues, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Heinz Hall, and has played with professional ensembles such as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Harlem Chamber Players, the Chamber Orchestra of New York, and the United Nations Symphony Orchestra. From various masterclasses and performance opportunities, Amanda has been fortunate to study under acclaimed harpists such as Gretchen van Hoesen, Bridget Kibbey, Isabelle Moretti, and Judy Loman. As an orchestral player, she has played under the direction of conductors such as Giancarlo Guerrero, Manfred Honeck, David Robertson, and Leonard Slatkin.

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As a contemporary harpist, Amanda has premiered works by various up-and-coming composers such as Jacob Beranek, Nate Heyder, Nichagarn Chiracharasporn, Marshall Estrin, Alyssa Regent, Marc Migo, and Horacio Fernandez Vasquez. Her contemporary ensemble work has brought her to perform music by notable composers Harrison Birtwistle, Jorg Widmann, and John Corigliano in Alice Tully Hall. She has worked with new music ensembles and programs such as Axiom, Composers Now with Tania Leon, and the New Juilliard Ensemble. 

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Maintaining a particular passion for early music, Amanda performs on both the modern pedal harp and various Baroque harps. In July 2023, Amanda participated in The Helicona Project, a Baroque improvisation festival in Verona, Italy, led by Davide Monte and Maria Cleary, where she performed on both the Spanish harp and Baroque triple harp. With duo partner Lydia Becker, she recently presented a recital of Italian music in the British Isles, performed on Roosevelt Island. Amanda has performed as a Baroque harpist with Juilliard 415.