The Victor Salvi Foundation was established in 2000 to promote the harp to a wider audience through a variety of programs and activities related to the instrument and its music. The culmination of Victor Salvi’s lifelong dedication to the harp, the foundation is a 501 C3 non-profit organization based in Chicago, Illinois with programs operating in the United States, the UK, Europe, and most recently, Colombia.
The foundation’s most recent large-scale endeavor was producing Caratagena I International Festival of Music, which took place January 6-13, 2007 in Colombia. The New York Times Travel section named the Cartagena International Festival of Music one of the "Places to Go" in 2008.
Long interested in seeking a unique venue for an international music festival, Victor Salvi and his wife, Julia, selected Cartagena for its picturesque charm, excellent concert facilities, ideal climate and rich cultural traditions. These qualities make it an ideal choice. Under the artistic direction of Charles Wadsworth, the festival will soon take its place among the great music festivals of the world. The festival aims to provide educational music opportunities for gifted and talented young children from all over Colombia. It is the hope of the foundation directors that in the years to come this festival will become an important part of the cultural life of the country and will be carried on by the people of Colombia for future generations to enjoy.
The Victor Salvi Foundation also sponsors and promotes:
Numerous international harp performances.
The leading international harp competitions, including the International Harp Contest (Israel); US International Harp Competition (Bloomington, Indiana) and the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition (France).
Presents first-prize winners with a magnificent harp, debut recitals in London, Chicago, New York and a recording on Egan Records.
Julia Salvi, President of the Victor Salvi Foundation; Heather Azem, Lyon & Healy and Maria Krushevskaya, winner of the U.S. International Harp Competition after her debut recital at Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The commissioning and publication of new harp music.
The Victor Salvi Foundation commissioned Patrick Hawes, in-house composer at Classic FM Radio in London, to create a piece of original music for the harp to commemorate the 60th birthday of HRH The Prince of Wales. The composition entitled, "Goddess of the Woods," was premiered by Claire Jones, current harpist to HRH The Prince of Wales, at a concert at Covent Garden on November 14, 2008 at the Royal Opera House in London. Ms. Jones performed the new composition for solo harp and strings on the Royal Harp, made especially for HRH The Prince of Wales by Salvi Harps.
Click here to read HRH The Prince of Wales’ speech.
Educational and research projects related to the harp and its music.
In addition to promoting the harp at the international level, the foundation
manages the most comprehensive collection of antique harps in
the world. The collection, "Three Centuries of Harpmaking," explores
the evolution of the instrument over the last three hundred years
It is located in the new Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi in Piasco,
Italy, which opened to the public for the first time on January
28, 2006. It is the only museum of its kind in the world. Visitors can
see first-hand the evolution of the harp from its earliest days while
observing from the glass-enclosed gallery, harps being made by skilled
craftsmen in the Salvi harp factory. It is the result of the local "Comunita
Montana Valle Varaita," Salvi
Harps and
the Victor Salvi Foundation. The current exhibition features, “The
Harp from the Congo to Chicago: traveling among sounds, cultures
and traditions.”
The foundation has a vital interest in educational programs aimed at introducing children and young adults to the harp. Its collaboration with professional harpists, schools and international cultural organizations has led to a significant number of harp workshops worldwide.
"Discovering the Harp," one of the foundation’s signature programs, has been instrumental in introducing young children to this remarkable instrument. Started initially in Italy in 2002, the program has expanded to the UK and other countries.
To further nurture young talent, the foundation works closely with colleges, conservatories and universities around the world to provide harpists with performance opportunities. The "Student Recital Series" in London welcomes students from the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Trinity College of Music and Guildhall School of Music to perform at selected venues throughout the year to gain valuable performing experience.
The Victor Salvi Foundation has established collaborations with several major international music organizations that include the harp as a regular part of their concert series. This results in more performance opportunities for harpists and greater opportunities for audiences to enjoy the beauty of the instrument. Among the organizations are Young Concert Artists (US) and Live Music Now (UK).
The foundation also supports the International Harp Archives at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, the largest harp archive in the world. Since 2001, it has provided financial support, donated scores and recordings, and several models of Lyon & Healy harps.
In order to expand the repertoire of the harp, the foundation commissions new work from such renowned composers as Valeri Kikta, Zhou Long, Kenji Bunch, Thomas Rajna, James Bassi and Paul Sarcich, among others.
Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi Receives Certification For Visually Impaired Visitors
Through a program offered by the Association “Suono Gioco” of Alba (CN), a voluntary organization dedicated to working with the disabled – especially children, the Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi has received certification to make its collection more accessible to visually impaired visitors.
“As a result of this comprehensive program, we have posted two new signs in Braille – one provides an introduction to the current exhibition and the other, describes what a harp is,” says Roberta Scarzello, Museum Manager. “In addition, we have created a special audio CD for use by the visually impaired containing a narrative history of the museum and sounds of harp music. We begin the visit with an explanation of our location, a description of the museum’s architecture and how the Museo dell’Arpa Victor Salvi is different from other museums in the region. A highlight for many is the opportunity to actually touch a harp and hear the beauty of its sounds. Attention is paid to a detailed description of all aspects of the instrument.”
According to Marco Ghibaudo, General Manager of Salvi Harps, “As a result of these accommodations more and more people are able to enjoy this unique exhibition space and appreciate the special beauty of the harp. The process has been very gratifying to all of us.”
For more information about the Museo dell’Arpa please contact Roberta Scarzello at +39 0175 270510 or info@museodellarpavictorsalvi.it
