Valerie Muzzolini
Born in Nice, France, Valerie Muzzolini began to study harp at age seven and made her first national television appearance when she was nine years old. At age twenty-three, she was appointed to her current position as Principal harpist of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. She started her orchestral career at age 19 when she became acting principal harpist for the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra and went on to perform as a guest harpist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Orchestre Philhamonique de Radio-France, the Mariinsky Orchestra, the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and the St Louis Symphony Orchestra. Valerie has been invited to perform at festivals around the world, including Tanglewood and Verbier, Switzerland, and has worked with such renowned conductors as Sir Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Kurt Mazur, Seiji Ozawa, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, and Andris Nelsons.
Valerie's educational commitment extends to her role as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Washington, alongside her private studio. She is an avid chamber musician and proponent of contemporary music.
Valérie studied at the Nice National Conservatory with renowned pedagogue Elizabeth Fontan-Binoche, where she graduated with top honors in 1994. After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where she studied with Marilyn Costello and Judy Loman, she attended Yale University as a student of Nancy Allen.