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Draft:Kristan Toczko

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Kristan Toczko is a Canadian harpist known for her versatility in both classical music and contemporary music genres. With an international career as a soloist, arranger, and recording artist, she has an innovative approach to expanding the instrument’s repertoire and integrating genres not traditionally associated with the harp.

Kristan Toczko
Background information
OriginMoncton, New Brunswick, Canada
GenresClassical, Orchestral, Classical Crossover, Rock, New-Age, Heavy Metal, Pop
Occupation(s)Musician
Instrument(s)Lyon & Healy 85CG, Salvi Delta C
Years active2000–present
LabelsTouch Co Records, Leaf Music ULC
Websitehttps://www.harpistkt.com

Early Life

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From Moncton, New Brunswick[1], Toczko began playing the harp at age nine. She studied at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University[2] in Montreal, Quebec, where she completed her Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance and Graduate Diploma in Professional Performance. Toczko attended the Yale School of Music at Yale University[3][4], where she earned her Master of Music in harp performance.

Career

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Toczko has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Vancouver Symphony[5], l'Orchestre Francophonie[1], Kingston Symphony[5], and Bathurst Chamber Music Festival. She has performed with orchestras including the National Arts Centre Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Thunder Bay Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Windsor Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Symphony New Brunswick, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Jalisco Philharmonia, and the Beijing Symphony on their Canadian tour in 2017[6].

Festival appearances include Ottawa ChamberFest, Toronto Summer Music Festival, Kincardine Summer Music Festival[7], Indian River Festival, Rio Harp Festival in Brazil[8], Aspen Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, Orchestra of the Americas[1], Scotia Festival of Music[9][10], Lucerne Festival Academy, and the Banff Centre for the Arts[11].

Toczko has performed with artists Measha Brueggergosman, Peter Oundjian, Matthias Pintscher, Sir Simon Rattle, Barbara Hannigan, Sarah Brightman[12], Josh Groban, Evanescence, Lindsey Stirling, Sarah McLachlan, and Johnny Reid. She has played in venues Carnegie Hall[13], the KKL Luzern Concert Hall, and Roy Thomson Hall.

As a chamber musician, Toczko is a founding member of harp duo “Duo Novus.”[14] The duo has held an artist residency at the Avaloch Farm Music Institute[15], has commissioned new works[16], and has toured internationally with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts[7].

Toczko joined the social media platform TikTok in 2020[17]. She arranges and records covers[18] of classical[19], pop, rock[20], metal[21], film music[22], video game music[23][24], and creates educational videos about the harp – publishing her own sheet music arrangements[25]. She has collaborated with RØDE Microphones, Peterson Strobe Tuners[26], Soundbrenner Metronomes, EA Games, Microsoft Xbox, Apple Music, EarthQuaker Devices, Musicnotes[25], Bow Brand Strings, and Hollywood Records.

Toczko placed first in the OSM Competition in 2010[27], and has been named a CBC Radio-Canada Young Artist, featured in national broadcast. Her debut album, Rock Echoes (2024)[28], charted on Billboard Classical Crossover[29] for two consecutive weeks (February 24, 2024 and March 2, 2024).

Toczko has taught group masterclasses[30], guest lectures, adjudicates for various competitions[31][32] and music festivals, and maintains a full roster of students from around the world. She now resides in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador[33].

Instruments

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Kristan Toczko performs on a Lyon & Healy 85 Concert Grand harp and a Salvi Delta C electric lever harp.

Recordings

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  • Zombies Theme (From "Black Ops 2") (2022) (single)
  • 'Tis the Season (2022) (EP)
  • The Classics: Popular Classical Works for Solo Harp (2022) (EP)
  • Jiggle Jiggle (Classical Remix) (2022) (single) (with There I Ruined It)
  • They all go 'way – Jackalope Tales (2023) (album) (with Lo & the High Road)
  • Memories (2023) (EP)
  • Clocks – Coldplay (2023) (single)
  • Starlight Horizon (2023) (single)
  • Mountain Reverie (2023) (EP)
  • Carol of the Bells (2023) (single)
  • Drive (2024) (single)
  • Rock Echoes (2024) (album)
  • Journey to Miklagard (2024) (single) (with Bardr)
  • Bitter Bard (2024) (single) (with Bardr)
  • Great Fairy Fountain (From "The Legend of Zelda") (2024) (single)
  • Prologue (From "Beauty and the Beast") (2024) (single)
  • What Was I Made For? – Billie Eilish (2024) (single)
  • Reflections on Harp (2024) (album)
  • A Thousand Years – Christina Perri (2024) (single) (with Jeremy Tai)
  • Fade to Black – Metallica (2024) (single)

References

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  1. ^ a b c "News | New Brunswick Youth Orchestra, Inc". nbyo-ojnb.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  2. ^ "Performance, 4 October 2013 - Archival Collections Catalogue". archivalcollections.library.mcgill.ca. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  3. ^ "Yale Philharmonia by Yale School of Music - Issuu". issuu.com. 2012-04-19. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  4. ^ Brensilver, David (April 19, 2011). "3 Win Yale Concerto Competition". New Haven Independent.
  5. ^ a b Mitchell, Evan (March 6, 2020). "Beethoven's Seventh among his greatest pieces". The Kingston Whig Stand.
  6. ^ "The Beijing Symphony Orchestra | Sun, Feb 12, 2017, 3:00 pm | Southam Hall". nac-cna.ca. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  7. ^ a b "25th Anniversary Concert Series" (PDF). Concerts Kincardine Summer Music Festival 2016. August 10, 2016.
  8. ^ Reporter, Contributing (2018-05-10). "Harp Music Festival Returns to Rio de Janeiro This Month". The Rio Times. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  9. ^ Mullin, Morgan. "4 event picks including harp star Kristan Toczko". The Coast Halifax. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  10. ^ "Scotial Distancing 2021". Scotia Festival of Music. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  11. ^ "The Secret Garden" (PDF). August 11, 2012.
  12. ^ "Beautiful New Harp Arrangement of the "Love and Deepspace" Theme Song". Sarah Brightman. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  13. ^ "Yale Philharmonia: Concertante by Yale School of Music - Issuu". issuu.com. 2011-02-22. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  14. ^ "All Canadian award winning harp duo to perform in Wingham". The Lucknow Sentinel. July 25, 2017.
  15. ^ "General 2". Avaloch Farm Music Institute. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  16. ^ Reporter, Megan Dolski Staff (2017-07-02). "Toronto music past and present at Mount Pleasant Cemetery: Local Legends". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  17. ^ "Tik-Tok-Pluck | Harp Column". harpcolumn.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  18. ^ Germain, Anthony (February 26, 2024). "From classical to classic rock, this harpist is taking all requests". CBC News.
  19. ^ "Listen to Canadian harpist Kristan Toczko perform Claude Debussy's Clair de Lune. Just beautiful!". The Uncarved Blog. 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  20. ^ Germain, Anthony (February 26, 2024). "Shredding the strings: This St. John's harpist who fuses genres has caught the ears of Metallica". CBC News.
  21. ^ Millspublished, Matt (2024-06-03). "Watch Dragonforce's Through The Fire And Flames be played on the harp by someone with faster fingers than you". louder. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  22. ^ "Harp mashup of 'Carol of the Bells' and 'Pirates of the Caribbean' - Upworthy". www.upworthy.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  23. ^ Garcia, Alexis (2021-03-16). "How the Harp Got Hip". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  24. ^ Craig, Jo (2021-01-07). "Someone Performed The Halo Theme On Harp And It's Incredible". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  25. ^ a b "Harpistkt Kristan Toczko Sheet Music Downloads at Musicnotes.com". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  26. ^ "Kristan Toczko | In-Tune Profiles | Peterson Strobe Tuners". www.petersontuners.com. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  27. ^ "Past Winners". Concours OSM. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  28. ^ "Leaf Music and Kristan Toczko Present: Rock Echoes | Leaf Music". 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  29. ^ "TikTok sensation reaches the charts with debut album". Atlantic. 2024-02-23. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  30. ^ "MASTERCLASS-APR2024-Kristan-Toczko". Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  31. ^ "Our Adjudicators". Pulsar Music. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  32. ^ "2021 Scholarship Winners". www.ontarioharp.ca. Retrieved 2024-08-22.
  33. ^ Ballard, Chris (July 19, 2024). "From boredom to Billboard: How a St. John's harpist's TikTok journey helped her skyrocket to success". SaltWire.
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Official Website

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