BIOGRAPHY

Chantal Thomas d’Hoste discovered the Harp at the age of seven and immediately decided to devote her life to this beautiful instrument. A the age of fifteen she joined the « Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique de Parie » and won its prize for the Harpe in 1975, and for Chamber Music in 1978, in the class of Jean Hubeau.

Chantal Thomas d’Hoste continued to study music under Micheline Kahn at the « Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris » and . In 1980 she obtained the higher diploma for concert performers with an average of 20 out of 20 and the congratulations of the jury, comprised of Pierre Petit, Lily Laskine and Bernard Galais. Thereafter she left for Italy, and studied in master classes with Suzanna Mildonian in Sienna and Assisi.

In 1985 she obtained the « Cziffra Fondation Prize » and broadcasted on several occasions with « France Musique ».

On the following ten years, she performed several works with Jean-Michel Damase and gave frequent Chamber Music concerts in France and abroad, being chosen in 1990 to participate in the closing concert of the World Harp Congress.

In 1996, she gave solo Harp recitals in India in Benares, at the Mother Teresa Mission , and in New Dehli. Thereafter she undertook a tour of recitals in the United States (Atlanta, Pittsburg, Long Island and Washington), and the following years formed a duet with the American harpist Karen Strauss. They traveled round France and the United States, giving concerts together.

She brought out her first CD for solo Harp entitled « INSPIRATION » in 1998 in Paris.

Among her recent recitals, Chantal Thomas d’Hoste has played in several Museums : the Musée Carnavalet, the Sèvres Porcelaine Museum the Roslyn Museum (Long Island), and in September 2000, in the Rodin Museum in Paris.

Presently Chantal Thomas d’Hoste is devoting more and more time to transcriptions and is specializing in the works of Bach, Mozart and Shubert.

In 2002, she began her Harp classes « LA HARPE EST UNE FETE ». As she is keen to share her love to the Harp with those are unable to go concert halls, thus she has played in prisons and hospitals.

Yaacov Agam has composed for her « The 9 Sequences « for harp. In 2003 she recorded this piece which is permanently broadcast at the City Art Museum in Fukuoka, Japan.

In the same year, Chantal Thomas d’Hoste played in Senegal : the Harp has had an astounding success.

In 2004 she played again in Senegal, specially for the children.