Millenia Music & Duo Millenia

 

Music for Double Bass & Harp

Elisabeth Chardonnet started playing piano at age 8 and harp at age 9. She studied harp with Françoise Netter at the Le Mans National School of Music and was awarded a gold medal in 1990. She continued her piano studies as well, with Marie-José Delvincourt as her teacher. As a teenager she participated in Pierre Jamet's summer masterclasses in Gargilesse in 1988 and 1989. She won the First Prize in a regional competition in Le Mans in 1988. She entered the Paris Conservatory (Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris) in 1991, where she was a student of Marie-Claire Jamet and Francis Pierre. She was awarded a unanimous First Prize in 1995. Thanks to an exchange program she was able to study with Vera Dulova at the Moscow Conservatory for 3 months in 1994. She went on to study with Susann McDonald at Indiana University in Bloomington. She was awarded a Performer Diploma in 1996 and the prestigious Artist Diploma in 1997. She was among the Prize winners at the 1998 USA International Harp Competition. Elisabeth was principal harpist of the Owensboro Symphony Orchestra from 1999 to 2001, and principal harpist of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra from 2001 to 2010.

She takes great pleasure in playing chamber music, most notably with fellow Duo Millenia member bassist John Dahlstrand. She and Duo Millenia have also played fun programs with flutist Wendy Hymes. Elisabeth enjoys finding and arranging music to play with her family, especially with John and sons Joseph Dahlstrand, baritone, and Raphaël Dahlstrand, violinist. Some of her favorite composers are Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Piazzolla, and Dahlstrand. She is an experienced and passionate piano and harp teacher.