Gianetta Baril has had a distinguished solo career for over 40 years. Originally from Edmonton, study with Judy Loman took her to Toronto and then France to work with the Maitre Pierre Jamet. In the mid-80’s, Gianetta moved to Germany where she lived for 16 years, concertizing throughout Europe, including both Poland and Czechoslovakia prior to the fall of the Iron Curtain.
During this time, Gianetta recorded two solo harp concerti (Ginastera and Morawetz) with the Edmonton Symphony, earning her this review from the French magazine “Repertoire des disques Compactes”: “Her playing, its’ elegance, precision, coloured passion as well as the refined intimacy which it imposes, is a gift for the ears.” Her subsequent performance of the Morawetz Concerto in the incredible Rudolphinum concert hall in Prague stands out as a highlight in a career filled with memorable moments. In April 2016, she was honoured to present the opening recital of the First São Paulo HarpFest in Brazil, introducing the audience to the full sound palette of the harp in classical and contemporary Canadian harp repertoire, including R. Murray Schafer’s tour-de-force The Crown of Ariadne.
Since returning to Canada in 2001, Gianetta has been based in Calgary and is well-known for her many collaborations with the Foothills Brass, Bok Brass, Storymusic, Looking Glass Duo, Luminous Voices, and as soloist with the Red Deer Symphony and Edmonton Symphony.
In response to the pandemic, Gianetta was inspired to create “Harp to Heart”. To bring the comfort and transformational power of live harp music to people struggling with isolation and anxiety, Gianetta modified a Ford Transit van to journey with her concert harp in a self-contained, mobile performance space and rolling home. On this solo Harp to Heart journey, which began in September, 2020, Gianetta ultimately gave over 300 live concerts, covering 70000 kms across Canada and the mid-West and Eastern seaboard of the US, finally returning home to Calgary in September 2023.
A dedicated teacher, Gianetta also has a passion for mentorship. During a sabbatical in 2015, she established harp classes in two music social projects in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. Her intensive fund-raising initiative “Harping for Harps”, facilitated the donation of 10 harps to 4 different projects in Brazil. Gianetta now returns each year to work with the students and support their young teachers and also collaborates with a luthier in Brazil to establish a sustainable harp-making business there. Her dedicated work was recently highlighted by the Globe and Mail in this feature article entitled “A Journey of Strings”.
Gianetta first performed as an extra musician with the CPO in 1975 and she is excited to be playing full-time with her colleagues and friends in the CPO this season.