Noël Wan

Lauded as “a huge talent with hidden power and amazing maturity” (Bart van Oort) and “not [a harpist] to be slept on” (Globe and Mail), Noël Wan 萬依慈 is an international prize-winning Taiwanese-Canadian-American harpist and an interdisciplinary scholar.

Recognized for her charismatic artistry and genre-crossing virtuosity, Ms. Wan has been a top prize winner of international competitions, including the Astral Artists National Competition, USA International Harp Competition, Debut Atlantic Touring Artist Competition, Prix Orford Musique, and World Harp Competition. As a solo performer, she is unparalleled in her versatility, playing everything from classical to jazz to pop to avant-garde. Currently, she is working on several projects for the electroacoustic harp: commissioned works by Paolo Griffin, Caroline Lizotte, and Liliya Ugay and original sound design under her new moniker the Mother’s Teeth.

Committed to both experimental thought and practice, Ms. Wan places the harp within, around, and against multiple fields, from futures studies to performance studies. Her present research/creation explores queer embodiment and digital sound creation through the concepts of the monstrous feminine and cyborg aesthetics. She is grateful to the Chimei Arts Foundation, Ontario Arts Council, and Florida State University for funding her research and professional development.

Ms. Wan is currently the assistant professor of harp and entrepreneurship at Florida State University, and she is an alumna of the University of Illinois (B.M., D.M.A.), where she was an Illinois Distinguished Fellow, and the Yale School of Music (M.M.).

Ms. Wan joined the Curtis Institute of Music faculty in 2025.