Susanna Mildonian

{{Infobox person

| name = Susanna Mildonian

| image = Susanna Mildonian - 1st harp contest 1959.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Mildonian in 1959

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1940|07|02}}

| birth_place = Venice, Italy

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2022|10|07|1940|07|02}}

| death_place = Brussels, Belgium

| nationality = Belgian

| other_names =

| occupation = Harpist

| years_active =

| known_for =

| notable_works =

| education = Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia
Conservatoire de Paris

}}

Susanna Mildonian ({{langx|hy|Սուսաննա Միլդոնյան}}; 2 July 1940 – 7 October 2022)[https://armenews.com/spip.php?page=article&id_article=97127 Suzanna Mildonian, harpiste d’exception] {{in lang|fr}} was a Belgian harpist and educator.{{cite book |last=Pâris|first=Alain|date=2015|title=Le Nouveau Dictionnaire des interprètes|trans-title= |url= |language=French|location=Paris|publisher=Laffont|isbn=978-2-221-14576-0}}

Biography

Born in Venice to an Armenian family, Mildonian studied the harp under Margherita Cicognari at the Conservatorio di Musica Benedetto Marcello di Venezia before continuing her studies at the Conservatoire de Paris under the direction of Pierre Jamet.

Mildonian recorded concertos for the harp with orchestra by Alberto Ginastera and Heitor Villa-Lobos, concertos for two harps with orchestra by François-Joseph Gossec, and concertos for violin and harp with orchestra by Louis Spohr. She translated the piano sonata of Mateo Albéniz into D minor for harp.

In 1971, Mildonian became a harp professor at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels, the Fontys School of Fine and Performing Arts, and Codarts. She also taught summer courses at Accademia Musicale Chigiana in Siena and the {{ill|Fondazione Ugo e Olga Levi|it}} in Venice. When she retired in 2004, she donated her collection of approximately 500 scores to the foundation.

Mildonian was the only Harpist to have ever won first prize in the 3 most prestigious international harp competitions - the Israel International Harp Competition in 1959, the Geneva Competition in 1964, and the French Marcel Tournier Competition in 1971. She also received the Grand Prix du Disque in Paris.

Mildonian died in October 2022, at the age of 82.{{cite news |last=Graulus|first=Laurent|date=13 October 2022|title=La harpiste belge Susanna Mildonian est décédée|trans-title= |url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/la-harpiste-belge-susanna-mildonian-est-decedee-11085188|language=French|work=RTBF|location= |access-date=13 October 2022}}