Born in Lille into a family of musicians, Clara Bellegarde grew up in an environment where music played an essential role. Her mother, a pianist, and her father, a harmony teacher and conductor, passed on their passion for music from an early age. She discovered the harp at the age of six, an instrument that would become the heart of her artistic journey.

Appointed Principal Harp of the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg in 2015, at the age of 23, Clara joined the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande as Principal Harp in 2026.

Throughout her career, she has been regularly invited to perform with leading international orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and the Orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris. In January 2017, she took part in the inaugural concert of Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, a memorable milestone in her orchestral career.

Passionate about the expressive possibilities of her instrument, Clara Bellegarde also places great importance on the concerto repertoire. In December 2024, she gave the world premiere of Camille Pépin’s concerto for flute and harp, Ce que raconte le vent…, under the baton of Kent Nagano at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie.

Alongside her orchestral engagements, she regularly performs chamber music at international festivals and is actively involved in teaching throughout Europe, sharing her experience with young musicians.

Clara Bellegarde studied with Anne Le Roy and later with Isabelle Moretti at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, before pursuing a Master’s degree with Françoise Verherve at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts. Her early experiences with the Orchestre Français des Jeunes and the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester played a formative role in her musical development. She later returned to the latter as a coach, helping to guide a new generation of young musicians.

Clara admires the harp for its extraordinary richness of sound, capable of moving from an almost celestial delicacy to a profound and powerful intensity, allowing her to express her deepest emotions. Whether on the concert stage or in the opera pit, she finds in the instrument a unique way to explore an infinite palette of tonal colours and share exceptional musical moments.