Harpists are often described as angelic. Vancouver harpist Janelle Nadeau is magnetic.
Whether she’s performing in the orchestra pit, at a soft-seat theatre or at an intimate solo show, she has a way of drawing people in with her warm and engaging performance style. Drawing from a diverse repertoire of classical, Celtic, original, and contemporary tunes, Janelle has earned fans across the country with her solo performances through her harp, voice and storytelling.
Currently the acting principle harpist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, the Turning Point Ensemble and her own groups; Janelle maintains a rigorous performing and touring schedule as a valued and in-demand freelance player. She has taken the stage with everyone from Diana Krall and Kanye West to the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and has performed numerous times on television and radio including a recent appearance on the CBS show, Supergirl.
Janelle spent a decade touring across Western Canada with the acclaimed group Winter Harp before forming ‘The Nadeau Ensemble: A Prairie Christmas’ in 2016. Janelle has toured with Home Routes (in Manitoba then in British Columbia), Celebrity Cruises, with the Turning Point Ensemble across Canada and through the Manitoba Arts Network all across Manitoba. Janelle has toured extensively in her career across Canada and has played in the United States, Singapore, Beijing and Taiwan.
Janelle has released two recordings — 2014’s solo album These Roads and a holiday album, Star of Night, which was released to international praise in 2017.
A graduate of the prestigious Harp Performance Program at the University of British Columbia, Janelle has studied with Richard Turner (Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra), Heidi Krutzen (London Philharmonic Orchestra), Rita Costanzi (CBC Radio Orchestra) as well as the Grammy-nominated electric harpist Deborah Henson-Conant. She found a mentor and friend in pioneering harpist Kim Robertson, with whom she has toured. Janelle is now a teacher herself, offering harp workshops and instruction in Vancouver as well as a summer harp camp on the Sunshine Coast.