Brenda Dor-Groot is a multifaceted harpist and educator with classical roots, a passion for the blues, and a pioneering spirit. Equally at home on pedal and lever harp, acoustic or electric, she performs and teaches across genres including classical, jazz, blues, and free improvisation. Originally from the Netherlands, she studied at the conservatoirs of Rotterdam and Cologne, performing with ensembles such as the European Union Youth Orchestra and Schleswig Holstein Musik Festival Orchestra. Her classical collaborations include annual performances of A Ceremony of Carols with the St Paul’s Cathedral Choristers and the Choir of the Guards Chapel, alongside creative partnerships in improvisation and jazz ensembles.
A trailblazer in developing the harp’s voice in blues, Brenda’s ongoing work combines performance, composition, and education. Her piece Bregar’s Guitar is published in the Wild Strings Jazz & Pop Harp Collection and features in the Trinity exam syllabus. She co-founded the International Jazz Harp Foundation, producing festivals, courses, and workshops that have supported harpists worldwide for over a decade, and in 2018 led the UK’s first Wild Strings jazz and pop harp event for the UK Harp Association.
