Born in 1996, Johanna Schellenberger is a musician with a passion for orchestra, solo and chamber music. After serving as principal harp with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, she joined the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande in Geneva in the same position in 2024.
Her professional career began with undergraduate studies at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, under Professor Cristina Bianchi, as part of a pre-college programme. During her second year, she obtained a position as a member of the academy at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where she had the opportunity to attend productions of Ring and Parsifal under the direction of Kirill Petrenko. The following year, she was appointed principal harpist at the Tiroler Landestheater. In January 2019, she obtained the position of principal harpist at the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden, which she officially took up in April 2020 for five years.
She has taken part in numerous opera productions and concerts under the baton of conductor Christian Thielemann, as well as concert tours throughout Europe and Asia. During this period, she also developed her activities as a soloist and chamber musician, building up a varied repertoire.
Johanna Schellenberger is regularly invited to perform as principal harp with leading orchestras such as the Orchestre National de France, the Bamberger Symphoniker and the Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, among others. She performs in many of the world's most prestigious concert halls, including the Wiener Musikverein, the Elbphilharmonie Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Royal Albert Hall in London and the Großes Festspielhaus in Salzburg.
Johanna Schellenberger performs in recital and as a soloist throughout the world, winning critical acclaim. In her solo and chamber music performances, Johanna is particularly keen to demonstrate creative versatility, in order to offer her audiences a broader musical experience. Her artistic activities include musical cabaret and various programmes combining theatre and dance, which highlight the diversity of her work. She also enjoys playing pieces that showcase the harp's wide range of tonal colours. In 2022, Johanna performed Alberto Ginastera's eclectic Harp Concerto with the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden at the Semperoper. Passionate about expanding the harp repertoire, she actively collaborates with contemporary composers to create new works for her instrument. She plans to release an album during the 2024-25 season, focusing on the rediscovery and publication of works by female composers.