Pioneering Harpist in Contemporary Jazz

Harpist Julie Campiche ranks among Switzerland’s most innovative contemporary jazz musicians. Born in Geneva in 1983, she plays her instrument with sensitivity and power, creating a distinctive sonic signature in the European jazz scene.
After classical training at the Geneva Conservatory, Campiche immersed herself in the jazz world at the age of 20, embracing the harp’s unexplored potential in jazz. Here she found new freedom for her artistic expression and the sense of community that characterizes her experimental and socially committed compositions.
A relentless innovator, Campiche employs a very personal technique and electronic effects. Campiche was the first harpist ever to earn a master’s degree in composition and jazz performance at the Haute Ecole de Musique in Lausanne. She performs solo, leads a critically acclaimed quartet (with saxophonist Leo Fumagalli, bassist Manu Hagmann and drummer Clemens Kuratle) and collaborates across genres—recently with baroque ensemble Capella Jenensis and 2023 winner of the Swiss Grand Award for Music Erik Truffaz. Her appearances at Montreux Jazz Festival, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and London’s Vortex Jazz Club have established her as an influential instrumentalist and composer on the European jazz scene.

In early 2026, Campiche will release her debut solo album Julie Campiche Solo—UNSPOKEN.