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Amanda Beranek (née Kengor) is a Baroque and modern harpist based in New York City. In 2019 she was named a Young Artist for the Pittsburgh Concert Society and was a prizewinner in the American Harp Society National Competition in Winston-Salem, NC. A former member of both the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Youngstown Symphony Youth Orchestra, she won both orchestras' concerto competitions in the 2019-20 season. Amanda was also selected to participate in the 2020/2022 World Harp Congress: Focus on Youth, which earned her a performance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales. In 2022 she attended the Académie Internationale d’Été de Nice, studying with Marie-Pierre Langlamet. In 2025, she was a participant in the USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, Indiana.
Amanda has performed in a variety of world-class venues, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, David Geffen Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Heinz Hall, and has played with professional ensembles such as the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Harlem Chamber Players, and the Chamber Orchestra of New York. As an orchestral player, she has played under the direction of conductors such as Marin Alsop, Giancarlo Guerrero, Manfred Honeck, David Robertson, and Leonard Slatkin. Amanda frequently performs and premieres contemporary works. Her ensemble work has brought her to perform music by notable composers Harrison Birtwistle, Jorg Widmann, and John Corigliano in Alice Tully Hall. She has worked with new music ensembles and programs such as Axiom, Composers Now with Tania Leon, and the New Juilliard Ensemble. Her most recent contemporary premiere was a five-part ensemble piece for the New York City Ballet. Maintaining a particular passion for early music, Amanda performs on various types of harps, including pedal, lever, Italian triple, and German double harps. In 2023, Amanda participated in The Helicona Project, a Baroque improvisation festival in Verona, Italy, where she performed on both the Spanish harp and Baroque triple harp. She regularly performs early and contemporary folk music on modern and historical instruments. As a Baroque harpist, Amanda recently performed with Juilliard 415, the Silentwoods Collective, and TENET Vocal Artists. She holds two degrees from The Juilliard School. |
