The conductor and lutenist Christina Pluhar was born in 1965 in Graz. Following classical guitar studies in her home town, she began lute studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and continued her education at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, from where she obtained a diploma in early music in 1992. In addition, she studied Baroque harp in Basel and at the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado in Milan.
Since 1992 she has been based in Paris as a freelance musician. She performs as a guest soloist and basso continuo player with various ensembles and Baroque orchestras, appearing regularly at leading festivals.
In 2000 she founded the ensemble L’Arpeggiata, with which she inspires the public and the press through unconventional performances worldwide. Many of the ensemble’s recordings have won awards, including the 10 de Répertoire, the Diapason d’Or, Disc of the Week on BBC Radio 3, CD of the Month from the Italian magazine Amadeus, the Excellentia Award from the Luxembourg magazine Pizzicato, the Cannes Classical Award, the Edison Klassiek (2009 and 2011) and the OPUS Klassik. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, three of Christina Pluhar and L’Arpeggiata’s albums won an ECHO Klassik, including Monteverdi: Teatro d’Amore.
Christina Pluhar is also a successful opera conductor. Most recently, she conducted Georg Caspar Schürmann’s Die getreue Alceste (1719), in a new production directed by Jan Eßinger.
Since 1999 Christina Pluhar has taught Baroque harp at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague.
