Vienna, by way of Limburg

A young Flemish harpist is on her way to the most famous orchestra in the world

“It’s a bit surreal,” Anneleen Lenaerts tells me, as if she still doesn’t quite believe what’s happening to her. At just 23, she has been appointed solo harpist at the Vienna Philharmonic, a full-time orchestral position that most musicians can only dream about.

The appointment, which takes effect this autumn, will mean moving away from her family home in the Flemish town of Peer in Limburg province, not far from the Dutch border, to live and work in Vienna. "It's a bit overwhelming," she says of the whole experience.

Since she finished her music studies at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels a couple of years ago, Lenaerts (pictured) has been travelling around Europe as a soloist, playing chamber music and teaching. "I hadn't really thought about a full-time position in an orchestra, but the opportunity came up, and I knew it was the chance of a lifetime," she says.

The audition, spread over two days, took place behind a screen to ensure neutrality in the selection process. "I was simply number 9," she says. The jury was made up of 27 members of the orchestra, who listened to candidates play a selection of solo pieces and excerpts from orchestral music. Lenaerts will be one of the youngest players and one of the few women in the notoriously male-dominated orchestra.

Before she takes up her post, there will be several opportunities to hear her play, the first of which is this week at the Royal Library in Brussels. The programme will include works by Chopin and Liszt that are on her upcoming CD, to be released in April, as well as other pieces by composers such as Smetana.

Having become an accomplished harp player, with many prizes under her belt - including first prize in 2005 in the Lily Laskine competition, one of the top competitions for the harp - it is curious to discover that it was more or less by chance that Lenaerts started the instrument.

Aged nine and already playing the piano, she wanted to learn an instrument that she could play in the local music group. The music teacher needed a harpist and suggested Lenaerts take up the harp. "I was against the idea," she recalls with a laugh. But the teacher managed to convince her, and she took to the instrument and its sound immediately. The rest, as they say, is history. Even if she's still only 23.