Daniela Lorenz grew up in a family of musicians in a picturesque mountain village in Graubünden, Switzerland. Repeated summer stays in Spain introduced her to the sounds of Latin American music at an early age. As a teenager, she learned to play the charango, a ten-stringed plucked instrument from the Andes, and the quena, a traditional Andean notched flute. She gained her first stage experience performing with ensembles specialising in Andean music.
At the Zurich Conservatory, she further developed her musical skills, studying eurhythmics, music and education, with piano as a secondary subject. After graduating, she trained in the art of playing the Paraguayan harp with renowned harpists in Switzerland, Paraguay and Madrid. Her most influential mentors included Marcelino Benítez, a veteran master of the Paraguayan harp, and the internationally acclaimed harpist Nicolás Caballero.
During this period, Daniela Lorenz began introducing Latin American harp music to audiences in Europe and beyond. Alongside performances in Europe and Latin America, she devoted herself to arranging and composing for the diatonic Paraguayan harp. Her compositions and arrangements reflect her deep understanding of the instrument and the emotional depth of the continent’s music.
Her artistic work extends beyond solo performance to international ensembles and collaborative projects. She performs with Latin American singers and guitarists, string ensembles and choirs, and takes part in projects featuring Andean music. In collaboration with the Swiss Guard’s wind quintet, she performed in Advent concerts and television recordings at the Vatican. The album “Christmas with the Pontifical Swiss Guard” was produced under her artistic direction.
An experienced harp teacher, Daniela Lorenz also passes on her knowledge to the next generation. During the pandemic, she developed a video course that enables learners to explore the playing techniques and music of the Paraguayan harp independently. The lessons are available free of charge on YouTube.
In 2022, she also published a collection of Latin American sheet music for pedal and lever harp, giving children at music schools access to this rich musical culture from an early age.
Since 1992, she has independently released nine CDs and contributed to numerous other projects encompassing more than sixteen recordings. She has also appeared on television and radio programmes in Europe and South America.
Today, from her home near Zurich, she continues to devote herself to her art and to sharing this rich musical culture with undiminished passion.
