Valérie Rijckmans was born in Tilburg and began playing the harp at the age of nine.

When she turned fifteen she pursued her studies at the Brabants Conservatorium with Susanna Mildonian.

In 1991 Valérie obtained her degree Docerend Musicus harp ( teaching ) and she went on to study at the Sweelinck Conservatorium in Amsterdam with Alexandre Bonnet, where in 1994 she obtained her degree Uitvoerend Musicus harp ( performing artist ).

Valérie attended master classes with Tatiana Tauer and Susan McDonald and also worked with Vera Badings in Amsterdam, Emmy Hürlimann in Zürich en Pierre Jamet in Paris.

She also studied conducting with Jac van Steen at the Brabants Conservatorium.

Valérie performs on regular bases in the Netherlands as well as abroad, solo, in orchestras, as a harp duo and in combination with guitar, voice or flute, both classical and popular music. She performed at the World Harp Congress in Paris as a soloist.

In 1997 she recorded a CD with Universal together with harpist Aimée van Delden which consisted of pop ballads. Valérie was a soloist in the harp concerto by Ditters von Dittersdorf, often in Danse Sacrée et Profane by Debussy, Introduction et Allegro by Ravel, and the harp – flute concerto by Mozart.

The last five years Valérie is the first replacing harpist in the Metropole Orchestra.

She was one of the first to attend the course Jazz harp at the Conservatory of Rotterdam.

Recently she recorded an album with harp and flute that also features the electrical harp, Irish harp and improvisations.

Valérie sings and writes music.

She is also an inspiring harp teacher.