The Golden Harp (Dutch: Gouden Harp) is awarded annually to Dutch musicians for their entire oeuvre. Golden Harps have been awarded 42 times. 149 different persons or (musical) groups have had the honour of receiving the award which is considered to be one of the most important prizes in Dutch music.

The awards were first presented in 1962

The prize is intended for a musician's entire oeuvre. The website of Buma Cultuur states the following: "Considered for this award are persons who have made themselves particularly meritorious for Dutch light music throughout their careers."

Apart from 1963 and 1964 award ceremonies were held every year since the first presentation in 1962. The winners are selected by a different jury each year, usually in February. Buma Cultuur also presents the Zilveren Harp award, which is given to promising Dutch musical talent and the Buma Export Award for acts which are successful abroad.

Tim Eriksen is an American musician, musicologist, and professor. He is the leader of the band Cordelia's Dad, a solo artist, and was a performer and consultant for the award-winning soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain.

Cordelia's Dad combines old-time music and punk rock influences to create a unique sound. The Village Voice describes the band as "semi-reformed punks turned shape-note singers...recently gone entirely acoustic, but buzzing with metaphorical electricity". The band has released nine full length albums, played festivals such as The Newport Folk Festival, and toured with notable bands Nirvana, Uncle Tupelo, and Weezer.

Eriksen is a Ph.D. candidate in ethnomusicology at Wesleyan University, having received an M.A. in the same discipline from Wesleyan in 1993, and has served as a visiting music professor at Dartmouth College, Amherst College, Hampshire College and the University of Minnesota. He has also taught in Poland and The Czech Republic. Additionally, Eriksen is a collector of variations of folk songs, and has conducted extensive research on traditional Yugoslavian music. Eriksen shared his extensive knowledge of folk music while a consultant for the soundtrack of the film Cold Mountain. Eriksen is currently teaching a class on the history of The Sacred Harp at Smith College.

Claire Jones is a former camogie player, winner of six All Ireland Camogie Championship medals with Kilkenny during their period of ascendancy in the 1980s.

Born in Clare, she also won club championship medals with St Paul’s in 1969, 1970, 1974 and 1976.

Armin van Buuren (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɑr.mɪn vɑn ˈby.rə(n)]), OON (born 25 December 1976 in Leiden, Netherlands) is a Dutch trance producer and DJ. Between 2007 and 2010, he was voted number one in DJ Magazine's annual top 100 list of the most popular DJs. In the 2011 list, he ranked in second place. Since 2001, Van Buuren has hosted a weekly radio show called A State of Trance, which claims to have around 15 million weekly listeners in 26 countries, which would make it one of the most listened-to radio shows in the world. His 2008 studio album, Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at #1, a first for a dance music artist in Dutch music history.

Armin van Buuren was born in Leiden, Netherlands on 25 December 1976, but grew up in Koudekerk aan den Rijn. Van Buuren started making music when he was 14.^{[citation needed]} He was inspired by French electronic music composer, Jean Michel Jarre, and wished to become a great electronic music composer like Jarre.^{[citation needed]}

He finished high school at the Stedelijk Gymnasium Leiden in 1995, and left for college to study law at Leiden University. While studying law, Van Buuren's interest for making music blossomed, and he began working as a DJ in a local club called Nexus. As his musical career began to take off, he put his law degree on hold, although he did return to finish law school in 2003.