Harp

Degree coursework in harp performance prepares students for careers as professional musicians and educators in addition to providing a solid foundation in theory, ear-training, and performance techniques.

Along with the core curriculum common to all degree programs at the School of Music, students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels may investigate degree programs geared toward mastery of performance techniques of their instruments of focus.  

Students in the UW Harp Studio study with Seattle Symphony principal harpist Valerie Muzzolini Gordon and find many performance opportunities with the School’s orchestra, wind ensembles and chamber groups. Harp majors receive a weekly one-hour private studio lesson and a weekly master class with other students in the program in addition to their other major studies.

Opportunities

Harp students at the University of Washington engage in a lively musical community at school and throughout the city. The School’s scholars and musicians represent a vast range of musical interests across the span of time from early music to the present, yielding many intriguing possibilities for musical exploration.

Students in the program enjoy performance opportunities with the School’s large ensembles, including the orchestra, bands, jazz ensembles and smaller chamber groups. Many compete for a chance to appear as a soloist with the UW Symphony in the School’s annual concerto competition.

The school’s Baroque ensemble, Chamber Music Lab, and fully staged opera productions offer additional and unique performance opportunities. The school’s modern music ensemble, comprising talented graduate students from throughout the performance programs, explores contemporary classics and challenging repertoire from the mid-20th century and beyond. The school’s community of student and faculty composers, meanwhile, provides rich avenues for collaboration in the creation and presentation of new work by emerging and established composers.

Non-Major Instrumental Lessons

Students who are not majoring in music but who are interested in taking private instrumental lessons with faculty are welcome to audition! Non-major lessons auditions occur in September, January, and February each year for admission into a faculty studio beginning Fall term. More audition information can be found on the Audition Dates page. Lessons are offered on a space-available basis in faculty studios and occur weekly over the course of the academic year. If admitted to private lessons, students will be given a faculty code to register for the appropriate MUSICP course number. In addition to tuition, non-major lessons require a $500 course lesson fee. 

Support

In addition to student support distributed by the University of Washington’s financial aid office, the School of Music distributes more than a half million dollars annually in merit- and need-based student support.  

HOW TO APPLY

For more information, contact SoMadmit@uw.edu