Teachers
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Ben Albertson
Ben Albertson has performed for over sixteen years throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Ben’s recent accomplishments include his appointment as the principal harpist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, and his distinction of being a winner of the Robert W. and G. Ann Corcoran Competition. Ben was one of five Americans selected to represent the nation at the 2022 edition of the USA International Harp Competition, the world’s largest.
Other recent accomplishments include being the youngest finalist in the American Harp Society’s National Competition in the Young Professional Division; his solo debut on WQXR, New York’s classical radio station; and his solo debut with the Eleva Chamber Players in Vermont. Ben is also an active chamber musician, recently recording on an album with Mayumi Seiler, a violinist on faculty at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto; making his Ohio debut at the Cathedral Concert Series; and winning third prize in the Royal Conservatory’s chamber music competition.
Ben is currently in his first year as the principal harpist of the Tucson Symphony, the 2023/24 season. Ben received his education at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto on the full tuition merit-based Marylin and Charles E. Bailie Family Scholarship. Ben has also attended numerous summer music festivals on full scholarships, such as the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado. Ben has studied with many of the world’s greatest harpists, such as Judy Loman. Ben is honored to play the historic original Salzedo model harp that the great harpist Carlos Salzedo himself designed and played.
Website: http://www.benalbertsonharp.com/
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Carla Fabris
Carla Fabris is an active performer of orchestral, solo, and chamber music, as well as a passionate music educator. As a performing artist she has played with a wide range of groups including the Tucson Symphony, Opera Parallèle, a 20th/21st century opera company, and the San Francisco Symphony. She currently performs as substitute principal harpist with the Grammy-nominated ensemble True Concord Voices & Orchestra. She is a regular performer of chamber music for the Santa Cruz Foundation for the Arts in Patagonia, Arizona.
Carla’s interest in new music and the diversification of chamber music audiences led her to co-found the Chamberhood Trio in 2019. This trio of harp, violin, and cello is Arizona Friends of Chamber Music’s community-oriented concert ensemble. Chamberhood’s mission is to recruit outstanding local performers and composers in presenting free concerts in unique venues and socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods of Tucson.
Carla is also active within the Tucson harp community, serving as President of the local American Harp Society chapter (S.O.P.H.I.A. Tucson) since 2021.
In the fall of 2022, Carla joined the faculty as harp instructor at the Fred Fox School of Music at the University of Arizona. As a teacher, Carla remains committed to closing the gap for equitable access to music education. She is the harp teacher and has also served on the Board of Directors at Tucson Youth Music (TYM), a non-profit organization that offers free music lessons to underserved youth. She founded TYMC’s first harp program in 2016. Carla has previously taught and given masterclasses at the Interlochen Arts Camp as well as M-Pulse, University of Michigan’s summer program.
Contact Carla at:
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Rebecca Foreman
Rebecca Foreman is active throughout the Southwest as a recitalist and orchestral musician. She is principal harpist with the Tucson Pops Orchestra and also performs as a substitute player with the Phoenix Symphony and Tucson Symphony.
Rebecca is also active as a harp instructor in both Phoenix and Tucson. Her students have placed in All-State Festival auditions, the American String Teachers’ Association (ASTA) State Solo Competition, and the ASTA National Honors Orchestra. Between 2000 and 2007 she was professor of harp at Arizona State University and is presently a music educator with Amphitheater Public Schools in Tucson.
Contact Rebecca at:
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Patricia Adams Harris
Patricia teaches private lessons for children and adults at her studio, specializing in teaching adults and seniors. No previous musical training is required. She has lever harps for rent to her students. Patricia teaches all musical styles, specializing in classical music. She has a Bachelor's of Music Education and a Master's of Music degree, and has been teaching since 1962.
“I love to teach. It is a passion of mine to encourage students!”
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Melissa Varga
Melissa teaches private harp lessons in Northwest Tucson. She freelances throughout Southern Arizona and performs as principal harpist with the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra. She received both her Master of Music and Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Arizona in harp performance. Melissa serves on the board of S.O.P.H.I.A. Tucson, the local chapter of the American Harp Society.
Melissa also teaches Let’s Play Music, a music theory and keyboard class for children, which prepares kids for private lessons in any instrument.
Contact Melissa at:
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Let's play music! with Ms. Melissa
Do you have a little one interested in music but too young to play an instrument?
Melissa Varga is a certified Let's Play Music teacher in NW Tucson.
The Let's Play Music program is a groundbreaking curriculum that teaches advanced musical skills to young children ages 4-6 in researched based, age appropriate methods.
Interested in the program?
Please contact Melissa at her Let's Play Music email:
melissavarga@letsplaymusicsite.com
And visit:
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Dr. Christine Vivona
Christine is an award winning harpist and a Grammy nominee. She has a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Music from the U of A. She teaches classical, popular and jazz on harp.
Christine has been playing with the Tucson Symphony since 1986, is Principal harp with True Concord Voices and Orchestra and has played harp with other orchestras in the Southwest. Her many CDs include solo works as well as collaborations with classical and jazz musicians. Dr. Vivona’s students have won numerous awards and competitions nationally and internationally and many have received college scholarships.
Contact Christine at:
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