Faculty & Instructors
The following are bios of our wonderful faculty from 2008. More information about our 2009 faculty will be posted later in the year.
Session I Faculty Bios
Alison Austin has been living and teaching in the Seattle area for the past twenty-five years. She studied locally with Lynne Wainwright Palmer, with Lucile Lawrence at the Tanglewood Music Center and went on to study with Marilyn Costello at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia where she received an Artist’s Diploma. Ms. Austin performed regularly with the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera from 1980 to 2002 and continues to perform throughout the NW. She was acting principal harpist of Seattle Opera from 1998 to 2002. In her orchestral and opera experience, Ms. Austin has performed under the batons of such conductors as Riccardo Muti and Paul Paray. In her early career Ms. Austin was a winner of the Trenton, NJ harp competition, the Seattle Ladies Music Club and was selected as a Young Artist for the American Harp Society. Her harp duo Les Harpes performed the opening recital at the National AHS Conference in 1979 and toured throughout the Northeast. She has extensive experience in orchestral, opera, ballet, chamber, choral, duo harp, and has a special love for harp ensemble and teaching.
Hailed by the New York Times as a harpist with “powerful playing and musicianly energy”, Yolanda Kondonassis is recognized as one of the world’s foremost harpists, performing both as a concerto soloist and recitalist throughout the United States, Far East and Europe. Ms. Kondonassis has won universal critical acclaim for her twelve discs, which include much of the standard repertoire, as well as her own transcriptions and compositions for harp. A devoted chamber musician, Ms. Kondonassis has performed at the Marlboro, Spoleto, Tanglewood, Vail, Bay Chamber, Strings in the Mountains and Mainly Mozart Festivals. To date she has published four harp music books, including On Playing the Harp, a comprehensive guide to harp technique and methodology, which has quickly become an important addition to the harp pedagogy literature. Ms. Kondonassis heads the harp departments at the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory, and has presented master classes around the world. Ms. Kondonassis was born in Norman, Oklahoma, where she began studying the harp at age 9. She attended high school at Interlochen Arts Academy and continued her education at the Cleveland Institute of Music, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees as a student of Alice Chalifoux.
Ruth Mar will return as faculty instructor leading the students in daily lessons and supervised practice sessions. Ruth earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, having completed her 5th year with a teaching assistantship to renowned harpist and teacher Judy Loman. Ruth recently gave a debut recital at Benaroya’s Nordstrom Recital Hall, sponsored by PHI.
Calista McKasson is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and received her Bachelors and Masters degrees in harp performance studying with Yolanda Kondonassis. She was a two-time winner of the Alice Chalifoux prize in Harp at the CIM and was winner of the Concerto Competition. She is Principal harpist of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra and is a professional musician and teacher.
Faye Seeman has been recognized as one of the most diversely talented harpists in the Midwest. Since its 1980 founding, Faye’s group Kithara, a flute, cello, and harp trio, has been regularly featured on television and in major recital venues throughout the United States. The group has produced two CD’s “Beau Soir, An Evening of Chamber Music” and “A Kithara Wonderland.” Several of Faye’s arrangements for trio have been published by Lyon and Healy West. As principal harpist of Chicago’s Sinfonietta Orchestra and Joffrey Ballet Orchestra, Ms. Seeman has toured extensively. Faye holds a Master of Music degree in harp performance from Boston University, is professor of Harp Studies at Wheaton College, and the College of DuPage and is an active instructor with the renowned children’s program, “Kindermusik.”
Session II Faculty Bios
Elizabeth Volpé Bligh became the Vancouver Symphony’s Principal Harpist in 1982, after six seasons as the Principal Harpist of the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra. A graduate of University of Toronto’s Bachelor of Music program in 1975, she studied with Judy Loman, Alice Chalifoux, and Edna Phillips. Many of Elizabeth’s students have won awards such as the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, Edith Lando Gifted Youth Scholarship, and RCM Silver Medal. Her teaching career has included private students and institutions such as the Vancouver Academy of Music, UBC, Vancouver Community College, Douglas College, and the Island Mountain Arts Festival. Students have come from all over the world, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and France. Her compositions for solo harp, six of which will be in the 2008 Royal Conservatory of Music Syllabus, are being taught and performed all over the world. She is currently President of the BC Chapter of the American Harp Society and the Chair of the World Harp Congress Host Committee for 2011.
Susi Hussong, former principal harp of the Honolulu Symphony and Curtis Institute of Music graduate, resides in North Beach Seattle and teaches a full studio of students from young to adult. Many of her students are involved in Washington Middle School, and Garfield High School the ‘music magnet’ schools of Seattle. Several are involved in positions with Seattle Youth Symphony. Susi and Alison Austin have worked together for several years as former executives of the local AHS chapter and have collaborated on several concerts for harp ensembles including “From Our Hands Through our Hearts” 2006/2007.
Heidi Lehwalder, harp instructor at University of Washington has performed with more than 65 orchestras in North America under such conductors as Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Fiedler and Claudio Abbado. A Seattle native she was the first winner of the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize. Founder/director for 20 years of the Fredericksburg (Virginia) Festival of the Arts, Lehwalder is the inspiration and dedicatee of several works, including those of Jose Serebrier, Roberto Camano, Michael Colgrass and Sheila Silver. A prolific recording artist, Ms. Lehwalder has recorded for RCA, CRI, Nonesuch, and Vanguard. Her Nonesuch album of solo music of Carlos Salzedo was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Naomi Kato holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from UW. She studied harp with Pamela Vokolek and Lynne Palmer. Naomi is frequently heard in the Greater Seattle area performing with various groups including Seattle Symphony, Seattle Opera, Bellevue Philharmonic, Tudor Choir, Seattle Menís Chorus, & St. Markís Cathedral Choir. Naomi has had a privately run harp studio since 1991.
Janet Jackson Witman is known for her ability to successfully crisscross the realms of classical and Celtic harp music. Her classical training began as a young girl, and eventually took her to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. She earned a Bachelors of Music Degree under full scholarship studying under Marilyn Costello of the Philadelphia Orchestra. She earned teacher certification at West Chester University. Her Celtic harp experience began after years of enjoying Scottish and Irish music, and searching her Scots-Irish heritage. Janet has performed in Celtic concerts at many Celtic festivals, and In 1999 she won the U.S. National Scottish Harp Championship and in 2000, the All Eastern Scottish Harp Championship which sent her to the Edinborough Harp Festival. She heads a harp program at the Wilmington Music School. In her studio, she works with over 30 harp students, many of whom have won scholarships and awards. Janet Witman founded The Brandywine Celtic Harp Orchestra, which has become an outstanding performing group. They have played many places including at the American Harp Society Conference 2004 held in Philadelphia, PA. Janet has published 15 harp ensemble arrangements which are sold nationally and internationally. Her recordings include, “Shule Aroon” and “Behind the Green Bushes” with HeartSounds, “Mozart and Me” and “Celtic Lullabies” with songwriter, Kevin Roth, and “Christmas Crossings” with Brandywine Harps. Janet and husband Kevin reside in the Brandywine Valley of Chester County, PA with their two cats, Pumpkin and Sadie.
Ashley Wong will return as an associate teacher also leading the students in daily lessons and supervised practice sessions. Ashley studies at the University of Washington with Pamela Vokolek and has pursued private study with Rita Costanzi from the University of British Columbia. Regarding her experience with PHI, Ashley says, “The Pacific Harp Institute is a wonderful place where students of all ages come [to] share their love for the harp.”