SPECIAL GUESTS
Heidi Hernandez
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Dr. Heidi Hernandez has honed her craft to perfection as an artist and musician, playing the harp for over 30 years and enjoying every aspect of her diverse musical career. From solo concerts for various organizations and extensive orchestral playing, to leading HarpSynergy, the harp ensemble of her current and former students, to performing internationally and competing at the highest level around the world, there is no area of expertise lacking from all of the rich experiences her playing has afforded. As an orchestral player, she is highly sought after in symphonies across the United States, receiving invitations to play with the New Mexico Philharmonic, San Diego Symphony, Tucson Symphony, Oklahoma City Philharmonic, Fort Smith Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, and The Phoenix Symphony with whom she has performed regularly for the past 20 seasons. Heidi competed in the Arpista Ludovico International Harp Competition in 2005 in El Escorial, Spain, the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Paris, France in 2008, and the 2007 and 2010 USA International Harp Competitions, where she competed as one of 2 Americans in the top-17 in the world stage 2. Other performances have included touring China with orchestra, and performing in Spain, Switzerland, and most recently Lichtenstein.
Dr. Heidi's private studio includes online and in person students ranging from age 6 to 76 currently, and hailing from across the state and nation to as far away as Australia. Dr. Heidi loves encouraging her students on their journeys as individuals as well as musicians, in a nurturing environment that gives them the benefits of being part of a growing thriving community of harpists with a common love of the instrument, music, and each other as a team. HarpSynergy has played at various private and public events, most notably Las Noches de Las Luminarias at Desert Botanical Gardens for the past three years. Dr. Heidi grew up in the Midwest and received her undergraduate degree in Harp Performance from Oklahoma City University and her Masters of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts from The University of Arizona under Dr. Carrol McLaughlin, where she was her Graduate Teaching Assistant and taught as her sabbatical replacement. She is currently adjunct instructor of harp at Grand Canyon University and lives with her husband and their 4 children in Phoenix Arizona, where she enjoys teaching her children educationally and musically in their pursuits of piano, harp, and drums. |
Alaina Bongers
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Alaina Bongers is a native of Colorado and can be found most weekends driving up and down the Front Range to performances and harp functions. Her love for music began at an early age. She studied piano for several years before switching to the harp. Alaina received both her Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees in Harp Performance from Colorado State University under Rachel Starr Ellins. She also holds a certificate in Liturgical Studies which she earned studying with Dr. Joel Bacon, organ professor at Colorado State University. Alaina is the harpist for the Fort Collins Wind Symphony and has played with many other ensembles including Longmont Symphony, Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Boulder Symphony, Boulder Concert Band, Arapahoe Philharmonic, Ladaumus Chorale, Loveland Chorale, Larimer Chorale, Alpine Chorale, and the Schola Cantorum. In addition to ensemble work, Alaina has a passion for musical theater and has worked on productions with the Fort Collins Children’s Theater, Up in Lights, Midtown Arts Center, Tabor Opera House, and Opera Steamboat. In the summer of 2011, Alaina established the Magnolia Music Studio Harp Camp for children. Since the inaugural year with only two young harpists, the camp has steadily grown into the formation of the Northern Colorado Summer Harp Festival. The festival now consists of three different levels of harp ensembles with up to twenty harpists participating nationwide. Alaina is the artistic director and she enjoys creating special harp ensemble arrangements for the festival. When not performing, Alaina serves as treasurer on the board of Mile High Chapter of the American Harp Society. With over fifteen years of teaching experience, Alaina currently teaches aspiring harpists of all ages at her studio in Loveland. Additionally, she collaborates with local middle and high school music directors by adapting or arranging parts for the student harpists to be included in their beginning level orchestras. |
Laura Logan Brandenburg
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Laura Logan Brandenburg, DMA, served as Harp Instructor on the Texas Christian University School of Music faculty from 2001-2020. In addition, she maintained an active pre-college studio through the TCU Music Prep Department, teaching Suzuki harp students age five through young adult. She currently coaches private students of all ages in her home studio. A highly regarded freelance harpist, Laura enjoys a wide variety of collaborative performance opportunities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. She was a frequent sub with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for over thirty years, and has most recently served as Principal Harp with the Lewisville Lake Symphony. She held the position of Principal Harp with the Richardson Symphony Orchestra from 1990 – 2010 as well as Principal Harp in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic from 1995 - 1997. She is founder, director and member of the Octavia Harp Ensemble, performing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and beyond for more than twenty-five years. Laura delights in performing with Cindy Horstman and Kimberly DeRosa as The Dallas Jazz Harp Ensemble, presenting concerts and educational programs of original tunes and jazz standards arranged for harp trio. Other adventures on harp include collaborating with Jeff Walters as The Logan/Walters Harp Duo, performing all original transcriptions and arrangements for two harps. Partnering with flutist Don Bailey, their new recording entitled Hypnosis was released in 2022 on the Albany label. The CD features works from standard flute and harp repertoire as well as fresh new transcriptions, and has been hailed as “sparkling,” “charming,” and “entrancing.”
Active as a camp clinician promoting harp ensemble repertoire, Laura presents workshops locally and nationally for several organizations. She has been honored to serve in various positions on the American Harp Society Board of Directors. She currently serves as President of the Board of Directors of Harp in Worship Conference, Inc. and is Chair of the Harp in Worship Conference to take place in Fort Worth, Texas June 22-26, 2023. Laura is married to Allen Brandenburg, R.N., who retired from the Veterans Administration Hospital after 28 years. She considers her greatest life’s work to be her two sons, Ethan and Luke, who fell asleep to the sound of harp music every night and never once complained. |
Rebecca Moritzky
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Rebecca Moritzky has played the harp for 24 years. She performs regularly across the Denver Metro and Colorado Front Range area. She obtained her Harp Performance degree from the Lamont School of Music, University of Denver, and a second degree in Worship Arts from Colorado Christian University. Rebecca is the principal harpist for the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra. She has also performed with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and John Prine at Red Rocks Amphitheater. She plays with the worship team at Faith Bible Chapel South. Rebecca has played for over 500 weddings, tea luncheons, churches, receptions, and other events through her Heart Strings Harps business: www.heartstringsharps.com
As a member of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, she toured in 2011 and 2014 to Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and the Czech Republic. In 2011, Rebecca performed at the World Harp Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia. She won the Lakewood, Colorado-Chester, England Sister City Concerto Competitions in 2013 and in 2015. Both times, she performed a concerto with the Lakewood Symphony Orchestra and traveled to Chester, England to perform in four different venues as a People to People Ambassador. Her 2015 concerto piece was recorded for Colorado Public Radio and is still played on the radio from time to time. In 2016, she performed as part of Josh Groban’s orchestra in Denver. With the Denver Philharmonic Orchestra, Rebecca toured and performed in 14 cities through China playing harp and percussion in 2016. She performed at the Harps in Worship conferences in California and Colorado. Rebecca teaches harp to students of all ages and conducted the beginner’s group for the 2019 Harp Fantasia. Recently, she became a returning musical guest/character on the YouTube show Tell Ya Later, created by voice acting legends Katie Leigh and Will Ryan. . |
Vicki Garcia
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Vicki will be giving the Friday morning Devotional.
Vicki Garcia was drawn to the harp at a young age because of its significance in Scripture. She has played regularly in churches for the past thirty years. She currently plays harp with the Suncoast Symphony and the Tampa Bay Harp Ensemble, and plays piano for local big bands. She stays very active playing for local events and teaching harp and piano out of her home in Clearwater, Florida. Vicki has been a long time board member and supporter of the Harp in Worship Conference. |
Dr. Joel Bacon
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Dr. Joel Bacon is the organist and artist on residence at First United Methodist Church in Fort Collins
A native of N.J., Dr. Joel Bacon holds degrees in mathematics and organ performance from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he was a student of Joyce Jones, and an artist diploma in organ from the Konservatorium der Stadt Wien (Vienna, Austria), where he studied with Michael Gailit. With a dissertation on the use of organ in selected orchestral works, he earned his PhD in historical musicology through a joint degree program of Vienna's University of Music and Performing Arts and the University of Vienna. Joel Bacon has a growing reputation as a performer, teacher and scholar in North America and Europe. He has been heard in recital in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Canada, and the US, and live performances have been broadcast on Austrian Radio (1) and Public Radio International. He has taught at the prestigious Oundle International Festival (Cambridge, UK), at several Pipe Organ Encounters of the American Guild of Organists, and at other courses in the US and Canada. With the principal violist of the Munich Philharmonic, Albrecht Rohde, he has recorded a CD of music for viola and organ. Joel Bacon currently holds the Stewart and Sheron Golden Chair in Organ and Liturgical Studies, the first endowed chair in the College of Liberal Arts. Before coming to CSU, he was assistant organist of St. Thomas Lutheran Church, Munich-Grunwald, and served as frequent guest organist at the former Hapsburg imperial church, St. Augustine, Vienna. |
Cindy Horstman
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Cindy Horstman has been performing, recording, writing, and arranging for the past four decades. Classically trained, she is the first recipient of a Master of Music degree in harp performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a prize winner in the Lyon & Healy International Jazz Harp Competition.
Cindy co-founded the jazz duo, “2tone”, with bassist Michael Medina, the producer of 2tone's 10 CDs. 2tone has toured nationally for 25 years and their recordings have received critical acclaim on Amazon.com and CD Baby. Horstman’s jazz theory workbook for harpists and her jazz-oriented arrangements and award - winning compositions for harp ensembles are very popular with harpists both nationally and internationally, becoming best sellers on the Harp Column Music website. For the past 10 years, Cindy has enjoyed being the Music Director for Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Dallas, Texas where she leads the congregation in singing hymns and liturgy for weekly worship services and creates her own sacred arrangements for the harp to complement each service. Cindy is also the founder, director, composer, and arranger of The Dallas Jazz Harp Ensemble and the 13 member Brookhaven College Harp Ensemble in Dallas, Texas. In both ensembles, she emphasizes arranging and improvising within the jazz idiom. |
Elizabeth Hames
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Elizabeth Hames is a Fort Worth based musician/music teacher. She earned both her Master of Music and Bachelor of Music in Theory and Composition from Texas Christian University, where she also studied piano, harp, voice, and organ. Elizabeth currently serves as the lower division choral director at Texas Academy of Faith and Arts and the music ministry coordinator at Grace Community Presbyterian Church. She regularly accompanies instrumentalists and singers and plays for special events on the harp and piano.
In addition, she is an active composer and arranger, writing for a variety of instrumentations. She and a colleague are co-founders of an independent music publishing firm, EM Music Publishing, which focuses on providing pedagogical materials for music teachers and students. Elizabeth has created several outstanding harp ensemble arrangements for Harp in Worship, including a newly commissioned arrangement of "Let All Things Now Living" for the 2023 conference. |
Lycaenidae Harp Collective
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The Lycaenidae Harp Collective was founded by a core quartet of professional harpists from Colorado - Alaina Bongers, Alisa DeWitt, Kathryn Harms, and Rebecca Moritzky. Varied in expertise, they are united by their shared passion for collaboration and a deep appreciation for the natural landscapes, flora, and fauna of their home state. Lycaenidae aims to share their love of the harp and its endless potential with diverse audiences through both innovative programming and community outreach. |
Megan Metheney
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Arizona-born harpist Megan Metheney strives to provide an amazing musical experience, be it an audience of one or one hundred. Her playing is inspired by the unique sound of the instrument- its resonance, its possibilities, and its sacred voice. Megan collaborates regularly with musicians and artistic groups on the French Riviera and plays solo in a variety of styles and genres, using Celtic, pedal, and electric harps.
Megan's 2014 album Bernard's Christmas featuring music by French composer Bernard Andrès was deemed "gorgeous" by Harp Column Magazine, with the published arrangements to follow in 2016. Megan collaborated with vocalist/percussionist Rebekah West to create and record original music from a tiny chapel where she lives in Cabris, France, resulting in the 2015 album Les Audides. Her composition "Mon Souffle" for harp and cello was premiered at the American Harp Society National Conference in 2022. In addition, "Elles" for harp and piano was premiered at the Harpissima festival in Monaco in 2022. Megan teaches in her private studio as well as the Conservatoire de Musique in Cannes. http://www.meganmetheney.com/ |
Merynda Adams
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Merynda Adams is renowned for her exquisite use of color and musicality in her playing, Merynda Adams is a seasoned solo and chamber musician who has played throughout the United States, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands and as soloist for events honoring Andrea Bocelli and the late Beverly Sills. Her musicality was praised by The Star-Ledger as “having color and great facility”. She has performed Off Broadway in “The Fantasticks,” with the Celtic Woman tour, at St. Patrickʼs Cathedral (NYC) and is the Harpist in Residence at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart (NJ), the fifth largest cathedral in North America. In addition, she has accompanied renowned soprano Aprile Millo her New York, Delaware, Toronto, and London recitals. Of their concert at Carnegie Hallʼs Zankel Hall, a New York Times review stated: “Those four Irish tunes, delicately accompanied...by harpist Merynda Adams, were the highlight of the night.” She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Harp Performance from the Manhattan School of Music and has studied at the Hilversums Conservatorium in the Netherlands. In addition to performing, she has given workshops for The Atlanta Harp Center, Harp Teacherʼs Gathering, Frost School of Music(University of Miami); Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester, UK; and Cap-Ferret Music Festival, France and is an Adjunct Instructor of Music at Drew University.
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Kimberly Snaufer DeRosa.
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Kimberly Snaufer DeRosa is a concert and recording artist, instructor, freelance performer, composer and founding director of Houston Summer Harp Festival and Harp Journeys. Ms DeRosa is an exceptionally versatile musician and known for her "stunningly beautiful" expression. As a leading free-lance musician for over 30+ years, she remains in high demand as a soloist for recitals, event playing and as an orchestral and church performer. As a dedicated and active instructor, Ms DeRosa nurtures the love for music and the harp while developing self-expression and building confidence and polish in students of all ages and levels. She is passionate about encouraging fellowship among harpists and elevating both the performer's and audience's experience.
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Pamela Wing
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Pamela Wing began her musical education with piano lessons at the age of six, clarinet at eight and then moved on to the harp at the age of eleven. Her passion led her to study at San Francisco State University. Pam has performed in musicals, churches and many weddings and events, as well as playing with the La Jolla Symphony and the Inland Valley Symphony. Pam also lived in Scotland for several years where she studied Celtic music. Pam is an accomplished private teacher, and she taught classroom music Pre-K through 6th grade for several years. Pam currently plays banquets, weddings, and live worship music in a contemporary setting. This interest has led to studio recording: she has played on four instrumental albums of classic hymns and other contemporary projects. She loves inspiring and equipping students as they discover their own musical talents. The areas of San Diego in which she teaches are Clairemont and La Jolla.
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Anna Vorhes
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Anna Vorhes teaches harp at Augustana College. She is the principal harpist with the Sioux City Symphony and is a member of the South Dakota Symphony. She has performed with numerous community, college and secondary school choirs throughout the region.
Ms. Vorhes spent more than a decade as a South Dakota Arts Council touring artist. She organizes a harp ensemble concert every other year, with 25 to 40 harpists participating. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, with majors in music and psychology and a Master of Music degree in Harp Performance from Dr. Carrol McLaughlin at the University of Arizona. |
Mary Stevens
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During her lifetime of music, Mary Stevens has been a private music teacher, church pianist, organist, and music director, and provided therapeutic music at several facilities. She is the owner and program director of Harp for Healing and a former board member of the National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians (NSBTM).
Mary Stevens began teaching herself to play the harp at the age of 45 with a Dusty Strings FH26 and Sylvia Wood's book "Teach Yourself to Play the Folk Harp". She studied therapeutic harp through Harp for Healing's Clinical Musician Certification Program (CMCP), the International Harp Therapy Program (IHTP), and Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy training program (VAHT). Mary and her husband Rick make their home in Havre, Montana. https://harpforhealing.com/ |
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Susan Carol
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Susan Carol is a professional soprano vocalist and harpist, a full-time Certified Clinical Musician (CCM), and serves on staff in the music ministry at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Lynchburg,VA. She developed Music Care, a compassionate outreach ministry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, to provide live harp and vocal music for persons dealing with health challenges. She offers Music Care as part of the Spiritual Care department in Centra Health hospitals, and in residential skilled healthcare communities.
Susan is a lifelong church musician, serving as soloist and choral section leader, handbell and ChoirChime ringer. She previously directed multiple children’s and youth choirs. For more information about Susan’s Music Care Ministry: HymnSinger.org YouTube: Susan Carol, HarpSinger |
Jocelyn Obermeyer
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Jocelyn Obermeyer is a popular therapeutic harpist, equally adept at performing in concert venues and in hospital rooms. Armed with a degree in music, majoring in clarinet and flute – all the woodwinds really - from one of this country’s finest schools, Northern Illinois University, Ms. Obermeyer distinguished herself, by earning a spot as the baritone saxophonist in the school’s premier jazz ensembles, the award-winning “Mode Show,” guided by the hand of Ron Modell.
To solidify her credentials as a therapeutic harp practitioner, she furthered her already extensive musical training, with studies that led to the Certified Therapeutic Harp Practitioner designation, demonstrating a commitment not only to her craft as a musician, but more profoundly as one who conveys her music to the ill, the stressed, the memory-challenged, families affected by domestic violence, homeless, mentally ill, and those facing end of life. Jocelyn is now the Co- Director of The International Harp Therapy Program of the Americas where she trains others worldwide. Today, with many years of experience in teaching under her belt, Obermeyer is creating the next generation of musicians, therapeutic harpists and others – wanting to give back and to bring her abundant gifts full circle. She does this through her position as Regional Program Director and Board member of the Therapeutic Harp Foundation, where she plays for patients, their families and their caregivers and directs the activities of the other staff therapeutic harpists. She also is part of the leadership team with Diana Rowan’s Bright Knowledge Harp Circle. Jocelyn has also added to her repertoire an End-of-life Doula Certificate from the University of Vermont as well as earning her Chaplain Board Certification (July 2022) and ordination as Deacon in the Anglican church (Nov 2021). |
Janet Collison
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Janet Collison taught Music Education in public schools, K-12, for eleven years. Three years later she was asked to start a contemporary choir and to lead contemporary worship. Quickly realizing that contemporary music is a different ‘animal' than traditional, Janet attended numerous conferences and read countless books on worship, praise, and spontaneity. This was the beginning of twenty five joyful years of worship experiences leading praise songs and facilitating worship. Janet's husband surprised her with a harp and after 20 years of traditional lessons with Gretchen Brumwell, Principle Harpist for Orchestra Iowa, Janet arranges harp parts for praise bands and worship ensembles, plays weddings and funerals, publishes compositions, improvises, and preaches using the harp. Janet also enthusiastically conducts the local 50-member Messiah Choir. Janet brings many years of experience of working with church music and has solidified her position as a worship harpist available to give programs and play for worship services. Along with five harps, Janet has six looms and seems to have a thing for strings! |
Bonnie Mohr
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Bonnie Mohr earned a Master's in Music: Harp Performance from Azusa Pacific University where she taught harp. She has worked as a professional harpist in the Los Angeles Area for more than 30 years. Bonnie has performed internationally in Japan and Germany. She received her Certification as a Therapeutic Harpist through Compassionate Harps and works at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Bonnie is the chairperson of The Harp in Worship Conference. Her publications, Colorful Adventures on the Harp, Mohr Adventures Book II and Colorful Christmas Carols are a popular teaching series. Harp recordings include: Song in the Night, Around the Christmas Tree, and Pearl.
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