Symphony Tacoma in Tacoma, Wash., has appointed Elizabeth Landis principal harp. She won the audition in April and begins her new position in October. Landis has served as acting principal harp since moving to Tacoma in 2022.
“I’m excited to be a part of Symphony Tacoma because the music selections each season [as acting principal] have been a wonderful mix of standards and newer works,” Landis says. “In the past two seasons I’ve played many pieces I’ve never known about or gotten the chance to play (like Tanaka’s Rose Absolute or the Marsalis Violin Concerto), along with many of my favorites (always love a good Strauss moment like with Der Rosenkavalier last year)! I think it makes for really engaging seasons for both the audience and the musicians, and there’s always something exciting to look forward to on each concert!”
Landis says she also looks forward to working with the members of Symphony Tacoma. “I really enjoy the passion my colleagues bring to the orchestra!” she says. “On a personal note, I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them over the last two years, and they all have really cool professional and personal projects going on!”
Landis holds principal harp positions with several orchestras, including Northwest Sinfonietta, and Olympia Symphony. She has played with orchestras such as the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Opera, Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Jacksonville Symphony. She is the harp instructor at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and has taught at the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Marrowstone Music Festival. As a soloist she has performed on the Second City Chamber Series, and she performed with Pacific Lutheran University flute instructor Jennifer Rhyne on King FM, with more recitals planned for the future.
Learn more about Landis on her website. Check out her Sounding Board article in the January-February 2017 issue of Harp Column.
