The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Houston, Texas, has appointed Allegra Lilly as Associate Professor of Harp, starting in the fall of 2025. “I’m deeply honored to become part of the Shepherd legacy,” Lilly says in a press release. “The faculty is made up of some of the finest performers and pedagogues in the world today, and I can’t wait to collaborate with them, and their studios, as much as possible.” After working with the Shepherd School harp studio in fall 2024, Lilly says that “beyond their obvious technical facility and artistry at the instrument, the harpists [at the Shepherd School] all share a very impressive work ethic and infectious positive energy.” Lilly credits the outgoing harp instructor, Paula Page, with building a supportive studio environment with a unique mix of talent and enthusiasm.
Lilly’s appointment to the faculty marks the end of Page’s 40-year tenure as Associate Professor of Harp at the Shepherd School. Page, who retires this spring, will return to teach masterclasses in the 2025–26 academic year. She began her tenure at the Shepherd School in 1985, shortly after becoming principal harp at the Houston Symphony. Following her retirement from the Houston Symphony in 2014, Page continued to mentor the next generation of harpists in her Shepherd studio, many of whom have gone on to assume roles in orchestras, chamber music ensembles, and major educational institutions.
Lilly is currently Lecturer of Harp at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and regularly gives orchestral and chamber music masterclasses at conservatories and universities across the United States. Her recent engagements with young musicians include the NYO-USA, NYO2, New World Symphony, Tanglewood Music Center, and the preparatory divisions of The Juilliard School and New England Conservatory. An alumna of The Juilliard School, Lilly earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees studying with New York Philharmonic principal harpist Nancy Allen.
Lilly was appointed principal harpist of the Houston Symphony in February of 2023. She previously held the principal harp position with the St. Louis Symphony for 10 seasons. She has appeared as guest principal harp with the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Boston Pops, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, and Charlotte Symphony, and has also performed with the New York Philharmonic, Pittsburgh Symphony, and All-Star Orchestra.
Since making her solo debut at the age of 12 with the Detroit Symphony, Lilly has performed as a soloist with the Lexington Philharmonic, Juilliard Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, International Symphony, Camerata Notturna, and numerous ensembles in New York and her home state of Michigan. She will also perform Mozart’s Concerto for Flute and Harp with the Houston Symphony this fall. Lilly also performs at festivals and as a chamber musician with various ensembles.
Check out our cover interview with Lilly in the November-December 2013 issue of Harp Column.
