Indiana University Jacobs School of Music
IU Jacobs School of Music Harp Department is one of the largest in the world. It welcomes harp majors, harp elective students and pre-college harpists. The program prepares students for a career as a professional harpist by offering individual lessons, master classes, chamber music, orchestra, ensemble, harp pedagogy and harp literature. The Jacobs School offers many opportunities to harp students to work and collaborate with world class faculty members and visiting artists.
Harp majors receive private lessons and attend weekly performance master classes with Professor Elzbieta Szmyt. In addition to orchestra repertoire classes, harp ensemble rehearsals and chamber music coaching, the program offers courses in harp pedagogy and harp literature, as well as applied pedagogy.
Each harp major is required to perform in two major ensemble concerts a semester, orchestra or band. There are also numerous opportunities for ad hoc ensemble appearances. The School has three recital halls and a recording studio. Every other year, the winner of the Harp Department concerto competition performs a concerto with one of the symphonic orchestras in the Musical Arts Center.
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music is the home of the USA International Harp Competition, founded in 1989 by Distinguished Professor Susann McDonald.