The Harp School, Inc/Summer Harp Academy

03/22/2026

What a fabulous three days we have enjoyed at The Harp School End-of-Winter 2026 Harp-Fest in White Bluff/Nashville, featuring guest amazing artist-scholars Dr. Noël Wan and Parker Ramsay, whose performances and teaching were intense and inspiring! Recitals, artist-scholar dialogs, masterclasses, seminars, hands-on learning classes (including a superb “harp crawl” led by harp-tech luminary Liza Jensen), private lessons, shared meals, insightful conversations, and a tiny birthday celebration for Dr. Wan highlighted the week. Students and their families, faculty, and guests listened, learned, and laughed together. Many thanks to Parker and Noël for working and teaching together so seamlessly and challenging the attendees to expand their exploration of artistic philosophy while committing to ever-increasing technical precision; to faculty members Wes Ramsay, Amy Melody, Abigail Crouch Acosta, and to Liza, for three days of terrific teaching; to national and international competition prize-winners/Harp School advanced students Hallie Bentschneider and Lauren Swain, and alum Priyanka Gohal for their recitals; to alum Clara Malek for her lecture; to colleagues Patricia Grillo Ritter and Phyllis Adams and parents Liz Trice Schweizer, Stephanie Bentschneider, Juliana Heisey, and Anna Johnson Cramer for going above and beyond to quietly provide support and solutions behind the scene; to Jeff Martin of The Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center for hosting us for the majority of the festival, to The Bluffalo in White Bluff for hosting us Friday morning, and to Anna for providing the beautiful venue, muffins, and coffee for our final masterclass of the festival; and to Parker, Noël, Liza, and Wes for humor shared, stories told, and stimulating conversation offered around my kitchen table. Now, on to performance preparation for The Harp School, Inc/Summer Harp Academy March 25 recital (White Bluff) and the opening performance for the city-wide Bach festival Bachanalia at Christ Church Cathedral (Nashville), with harpists Hallie Bentschneider, Alice Cramer, Frances Lyle-Murray, and Clara Warford, and violinist Frances Lyle-Murray! 🎉🎶🪉💐

03/09/2026

Our first alum with a first New York Times live concert review. Could. Not. Be. More. Proud. (Yes, that's the review...top left front page of the Music section, across from the Neil Sedaka obit.)

02/12/2026

04/20/2025

08/31/2024

So excited to announce 🎶 …

St. Cecilia Academy is delighted to announce Carol McClure - The Harp School at St. Cecilia Academy Conservatory of Music. Parent and grandparent Carol McClure is an enthusiastic and experienced pedagogue who loves to teach children, teens, and adults to play the harp. Carol’s multi-decade career as concert and recording artist, recording session musician, orchestral player, church musician, and master harp teacher have taken her around the world to perform, to train teachers, and to teach Pre-K through professional students. Group lessons are offered for beginning students, and individual lessons are offered as students’ progress through the program. Lessons will begin on September 3, so please register by September 2.

Visit https://www.stcecilia.edu/fine-arts/music-conservatory to register!

06/21/2024

Meanwhile … over in east Tennessee … one of out Harp School students, Greta Heisey, is competing in the Miss Tennessee pageant … and, this past weekend, a former Harp School student (who competed as a fiddler) was crowned Miss Kentucky! So proud of our students and former students, no matter where their life pathways take them!

06/21/2024

2024 Midwest TN Harpfest -The Harp School, Inc/Summer Harp Academy’s summer festival Day 1 on June 20! Guest artist-teacher Dr. Anne-Marie O’Farrell, along with faculty members Phyllis Adams, Abigail Acosta, Wes Ramsay, and Amy Shafer, and faculty guest lecturers Patricia Ritter and Mitzi Matlock offered superb teaching and valuable insights to our festival participants from The first day of learning closed with a stunning recital by Hallie Bentschneider, ARSM, DipABRSM, 19, winner of the 2024 Grandjany Memorial competition and a faculty/Harp School FRSM graduate 🎓 dinner at beautiful Montgomery Bell State Park. And, next …Friday, June 21 festivites open with an open-to-the-public lever harp recital by Anne-Marie! 💐🎉

05/30/2024

Congratulations to Harp School graduate Priyanka Gohal, ARSM (Distinction), DipARSM (Distinction), on her upcoming final recital at the Royal Academy of Music, London! 💐🎉🎶

05/10/2024

Congratulations to Harp School graduate (2020) Priyanka Gohal and her RAM harp teacher Skaila Kanga! Priya, now a senior at RAM, was awarded the Royal Academy of Music 2024 Harp Department Prize! Priya began her harp study in our Angel’s Harp program with Abigail Crouch Acosta, and continued, under the tutelage of CarolMcClure, in our advanced preparatory high school program, earning both her ARSM (Distinction) and DipABRSM (Distinction), an American Harp Society national competition prize and Jack Kent Cooke prize along the way. We are so proud of you, Priya!!!! 💐🎉

05/01/2024

The Harp School congratulates student Lauren Swain, ARSM (Distinction), DipABRSM (Distinction), LRSM (Distinction), FRSM, age 21, Third Prize winner of the Fourth Category (Young Professional) in the international 2024 Glowing Harp Competition 🏆based in Ukraine. Pennsylvania resident Lauren studies with Harp School Artistic Director Carol McClure in The Harp School’s international conservatory program based in the greater Nashville area. Lauren was recently awarded her Fellowship of Royal Schools of Music (FRSM) after her examination and recital in November. Lauren, our Harp School family is SO proud of you! 💐🎉

04/27/2024

The Harp School congratulates student Hallie Bentschneider, ARSM (Distinction), DipABRSM (Distinction), age 19, winner of the biennial American Harp Foundation 2024 Marcel Grandjany Competition!🏆Hallie studies with Harp School Artistic Director Carol McClure in The Harp School’s international conservatory program based in the greater Nashville area. In 2023, Hallie won a first prize in the Wales International Harp Competition in Caernarfon, Wales. Hallie, our Harp School family is SO proud of you! 💐🎉