Elaine Barber

Harp

Elaine Barber began playing the harp at the age of ten, and began playing professionally in her native Mississippi four years later. She earned her MM in harp performance at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, studying with Beatrice Rose. Elaine is Principal Harpist for Austin Symphony and Austin Lyric Opera. Also an early music specialist, she plays Renaissance and early Baroque music with Texas Early Music Project. She has studied historical harp with Mara Galassi, Andrew Lawrence King, Cheryl Ann Fulton, and Becky Baxter. She has been a featured soloist at the American Harp Society National Conference, and with Austin Symphony, Mississippi Symphony, Shepherd Symphony, and Metropolitan Chamber Orchestra. As an orchestral musician Elaine has performed with Spoleto USA, San Antonio Symphony, Houston Symphony, Memphis Symphony, Alabama Symphony, Mississippi Symphony and Mississippi Opera. She has performed with Ray Charles and Pavarotti, for the King of Norway and the Governor of Mississippi, on movie and video game soundtracks and children’s TV shows. She plays with central Texas chamber music groups such as Austin Chamber Music Center, Cactus Pear Music Festival, Chamber Soloists of Austin, Musical Offerings, Salon Concerts, Victoria Bach Festival, and Viola By Choice. She has recorded for the Naxos, Nonesuch and Matador labels, and has premiered solo and chamber works by Gordon Jones, James Sclater, Peter Stopschinski, and P. Kellach Waddle. Elaine maintains a private teaching studio in Austin and has been on the faculty of Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Austin Chamber Music Center, University of Texas Harp Camp, Abilene Summer Music Festival, and Mississippi College. For more information, please visit http://www.elainebarber.com/home.cfm.