Lisa Tannebaum

Renowned for her “expressive musicality and creativity” by The New York Times, Lisa Tannebaum has captivated audiences worldwide as a harpist, chamber musician, orchestral artist, and lecturer. She holds a M.F.A degree in Harp Performance from State University of New York at Purchase and a B.A. degree in Physics from Carleton College.

Whether touring Europe with the Broadway show “42nd Street”, entertaining audiences with “The Fantasticks” at the famous Sullivan Street Theatre in New York, engaging listeners aboard the Queen Elizabeth II during transatlantic crossings, or making her mark as a concert harpist, Ms. Tannebaum has embraced the diversity of her career. Making her Carnegie Hall debut in 1996 after winning a prize from Artists International, Ms.Tannebaum returned to perform both solo and chamber concerts with Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic, Bialystock Orchestra, and New England Symphonic Orchestra. She has toured Kansas with the Kansas City Chamber Players, performed as guest soloist with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, and was featured on Kansas Public Television’s “The Conductor’s Corner”. A sampling of theatre credits also includes “Peter Pan”, “A Chorus Line”, and “The Frogs”.

In 2016, Ms. Tannebaum’s solo recital at Carnegie Hall coincided with the release of her album My Harp, My Heart. New York Concert Review stated “grace and a mastery of dynamic variation” in commending her performance. Harp Column magazine described her playing as “pitch perfect, with a rich sound that never loses its gentleness, asserting control at precisely the right moments.”

Always on a quest to expand the harp repertoire, Ms. Tannebaum regularly collaborates with notable musicians such as Sergio Commissiona, John Corigliano, James DePriest, Aurelian Hallopeau, Anthony Newman, and Andrew Seligson. She has lectured or taught at the Amadeus School, Northern Westchester Center for the Arts and the Aaron Copland School of Music. She is credited with establishing one of the first Suzuki Harp studios in the northeastern United States.

In addition to her current appointment at State University of New York at Purchase College, Ms. Tannebaum is an Artist-In-Residence with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra where she performs and presents workshops annually. Summers are spent teaching and performing abroad, most recently at the Cap Ferret Music Festival in France. In 2024, Ms. Tannebaum presented a seminar marking the 10th Anniversary of Buenos Aires Harp Week.

Topics of popular seminars include “Tools for Listening to Music” for both non-musicians and musicians; “The Artist’s Path”, a workshop on musical phrasing; “The Evolution of the Harp, It's Pedagogy and Repertoire” for harpists, and “Orchestrating for Harp”, a seminar for composers, arrangers, and orchestration students. She serves as President of Music In The Woods, a non-profit organization enriching the community through music and providing educational opportunities.