Courtney Hershey Bress

Courtney Hershey Bress joined the Colorado Symphony as Principal Harp in 2001. Before coming to Denver, Ms. Bress enjoyed a wide and varied freelance career, including engagements with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She has served as Acting Principal of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and was Principal Harp with the United States Army Field Band in Washington, D.C. Ms. Bress is much sought-after as a teacher and has given master classes around the country. In addition to her private teaching studio, she is the Associate Professor of Harp at Colorado State University and has been a visiting professor at the Eastman School of Music. She has also served as a juror for the American Harp Society National Competitions. Ms. Bress was a 2005 GRAMMY® nominee for her performance of George Crumb’s chamber work Ancient Voices of Children. In 2017 Ms. Bress became a published author. For Love of the Harp was published by Veritas Musica Publishing. The book is in two parts with the first being advice to the young musician and stories about her career. The second part discusses and shows examples of how to write for the harp. Ms. Bress is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music and Chicago College of Performing Arts.