BIOGRAPHY

Award-winning harpist Bonnie Goodrich maintains a successful and multi-faceted career as performer, teacher, composer, and harp advocate. Her impressive credentials include numerous awards and competitions, plus her solo debut with the Houston Symphony at 18. She performs regularly in recitals and concerts, and is Houston’s most requested harpist for solo & chamber music. For over 25 years, Bonnie has been featured at Houston’s premier private & corporate events. She has performed at our finest venues, including 15 years of daily harp music for Afternoon Tea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

As a concert artist, Ms. Goodrich has performed solo, chamber, & orchestral repertoire from Houston to Boston – including Boston Concert Opera Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Ballet, Boston’s Romanul Concert Orchestra, and others. She has played under the batons of Sergei Comissiona, Joseph Silverstein, Lawrence Wheeler, Frederick Fennell, Roger Voisin, Myron Romanul, Lee Schoenen, Warren Lash, Eddie Green, Ned Battista, and others. (See To Book Bonnie)

She attended Boston University and the Tanglewood Institute, studying with the legendary Lucile Lawrence. Her outstanding academic career included scholarships, awards, world premiere recordings.

As Texas’ only Lucile Lawrence-Salzedo instructor, Ms. Goodrich holds an unequaled reputation for excellence and offers outstanding, comprehensive harp instruction. For over 20 years, her harp studio has embodied the performing ideals & teaching methods of the world-renowned Lucile Lawrence here in the Gulf Coast/Houston area. (See GoodrichHarpStudio.com)

Ms. Goodrich’s students consistently win top honors at local, state, & national competitions, participate in elite summer music camps, and play in Houston’s finest youth orchestras. Many achieve outstanding success in musical careers.

Her studio offers weekly private lessons, monthly masterclasses, two annual recitals, Angelus & Orpheus Harp Ensembles, and extra classes, lectures, & special harp events.

Ms. Goodrich’s approach consists of emphasis on sensitive musicianship, beautiful tone, & technical excellence. Dynamic & motivating, she encourages each student’s best while making music fun & exciting. She offers students many performance opportunities, as well as frequent exposure to world-class harpists and challenging musical ideas.

Her Angelus Harp Ensemble is Houston's only elite harp student group, with an annual performance series for Houston Symphony, Grand Opera, Ballet, Museums, Book&Author Dinner, KUHF radio, local tv. Last year, the group produced their first CD/DVD. (See Angelus Harp Ensemble)

She serves as the Harp Coach for the Houston Youth Symphony, and she works closely with many middle and high school music directors to create idiomatic harp parts for orchestra repertoire.

Among studio workshops offered this season are: X-treme Practicing, Theory & Improv, Historical Harps, Re-stringing & Maintenance, Gigging, and Weddings, Wonderful to Weird – How to Tame your Bridezilla! (See Home and Special Events.)

Her students have included Kate Petak, Ashley Wells, and Dr. Nadja Burns. (For their achievements, see Amazing Alumnae!)

Committed to harp awareness and education, Ms. Goodrich presents workshops & clinics on many harp topics (See Home) and organizes many special harp events. These include importing guest concert artists & lecturers, chairing and judging local and state harp competitions, coordinating masterclasses, & 8 years organizing the annual “Celebration of the Irish Harp”. She helped organize the 1991 Harp Skills Symposium w/ Lucile Lawrence, Olive Murphy, & Bea Rose. She’s arranged for masterclasses & performances w/ Lucile Lawrence, Franziska Huhn, Becky Baxter, Kate Petak, & Ashley Wells. In June 2007, she facilitated arrangements for 3 students to study with distinguished harpist Elizabeth Richter at the “Texans in Indiana” summer harp camp. An active member of the American Harp Society, San Jacinto chapter, she has chaired and judged Houston’s Milligan Harp Competition for many years.

She’s also well-known for her published compositions, arrangements of chamber music, and harp parts for school orchestra repertoire.

As a protégé of HSO former Principal Harpist Bea Rose, membership in the Houston Harp Ensemble produced 2 syndicated PBS specials, 2 professional recordings, and appearances as guest performers with the HSO and the Houston Pops.