Alissa Amundson

Bio

Director, performer,
dedicated teacher.

Alissa Amundson is the director of the Heber Valley Harp Symphony and a sub harpist with the Utah Symphony. She also serves as Principal Harp Mentor for the Utah Youth Symphony, working alongside young musicians at the highest level of youth orchestral performance in the state.

Alissa is known for her dynamic performance style and love of empowering young musicians — building both a love of music and the confidence to push performance skills to the highest levels.

She studied with Julie Gaisford Keyes until age 16, then began studying with Louise Vickerman, Principal Harpist for the Utah Symphony and Opera. Her teachers have also included Louise Pratt, Sarah Bullen (Chicago Symphony Orchestra), Ruth Myers (Eastern Michigan University), and ShruDeLi Ownby (former Director of Lyon and Healy West and Brigham Young University).

As a young harpist, Alissa participated in the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp and performed as a featured soloist with the Park City Music Festival. She was also a featured soloist at the 2002 Salt Lake City Cultural Olympiad, and attended Brigham Young University where she performed with the BYU Philharmonic and the BYU Harp Ensemble. She has performed in Abravanel Hall, the Tabernacle on Temple Square, and internationally in Novosibirsk, Russia. She previously served as Principal Harpist with the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra and Ballet.

After 10 years as a classroom educator in High School English and Social Studies, Alissa transitioned into the EdTech world. She is committed to helping young musicians develop both technical skill and the "soft skills" of performance, audience engagement, and professionalism. She has served as President of the Utah Chapter of the American Harp Society.

Alissa is the director of the Heber Valley Harp Symphony.