Houston Summer Harp Festival

Our festival features three harp ensembles tailored to accommodate students at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels. This structure allows for the best of both intimate rehearsals in smaller groups that complement our larger class settings.

We offer a diverse range of workshops that change annually, providing fresh experiences for returning students. Past workshops have included topics such as classical repertoire, historical and Celtic harp, Latin American harp, orchestral preparation, improvisation, career lectures, rhythm development, presentations on famous harpists including Grandjany, Salzedo and Renié, technique, reading from lead sheets, wedding and pop music, French musical vocabulary, stringing and tuning, instrument maintenance and more.

For students who are unable to bring their own instruments, a limited number of lever and pedal harps are available for rent. These rental harps incur an additional fee and should be reserved in your application or by emailing HoustonSummerHarpFestival@gmail.comno later than June 10, 2026.

We take pride in being an inclusive festival that welcomes students of all levels, ages 11 to 19, who play both lever and pedal harps. Students should have a basic ability to read treble clef and a minimum of four months of harp instruction to ensure a comfortable learning experience.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are proud to award thousands of dollars in multiple full and partial scholarships each year. For more information, click here. Please note that the application deadline, including video submissions, is May 1, 2026 at midnight.

Houston Christian University offers on-campus housing and meal options conveniently located near our rehearsal spaces. If you are interested in being a “dorm mom,” click here to email.

Join us for our finale concert at Belin Chapel in the Morris Cultural Arts Center (MCAC) at Houston Christian University. Admission is free and open to the public.