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 Sergiu Comissiona, Joseph Silverstein, Lawrence Wheeler, Frederick Fennell, Roger Voisin, Myron Romanul, Lee Schoenen, Warren Lash, Eddie Green, Ned Battista, and others.

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.

Ms. Goodrich's students consistently win top honors at local, state, & national competitions, including this year's winner of the National Glenn Miller Competition; invitational solo concerts in Osaka, Japan;  a National Fulbright Finalist; Concerto Competition winners at Ball State University & Stratford High School; scholarships to prestigious colleges such as Boston University, London's Royal College of Music and Ball State University; 7 Texas All-Staters & 56 Region winners in the last 5 years; winner of Young Master's Program of Texas Commission on the Arts; yearly multiple wins at Houston's Milligan Harp Competition; solo performances with Young Virtuosi, Stratford High School, and HSPVA.

They participate in elite summer music camps, including Tanglewood, Sewanee Music Festival, Chautauqua Festival, Texas Music Festival, the Midwest Harp Festival, and the Summer Harp Academy in Indiana.  In college, they have received admission and scholarships to Boston University, Wellesley College, Ball State University, London's Royal College of Music, Rice University, Texas A&M, and Texas Tech.  They've performed with the New England Philharmonic, Britain's Royal College of Music, Tanglewood's Young Artist Orchestra, Boston Univeristy Symphony, Ball State University Orchestra, and the Texas A&M Band.

They play in Houston's finest youth and community orchestras, such as Houston Youth Symphony, Young Virtuosi, and the Doctor's Orchestra.  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 each year.  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 2002, she organized a Rhythm Workshop with percussion specialist Steve Begnoche.  She frequently arranges for her students to perform chamber music with other instruments such as flute, violin, cello, and trombone.  For many years she has chaired and judged Houston's Milligan Harp Competition, as an active member of the American Harp Society, San Jacinto Chapter.  In June 2007, she facilitated arrangements for 3 students to study with distinguished harpist Elizabeth Richter at the Summer Harp Academy in Indiana.

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.