2026 Presenters OH
Rhett Barnwell
Rhett Barnwell is a versatile composer, arranger, performer, and conductor, and the founder of Seraphim Music, a publishing company dedicated to sacred, classical, and meditative music for harp, voice, and other instruments. His works are distributed, performed, and recorded by musicians across six continents. As a concert artist, Mr. Barnwell has performed extensively throughout the United States and internationally in Italy (Rome, Venice, Florence) and Ireland. A recognized specialist in sacred and healing music for the harp, he has been featured at major events including the American Harp Society National Conference, Southeastern Harp Festival, Somerset Folk Harp Festival, Harp Gathering, and Harp in Worship Conference. He frequently presents workshops and concerts for regional American Harp Society chapters, and currently serves on the faculty of the Harp Column Academy. In addition to harp, he performs on organ, cello, and French horn. His orchestral credits include performances with the Spoleto Festival Orchestra (Italy), Orquesta Sinfónica de Tenerife (Spain), AIMS Festival Orchestra (Austria), South Carolina Philharmonic, Charleston Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Orchestra and Chorus of St. Louis, St. Clare Baroque Orchestra, and Emory Baroque Orchestra. Mr. Barnwell holds a Bachelor of Music in horn from Florida State University and a Master of Music in horn and cello from the St. Louis Conservatory. He studied harp with Mary Brigid Roman at FSU and later with Ellen Foster and Monica Hargrave in Atlanta. He pursued doctoral studies in choral conducting and organ at the University of Georgia, with additional studies at Westminster Choir College, the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, and the Abbey of Solesmes in France. Since 1984, he has served as a choral director and organist for churches throughout the Southeastern U.S. and currently holds the position of Composer in Residence at the Atlanta Harp Center.. Website
Christa Grix
Christa fell under the spell of the harp during her first lesson at 16. Two years earlier, she was transfixed by live jazz during a performance at her high school. The two influences have shaped, but not limited her explorations and accomplishments on the instrument. Equally adept as both a classical and jazz harpist, she is one of those rare individuals who can make the transition from the jazz rhythm section to the symphonic string section sound effortless. The appeal and respect her music generates has taken her throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe as an invited soloist and clinician at major harp festivals and conferences. Besides her active career as a harpist, Christa is also the proud mother of an wonderful son and a Havanese dog. Website
Carol Kappus
After many years of singing opera and classical music, Carol has now returned to her first love: playing the Celtic harp and singing the traditional songs of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. She specializes in the music of Scotland: traditional songs, songs of Robert Burns and songs in Scots Gaelic. Carol goes to Scotland frequently to study Gaelic language and song at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig on the Isle of Skye. She is the winner of many awards from the Scottish Harp Society of America and the Great Lakes Regional and the US National Scottish Mòd. She teaches and performs around the Midwest and in Scotland. She is a frequent contributor to The Folk Harp Journal and has published several books of compositions and arrangements. Check out Carol’s web page where you can see videos, hear recordings and purchase her books. Website
Anna O'Connell
Anna O'Connell is a soprano and harpist specializing in self-accompaniment with folk, medieval, renaissance, and baroque harps. A visit to Ireland at a young age cemented her love of Celtic music and led to her lifelong fascination with the harp. Her research interests include medieval chant and seventeenth-century Italian women composers. Anna is a core member of Theatro Early Music, and Apollo's Fire Baroque Orchestra and frequently performs in Cleveland where she earned her doctorate in historical performance practice in 2023 from Case Western Reserve University. She recently helped found the Cleveland Harp Circle, for harpists of all levels to play together. . Website
Kim Robertson
Kim Robertson Instructing and Performing at the Harp Gathering in Archbold, Ohio!As one of the pioneers of the American folk harp, Kim Robertson’s approach to the instrument is uniquely personal and original. Trained classically on piano and orchestral harp, she brings an energetic and expressive touch to both her original compositions and her contemporary arrangements of Celtic music. Her skill as a performer has brought her a loyal following and she is an experienced and sensitive teacher as well. Her work encompasses numerous recordings, published harp arrangements, and an international itinerary of workshops and retreats. Her most recent releases are “Christmas Lullaby, Vol 2” (+ companion songbook) and “Fig for a Kiss,” with tin whistle player Brett Lipshutz. Website
TAPESTRY
Denise & Michael Grupp-Verbon
TAPESTRY, featuring Harpist, Denise Grupp-Verbon and Acoustic Guitarist & Multi-Instrumentalist, Michael Grupp-Verbon, is based in Toledo Ohio. Performing and recording together for over 20 years, Denise and Michael have created a truly distinctive sound featuring their unique arranging & composing. TAPESTRY has released 3 CDs, featuring Pop, Celtic, Folk and Original music. In addition, they have also published numerous arrangements and instructional books for solo harp. They perform for scores of concerts, weddings, corporate and private events annually. Michael is also a professional videographer and photographer, he specializes in video documentaries and landscape and wildlife photography. Denise is the Internship Manager for the School of Liberal Arts at Owens Community College in Toledo, Ohio. Denise and Mike are the founders of The Harp Gathering, now celebrating its 19th year. Website
Brittany DeYoung
Brittany DeYoung, owner of MI Harp Center, is a classical harpist and educator with extensive performing and teaching experience. She serves as harp instructor at Hillsdale College and Flint School of the Performing Arts and is Principal Harpist for the Ann Arbor and Lansing Symphony Orchestras. Brittany has performed across the U.S. and internationally, loves playing chamber music with her colleagues, and enjoys teaching young students. She holds degrees from the University of Michigan and the University of Arizona. Website
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson playing the harp as a teenager because she was too lazy to practice violin or piano. After years of attending folk harp conferences, she noticed that many adult students were frustrated with their progress on the harp. This motivated her to become a harp coach, encouraging adult students of all abilities to find enjoyment in this magical instrument. Fear of brides inspired her to use her harp powers for service instead of ceremonies; she became a Certified Music Practitioner, and has provided therapeutic music to patients and staff since 2010 on her double-strung harp. Karen was on the Board of Directors of the Music for Healing and Transition Program for nine years, ending as President. She is the author of two books, Enjoy the Modes and Enjoy the Dorian Mode, which take advantage of how harpers use the same hand position for both major and minor chords. Her favorite music to play on the harp is Top 40 hits from the 1960s to today. Website
Sandy Beck
Sandy is a dedicated percussionist who performs with more than ten concert bands and orchestras. In her 40s, she began studying pedal harp with a retired professional trained in the Carlos Salzedo technique. Although the demands of practice and transporting an 85-pound harp led her to step away for a time, a later connection with a local harp circle reignited her passion through folk harp and Celtic music. Since then, Sandy has expanded her harp involvement by attending camps and workshops and serving on the leadership team of a harp retreat in West Michigan. She and her husband, Allen, a French horn player, enjoy attending band camps and music conferences together and have traveled to Europe and China with bands to promote cultural understanding through music.
Susie Kunkle
Susie Kunkle has been performing music for over fifty years. She plays multiple instruments, sings, and has studied harp under Denise Grupp-Verbon. She has performed with several worship teams and bands, and has also produced four books of original harp compositions and one of original arrangements of traditional Christmas carols. She currently plays on her church’s worship team and with the Irish band, Song of Erin.
Jo Lynn Rhodes
Jo Lynn Rhodes is an experienced performer and enjoys sharing the beauty of harp music with local sacred and secular audiences. She received her Bachelor of Music Performance and Master of Elementary Education degrees from Heidelberg University in Tiffin, OH where she resides with her husband and blended family. She is celebrating 32 years in education and currently teaches 1st grade. She is a former student of Denise Grupp-Verbon and credits her for providing a solid foundation in technique and introducing her to the “harp world.” A familiar face at the Harp Gathering, she has almost perfect attendance, and looks forward to seeing familiar and new faces alike. Facebook
Kristina Finch
Based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, harpist Dr. Kristina Finch exemplifies the spirit of the modern independent musician. Equally at home on concert stages and in creative collaborations, Kristina combines her classical training with a passion for popular and contemporary music—challenging expectations and expanding perceptions of what the harp can be.
Pat Tait
Pat Tait graduated from the University of Michigan School of Music, as a voice performance major, taught vocal music for 46 years to children aged 18 months to 14 years, retiring in 2016. Pat plays and has taught piano, guitar, recorder, ukulele, mountain dulcimer, hammer dulcimer, and lever harp. She has been a member of several choral groups over the years and has been singing with the Plymouth Oratorio Society since 2002. Pat received her first harp for her birthday in 1990 from her husband, Jim. The harp was part of their professional dulcimer trio, Felicity Strings, who performed together for almost 20 years. Now, Pat mostly performs solo. In June of 2019, Pat started the Happy Harpers harp circle in Southeast Michigan. Currently, the circle meets virtually online weekly. FaceBook
Amy Hemker
Amy Hemker, CMP, CME, began her interest in music at a very young age. She continued in music through school to graduate from Ohio Northern University in 2014 with a BA in flute applied studies and music theory concentrations. She graduated from Music for Healing and Transition Program as a Certified Music Practitioner in 2017 and has worked since in the hospital and hospice settings, providing live, therapeutic music for patients and staff. Amy has also earned her Certification as a Music Ergonomist and hosts webinars for injury prevention for musicians. She also performs at weddings and events, and teaches online for MHTP. Amy is a multi-instrumentalist, self-taught on several, but now focuses on the harp. Website