Gretchen van Hoesen's guest appearances

Gretchen van Hoesen

Voice of the Arts

@ the Symphony

David Ludwig

Wynton Marsalis

Tamara Tunie

Mark Elder

Vasily Petrenko

Michael Daugherty

Joshua Bell

Benjamin Grosvenor

James Ehnes

Peter Boyer

Ron Samuels

Christine Thompson

Peter Sullivan

Karim Sulayman

Julia Wolfe

OwlTail

The Principal Harp of the Pittsburgh Symphony Gretchen Van Hoesen will organize and join in an ensemble of 16 harps to play a new score by Alyssa Reit inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen" on September 25 at 5:30 PM at Kresge Theater, Carnegie Mellon University.  It is co-sponsored by The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society and Carnegie Mellon University. Alyssa Reit will be narrating the Hans Christian Andersen story, Peter Reit will be conducting 16 harpists performing, including Gretchen Katie Ventura and Marissa Knaub Avon, the entire harp department at CMU, the PYSO harp section and many more area harpists.  This production is a setting of the famous Hans Christian Andersen classic, for storyteller and 15 harps. In this performance, the music will incorporate excerpts from participant solos, specially arranged ensemble sections, sound effects, and excerpts from the orchestral repertoire to illustrate the story. The individual solos and ensemble selections will be set as musical interludes. In addition, participants will play underscoring and sound effects, accompanying the text. Harpists of all ages, skill levels, and harp types will be participating.  Alyssa Reit has worked as an independent performer, composer and arranger in the New York tri-state area since completing her Bachelors and Master’s degrees at the Juilliard School as a student of Marcel Grandjany in 1975. Composition teachers include Jacob Druckman, Andrew Thomas, and Richard Einhorn. She has performed with institutions ranging from the Orchestra of St. Lukes, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera,

<p>The Principal Harp of the Pittsburgh Symphony Gretchen Van Hoesen will organize and join in an ensemble of 16 harps to play a new score by Alyssa Reit inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen" on September 25 at 5:30 PM at Kresge Theater, Carnegie Mellon University.  It is co-sponsored by The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society and Carnegie Mellon University. Alyssa Reit will be narrating the Hans Christian Andersen story, Peter Reit will be conducting 16 harpists performing, including Gretchen Katie Ventura and Marissa Knaub Avon, the entire harp department at CMU, the PYSO harp section and many more area harpists.  This production is a setting of the famous Hans Christian Andersen classic, for storyteller and 15 harps. In this performance, the music will incorporate excerpts from participant solos, specially arranged ensemble sections, sound effects, and excerpts from the orchestral repertoire to illustrate the story. The individual solos and ensemble selections will be set as musical interludes. In addition, participants will play underscoring and sound effects, accompanying the text. Harpists of all ages, skill levels, and harp types will be participating.  Alyssa Reit has worked as an independent performer, composer and arranger in the New York tri-state area since completing her Bachelors and Master’s degrees at the Juilliard School as a student of Marcel Grandjany in 1975. Composition teachers include Jacob Druckman, Andrew Thomas, and Richard Einhorn. She has performed with institutions ranging from the Orchestra of St. Lukes, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera,</p>

Gretchen van Hoesen - "The Snow Queen"

Rodrigo Ojeda

Gretchen van Hoesen and Rodrigo Ojeda talk about the pieces they performed at Heinz Hall - Gary Shocker's "Plucked" for Harp and Harpsichord, and Reynaldo Han's Prelude, Waltz and Rigaudon for Harp and Piano.  They talk about each piece, the composers, and what they've been up to during the pandemic.

Center Stage - Gretchen van Hoesen and Rodrigo Ojeda

WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Principal Harpist Gretchen van Hoesen about how she is dealing with the coronavirus lockdown; the orchestra's Extraordinary Measures program; how her family is doing, and much more.

Gretchen van Hoesen - Extraordinary Measures