Houston based harpist Emily Klein is the Principal Harpist with Opera in the Heights and is the Artist in Residence with the Houston Methodist Hospital. Ms. Klein regularly performs with the Houston Symphony and in March 2018, joined the orchestra for their European Tour. From 2012-2015, Emily was a member of the Young Artist Program at Da Camera of Houston where she developed the Holocaust Music Project and performed at the Wortham Theater Center, Museum of Fine Arts Houston, Rothko Chapel, and for Houston Independent School District middle and high school students. Emily was awarded an American Harp Society (AHS) Grant to continue the Holocaust Music Project in the Alief Independent School District from 2015-2016.

In addition to her diverse performance career, Ms. Klein teaches the harp at the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and The Kinkaid School.  Ms. Klein received her high school diploma from Interlochen Arts Academy and obtained her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University where she was a student of Paula Page, the former Houston Symphony Principal Harpist.

Emily’s concept for Harpisphere grew from her studies as a young harpist in Philadelphia to her college days studying at summer music festivals both in the US and in Europe. Her years of growing up performing with a dedicated harp ensemble in Philadelphia under the tutelage of Kimberly Rowe, studying at Interlochen Arts Camp with the mentorship of Joan Raeburn Holland, and learning at Rice University from Paula Page, a student of the Salzedo school, shaped the creation for Harpisphere’s inaugural workshop.

Caitlin Mehrtens is the Principal Harpist with the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra.  She also serves as Harpist and Co-Leader for Houston-based contemporary music ensemble, Loop38.  

Her extensive performing career includes soloist appearances with the Akademisches Orchester in Leipzig, National Repertory Orchestra, Texas Music Festival Orchestra, Ocean City Pops Orchestra, and the Orchestra Society of Philadelphia.  As an orchestral musician, she has performed with the Houston Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Spokane Symphony, Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Symphony, and more.

In addition to performing, Caitlin greatly values her role as a teacher and mentor to students of the harp.  She serves as Adjunct Harp Professor at the University of St. Thomas, teaches through the Certified Coaching program at Harp Mastery, and maintains her own private studio.  Learn more about her teaching here!

Caitlin completed her Masters of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music under Paula Page.  Previously, she graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music with a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance under Yolanda Kondonassis, and a second Independent Major called “Communication through Multicultural Music and Movement.”   She grew up in Thornton, Pennsylvania with a very musical family.  

Paula Page, born in Odessa, Texas and raised in Philadelphia, served as Principal Harpist of the Houston Symphony from 1984 until her retirement from the orchestra in 2014. Prior to her Houston appointment, she was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony in the dual positions of harpist and keyboard artist.

A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Miss Page began her career as Principal Harpist of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra. She has been guest harpist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, and is Principal Harpist of the Grand Teton Music Festival. Miss Page is a frequent participant in various chamber music series in Houston and has been featured at several national conferences of the American Harp Society and at two meetings of the World Harp Congress. She has served as a judge for numerous competitions including the ASTA (American String Teachers Association) and the Corpus Christi International competition. In 2006 Miss Page was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

Always eager to combine performance and pedagogy, she has served on the faculties of the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston, University of Oklahoma, Temple University Institute, Carnegie-Mellon University, Interlochen Arts Camp and is currently Associate Professor of Harp at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. During the summer she is a member of the faculty at the Texas Music Festival and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top.

Following in the pattern of her primary mentor, Alice Chalifoux, Paula Page combines her performance career as Principal Harp of the Houston Symphony and teaching experience at several universities and music festivals. Her experience is an invaluable resource to her students. Graduates of The Shepherd School Harp Studio are assuming various posts with orchestra and chamber music ensembles as well as with notable educational institutions.

Miss Page comes from a highly successful musical family. Her father is Robert Page, conductor and her mother, Glynn Page, recently retired from the Department of Drama at Carnegie-Mellon University. Her sister, soprano Carolann Page, is an established artist in opera, Broadway and recital.

Naomi Hoffmeyer is a freelance artist and educator based in Houston. She has been the Principal Harpist of both the California and Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestras since 2013, and has performed as a guest musician with ensembles including the Houston Symphony and Ballet, as well as the San Francisco Symphony and Ballet. As an educator, Naomi maintains a private studio and is a co-director of the Houston Youth Harp Ensemble.

Naomi received her Master of Music and Artist Diploma Degrees with Paula Page at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. She also trained under Douglas Rioth and Ann Hobson Pilot at the San Francisco and New England Conservatories. In addition to her conservatory studies, she credits much of her musical and personal development to her time spent at the Interlochen Arts Academy.

While maintaining an active musical schedule, Naomi is an enthusiast of the culinary arts and holds a degree in Pâtisserie and Baking from the California Culinary Academy. She grew up in the Shenandoah Valley, and spends her spare time walking, reading, and helping her pets Rosy and Henry live their best lives.