Harp
Principal
Currently located in Little Rock, Alisa Coffey is the Principal Harpist for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. She was appointed in 2011 and performed the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto in 2015 with principal flutist, Dr. Carolyn Brown. Alisa performs widely throughout the Mid South region both as soloist and orchestral performer. She has performed regularly with Iris Orchestra and Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, as well as Shreveport Symphony and Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra. She is a regular contributor to the Arkansas Symphony chamber series, River Rhapsodies, having performed works such as the Debussy Trio, Ravel Introduction and Allegro, Cras Quintette, and the Roussel Serenade. Formerly in Philadelphia, Alisa held the position of second harp with Symphony in C and also performed with the National Philharmonic, Philly Pops and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Alisa's summers have been spent attending festivals such as Artosphere Festival, Saratoga Harp Colony, Spoleto Festival U.S.A. and Aspen Music Festival.
An enthusiastic educator, Alisa maintains a private studio in Little Rock, and also teaches at Hendrix College. Alisa teaches all ages and has recently completed training in the Suzuki method. As a soloist, Alisa competed internationally at the 2018 Israel International Harp Competition and the 2008 Lily Laskine Competition in Paris, France. She received recognition in the 2011 Lyon and Healy Awards as well as the 2011 American Harp Society National Competition. Alisa completed her M.M. at Temple University with Elizabeth Hainen and her Performance Diploma at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music with Judy Loman. She is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Texas with Dr. Jaymee Haefner. In her spare time, Alisa enjoys cooking anything from Smitten Kitchen, and hiking throughout the great Natural State of Arkansas.