About the course

Our harp studio takes full advantage of Lamont's many performance opportunities, participating in symphony orchestra and opera, as well as chamber, world and contemporary groups. They graduate Lamont prepared for whatever opportunities may come their way, including professional symphony orchestra positions, teaching, and freelance performance.

　　Courtney Hershey Bress enjoyed a celebrated freelance career before joining the Colorado Symphony as Principal Harp in 2001. Her experiences took her to engagements with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, as Principal Harpist with the United States Army Field Band on tour as part of the ensemble and as soloist, to the 48 continental states. She held the Principal Harp position with the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music for many years and has acted as Principal Harp of the Baltimore Symphony. She has played with the Grand Teton Music Festival, the Strings Music Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO and as a guest artist with Colorado College Summer Music Festival. Ms. Bress was selected and has performed for the American Harp Society and the World Harp Congress. Ms. Bress will be playing the world premiere of a harp concerto by Michael Daugherty in May of 2023, a piece commissioned by Ms. Bress and the Colorado Symphony.

　　Ms. Bress is also an active teacher, giving master classes around the country and maintaining a private teaching studio, at the University level she is Adjunct Professor of Harp at Lamont School of Music, University of Denver and Lecturer of Harp at the University of Wyoming. She was the Assistant Professor of Harp at Colorado State University from 2016–2021 and has been visiting Professor of Harp at the Eastman School of Music. She is also the Harp Instructor for the Lamont Summer Academy at DU. Her students have won National and International harp competitions. She has served as a juror for the American Harp Society National Competitions, including the Grandjany Memorial Competition, and held the position of artist and clinician for the Midwest Harp Festival.

　　Ms. Bress is the author of the book For Love of the Harp, published by Veritas Musica Publishing. The book is in two parts with the first being advice to the young musician and stories about her career, the second part discusses and shows examples of how to write for the harp. Ms. Bress was a 2005 GRAMMY® nominee for her performance of George Crumb’s chamber work Ancient Voices of Children. She is a member of the Internationally renowned chamber group,Trio Arcadia, flute, horn and harp. Besides recordings with Naxos, Bridge, and Albany records, one can find her music on many albums with the Colorado Symphony and the U.S. Army Field Band. Her duo album with violinist, Andrés Cárdenes, will be released in the near future. Ms. Bress earned a Bachelor of Music degree and the Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music and received her Master of Music in Orchestral Studies from the Chicago College of Performing Arts, Roosevelt University. Her teachers include Kathleen Bride, Sarah Bullen and Gretchen Van Hoesen. Scholarships - View all scholarships Internships

　　

Start dates and prices

Course fees are indicative and should be used as a guide. Speak to a counsellor to get an accurate price.

　　Duration: 8 Semester(s)Fees: Not available

Intake	Location
Fall (September), 2024	Denver
Fall (September), 2025	Denver

　　

How to apply

Entry requirements for University of Denver

All Transcripts required.

　　Submit your ACT, SAT score.

　　TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): A TOEFL score of 80 or higher with no subscore below 18.

　　IELTS (International English Language Testing System): An IELTS score of 6.5 or higher with no band score below 5.5.

　　

English language requirements

　　6.5

　　Overall IELTS band score

　　Book IELTS

　　About IELTS

　　Practice and prepare

　　TOEFL Internet based overall score: 80.0

　　

Application deadline:

This date isn’t available – speak to an IDP counsellor to get detailed information.

　　

Further information

Career outcomesIf you aren’t eligible for the above entry requirements, you might want to explore pathway options at University of Denver. If you want to find out more, please speak to our counsellors.

　　Pathway options to study at this institution

　　

Reviews and rankings

World ranking

　　501st / 1250

　　THE World ranking

　　

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