Harp Faculty

Jacquelyn Bartlett

A champion of chamber music, Jacquelyn Bartlett has worked with some of this generation’s most well known composers such as Aaron Copeland, George Crumb, Alberto Ginastera, Dan Locklair, George Rochberg and John Rutter and she continues to bring new compositions to the concert stage as a soloist and chamber musician. Ms. Bartlett is a founding member of Fire Pink Trio and a long time member of Mallarme Chamber Players. For ten years, she was the Founder and Artistic Director of SummerMusic in Blowing Rock, N.C. and Music at St John’s in Valle Crucis, N.C. She has written and published articles in professional journals, has edited music for publication and is a recorded artist on the Albany, Capstone and Naxos labels. Her recent world premiere recording of Dan Locklair’s Concerto for Harp and Orchestra with the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra was released by Naxos and has received high, critical praise.

Ms. Bartlett is much sought-after as a teacher, chamber music coach and presenter for master classes and seminars. Her students have garnered top prizes at international and national competitions, and have been featured in Europe at the World Harp Congress and on Christopher O'Reilly's National Public Radio show, "From the Top".

Abigail Kent

Harpist Abigail Kent communicates emotions and stories through music, using the harp as a passport to the human heart. An international award-winning harpist, Fanfare Magazine recognized her for “immaculate playing and musical sensitivity.” Some of Abigail’s international awards and honors include “New Artist” in Musical America International Magazine, winner of the touring “Concert Artist” position for the
American Harp Society, and Live Finalist for the Young Concert Artist International Auditions. Most recently, they received 3rd prize at the 2022 Korea International Harp Competition.

Abigail is in high demand as an orchestral harpist. She is the Principal Harpist Fellow of New World Symphony and has also performed with the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Savannah Philharmonic, and Charleston Symphony Orchestra. Her performances at international festivals include the Aspen Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, Pacific Music Festival (Sapporo, Japan), and Tanglewood Music Festival.

A committed teacher and educator, Abigail is on the harp faculty at College of Charleston, having created two different and individualized pathways to study the harp that mirror her own double identity: traditional lever harp and classical pedal harp. Abigail has presented masterclasses and lectures for the American Harp Academy, the 2019 American Harp Society National Institute, The Curtis Institute of Music, and The Juilliard School.

Kent studied at and earned degrees from the Royal Academy of Music in London, Curtis Institute of Music, Mannes School of Music, and most recently received the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts from The Juilliard School.

Grace Ludtke

Praised for her “brilliant” and “stunning” playing (Cultural Voice of North Carolina), American harpist Grace Ludtke loves giving audiences a new impression of the harp and sharing its stories so its secrets can be discovered. She has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral musician throughout North America and Europe, including concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City, St. George’s Church in London,
and Liben Castle in Prague and has performed with the North Carolina Opera Orchestra and regional orchestras across the state.

Grace teaches in the music department at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC and serves on the artistic teams of the American Harp Academy and North Carolina Harp Ensemble at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, which believes in nurturing the artist within the harpist. These programs provide transformational learning and performance opportunities to harpists of all ages and skill levels nationwide.

Grace earned a Master of Music degree from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she studied harp performance with Jacquelyn Bartlett. She also received a Master of Social Work degree with an emphasis in empowerment practice from Winthrop University and Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Converse College. Her performance and teaching career are influenced by her combined passions for music and social practice. She believes cultivating creativity and artist practice is a tool for empowerment, for both individuals and communities.