First Colony Middle School

FBISD is leading the way in music instruction for our nation. We are excited to employ two district harp specialist in order to best meet the unique learning and instructional needs of our harp students. Welcome to the team!

Ms. Stephanie Gustafson, Harp Specialist

Biography

Originally from Chicago, harpist Stephanie Gustafson now resides in Houston, where she is an active performer, educator, and writer. She has been principal harpist with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra since August 2015 and is a regular guest of the Houston Symphony and Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans. She has also worked with the Austin Symphony, the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra, and the El Paso Symphony and Opera. Prior to her move to Houston, Stephanie lived in Washington, D.C., where she held the position of principal harpist with the Annapolis Symphony and regularly traveled to Chile to performed with the Orquesta Filarmónica de Santiago as acting principal harpist for their 2013–2014 season.

A passionate educator, Stephanie is co-director of the Houston Youth Harp Ensemble, which she co-founded in 2018. She is also on the faculty of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, where she teaches middle and high school harp students every summer. From 2016–2018, Stephanie was a Young Artist with Da Camera of Houston, which awarded her a grant to develop a music program to help combat school bullying. She also maintains an active private teaching studio for students of all ages in Houston.

In 2018, Stephanie was named the News Editor of Harp Column, a bi–monthly print publication serving the international harp community, where she writes on auditions, competitions, and album releases.