Faye Seeman, principal harpist of the renowned Chicago Sinfonietta Orchestra since 1993, is Adjunct Professor of Harp Studies at Wheaton College and Northern Illinois University. With both bachelor's and master's degrees in performance, (BA Eastern Michigan University, MM Boston University), Ms. Seeman balances her experience as a solo performer and orchestral player with her extensive background in teaching to support a diverse freelance career in music.
Ms. Seeman was principal harpist of the Joffrey Ballet from 2002-2012, and was a recently featured soloist with the Hubbard Street Dance Company, partnering with the dancers while playing William Grant Still’s Ennanga for harp, piano, and string orchestra. She has since performed the piece as soloist with the Galesburg Symphony Orchestra, and the Birch Creek Festival Orchestra in Door County, Wisconsin.
As founder of the Kithara flute, cello, and harp trio, she has led the group to notoriety with its broadcast work on WTTW's 30 Good Minutes, the recording of two Kithara Trio CDs, and several published arrangements for the group through Lyon and Healy Harps West. The trio currently performs in recitals and churches throughout the Midwest, featuring program titles such as "America the Beautiful”, “Beau Soir”, and “A Garden of Musical Delights”.
Ms. Seeman has distinguished herself as one of the most versatile harpists in the Midwest by venturing away from playing traditional classical music. She and several colleagues from the Chicago jazz community established the ZigZag Jazz Harp Quartet (harp, piano, bass and drums), exploring an eclectic blend of jazz, classical and new age styles of music. Their CD Caught features several of her own compositions, several jazz standards, and free improvisation.
In memory of her father, violinist and conductor Ernest Seeman, Faye commissioned noted Chicago composer Gustavo Leone to compose Como un Sueno, a concerto for harp and orchestra, which premiered in 2006 at the Birch Creek Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin. Since then, the work has been played many times throughout the United States, and continues to be a favorite with conductors and orchestral musicians alike.
In the summer, Ms. Seeman is on the faculty of the Birch Creek Music Festival in Door County, Wisconsin, and is guest lecturer at Midwest Harp Festival in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
As a solo artist, Ms. Seeman completed her first CD in 2010, Nearer to Heaven, recorded at Bastyr University Chapel in Seattle, Washington. The disc features several original compositions along with transcribed favorites. For more information on her teaching videos, ordering CDs and published music, or other background information, log onto fayeseeman.com.