Bio

Short Bio

Celisa Christine Gutierrez is a harpist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her playing is marked by its clear tones, rich harmonies, and deep musical color. She focuses on music that provides warmth and resonance; playing beautiful music is always her goal. “This is a musician, harpist and person who embodies both a zest and an awe for life, and a genuine passion and wonderment for music.  Her desire to bring music to the community is inspiring, as well as essential to her journey as an artist and member of society.” (Joan Raeburn Holland, Professor of Harp at the University of Michigan and Interlochen Center for the Arts) Her classical harp training includes a thorough study of the Salzedo technique and draws on the repertoire of Carlos Salzedo, Gabriel Fauré, Marcel Tournier, Paul Hindemith, Claude Debussy, and Germaine Tailleferre.      

Celisa’s most notable performances include competing in the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Paris, presenting degree recitals at Eastern Michigan University and University of Michigan, and concerto performances with the Eastern Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, Pioneer High School Orchestra, and Dexter Community Orchestra. 

She received her Bachelor of Music degree in harp performance from Eastern Michigan University in 2016. She will complete her Master of Music in harp performance from the University of Michigan in 2018. Celisa loves to teach and has a growing private studio. Her students range from three to adult. She is based out of Ann Arbor and runs multiple harp summer camps. 

Photo courtesy of Melanie Reyes Photography

Long Bio
Some of Celisa’s most notable performances include competing in the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Paris, presenting degree recitals at Eastern Michigan University and University of Michigan, and concerto performances with the Eastern Michigan University Symphony Orchestra, Pioneer High School Orchestra, and Dexter Community Orchestra. She has also played in the pit orchestra for operas and musicals including Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette, Rogers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!, The Sound of Music, and Harvey Schmidt’s The Fantasticks.
She has a growing private studio based in Ann Arbor and runs multiple harp summer camps. Celisa loves to teach and her students who range in age from three to adult. The majority play in school orchestras and bands. Some attend intense fine arts camps including Blue Lake and Interlochen. Her students participate in harp ensemble courses and perform regularly in recitals throughout the year. She also holds multiple harp summer camps, including a “Harps & Crafts” camp for young beginners. Ms. Gutierrez’s artistic and pedagogical philosophies highly value sharing music and beauty with those in the community who may not have access to live classical music. This has led her to expand her performance locations to include not only the concert hall, but the local V.A. hospital, nursing homes, churches, and early childhood classes. She encourages her students to do the same.  
Celisa Christine Gutierrez is a harpist from Ann Arbor, Michigan. Her playing is marked by its clear tones, rich harmonies, and deep musical color. She focuses on music that provides warmth and resonance; playing beautiful music is always her goal. “This is a musician, harpist and person who embodies both a zest and an awe for life, and a genuine passion and wonderment for music.  Her desire to bring music to the community is inspiring, as well as essential to her journey as an artist and member of society.  Celisa has a huge appetite for learning and an intense curiosity about how to best share what she knows and has experienced.  The art of teaching and reaching others is in her bones.” (Joan Raeburn Holland, Professor of Harp at the University of Michigan and Interlochen Center for the Arts) Her classical harp training includes a thorough study of the Salzedo technique and draws on the repertoire of Carlos Salzedo, Gabriel Fauré, Marcel Tournier, Paul Hindemith, Claude Debussy, and Germaine Tailleferre.   

As a student, Ms. Gutierrez won numerous awards. As a high school student, she won the Pioneer High School Concerto Competition, received second prize for the Rosalie Edwards Youth Music Competition, and performed as a guest artist with the Dexter Community Orchestra. As an undergraduate, she won the Eastern Michigan Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition and the Barry Manilow Solo Competition. She received a full academic fellowship for her master’s degree from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance, and completed a recording project with the funding of an Excel Grant from the school. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in harp performance from Eastern Michigan University in 2016, where she studied with her childhood teacher Ruth Myers-Brown. She will complete her Master of Music in harp performance from the University of Michigan in 2018, where she currently studies with Joan Raeburn Holland. She has also performed in masterclasses with Alice Giles, Nancy Allen, and Elizabeth Richter. Other teachers with whom she has studied include Patricia Terry-Ross, Judy Loman, Eric Sabatino, and Paula Page. 

There have been many inspiring moments that affirmed Celisa’s decision to become a professional musician, and one of the most recent was her experience of singing sacred music while in Lourdes, France. While on a spiritual pilgrimage, she heard thousands of pilgrims singing the same song together in many different languages. This inspired Celisa to record an album inspired by this music. She is self-producing an album entitled Immaculate Heart which features Marian music arranged for harp and cello, to be used in prayer, healing, and relaxation. Cellist Helen Hawersaat recorded with Celisa at the Duderstadt Audio Studio on the University of Michigan’s north campus in May 2017. Immaculate Heart is Celisa’s first album and is set to be released in 2018.