GRACE  ROEPKE

Grace Roepke is an international award winning soloist and one of the most sought-after orchestral harpists of her generation. Appointed in 2026 as Principal Harp of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra by Stéphane Denève, Ms. Roepke previously held the position of Principal Harp with the Louisville Orchestra for three seasons. She has performed as Guest Principal Harp with The Cleveland Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra.

 

As the only harpist to be awarded The Grand Prize at the FRIENDS of the Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition, Ms. Roepke made her Minnesota Orchestra subscription concert debut in 2023 performing Ginastera’s Harp Concerto with Miguel Harth-Bedoya. Additional solo appearances include performances with the Louisville Orchestra, Peninsula Music Festival, Long Bay Symphony, Cleveland Institute of Music Orchestra and Eastern Music Festival Orchestra. She has received top prizes in numerous competitions including the American Harp Society National Competition, Dutch World Harp Competition and Lyon & Healy Awards. Her festival appearances have included the Peninsula Music Festival, Grant Park Music Festival, Lucerne Festival Academy, Round Top Festival Institute and Texas Music Festival.

 

Passionate about exploring the capabilities of the harp, Ms. Roepke is a frequent contemporary music performer and collaborator. She presented the live premiere of “Time Lapse” by Patrick Harlin as a part of Yolanda Kondonassis’ FIVE MINUTES for Earth Project, and worked closely with composers Baldwin Giang, Anthony R. Green, Oswald Huynh and Chelsea Komschlies while a member of the Louisville Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Ms. Roepke has performed with the Ariel Concert Series, Derby City Chamber Orchestra and NouLou Chamber Players.

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In addition to her performance career, Ms. Roepke is a dedicated music educator. She has been on the faculty at the Brevard Music Center, and has given masterclasses at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Suzuki Association of the Americas Conference and the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy. Ms. Roepke is a certified Suzuki teacher, having trained in the method herself as a young student, and currently maintains a private studio offering both in-person and virtual lessons to students of all ages.

 

Ms. Roepke began her musical journey at the age of six, and is a proud third-generation harpist following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother. She received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music where she studied with GRAMMY nominated soloist Yolanda Kondonassis. Additionally, she received an Artist Diploma as an inaugural member of the Robinson Orchestral Career Fellowship, continuing her studies with Kondonassis as well as various Cleveland Orchestra musicians. Upon graduation, she was awarded the Maurice and Judith Kaplow Prize for Uncommon Creativity, the Jocelyn Chang and Michael Leese Award in Harp and the Alice Chalifoux Prize in Harp. Ms. Roepke is a native of Chanhassen, Minnesota where she was a student of Phala Tracy.