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Grace Roepke has earned distinction as a successful solo performer and competitor in the United States and abroad. She has received numerous honors, including top prizes in the American Harp Society National Competition, the Dutch Harp Festival World Harp Competition, the Cleveland Institute of Music Concerto Competition, and the Friends of the Minnesota Orchestra Competition, where she received the Grand and First prize, making her the first and only harpist to do so in the competition's 60-year history.
Equally at home as an orchestral musician, Ms. Roepke has served as guest principal harp with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra and the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra. She has spent summers as a fellowship recipient at the Texas Music Festival, Round Top Festival Institute, a full-tuition scholarship recipient at the Eastern Music Festival, and an Emerson Scholar at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp. Her extensive orchestral experience has allowed her to work with notable conductors including Hans Graf, JoAnn Falletta, and Jahja Ling. As a chamber musician, Ms. Roepke enjoys collaborating in traditional and contemporary ensembles, including the BlueWater Chamber Orchestra as guest principal harp and the Cleveland Institute of Music New Music Ensemble.
In addition to her performance career, Ms. Roepke is an avid music educator and autism advocate. Her passion for autism advocacy has led to autism-inspired commissions by Yoav Sadeh and is working to develop sensory friendly music concerts that are free and open to the public. Ms. Roepke maintains a private studio and is a Suzuki certified teacher, having trained in the Suzuki method herself as a young student.
Currently, Ms. Roepke is studying with Yolanda Kondonassis as a recipient of the CIM Orchestral Career Fellowship. She previously received her MM (2021) and BM (2019) from CIM; 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 studied with Phala Tracy and Kathy Kienzle.