Rebekah performs on Show 470.

Rebekah Esper (harp), 16, from Novi, Michigan, is currently a junior at Novi High School. Originally from Chicago, Rebekah’s musical journey began at The People’s Music School at the age of five, singing in the choir and taking music theory lessons. A year later she was introduced to the harp, and it has guided her musical journey ever since.

While in Chicago, Rebekah’s music education was led by The People’s Music School (TPMS) and the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CPMI). She has had the opportunity to study with Katie Ventura, Eleanor Kirk, Cheryl Losey Feder, and her current teacher, Alyssa Katahara. Rebekah received her first performance award in 2016, winning the TPMS Top Jury Score Award. Additional accolades include honorable mention in the Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Harp Society (GCCAHS) Virtual Scholarship Competition and receiving a 2022 Lift Award from the Lift Music Fund for underrepresented students pursuing a career in music.

After moving to Michigan in the summer of 2022, Rebekah joined the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Civic Youth Ensembles, where she plays with the Civic Philharmonic Orchestra and takes part in Senza, a professional development program that supports young musicians in the Detroit area. A year later, she joined the Detroit Youth Symphony Orchestra and has played in both ensembles ever since. Over the past few summers, Rebekah has had the opportunity to attend the University of Michigan’s MPulse Harp Institute and the Young Artist’s Harp Seminar in Chestertown, Maryland. She is looking forward to returning to the MPulse Harp Institute this coming summer.

Outside of music, Rebekah volunteers in the nursery at her church and is a member of her high school’s cross-country team. In college, Rebekah plans to study nursing while continuing to be involved in music in any and all ways possible.

Receiving the Award will support Rebekah by covering the cost of harp regulation, which is crucial to maintaining a harp in its optimal playing condition. The funds will also cover the purchase of a much-needed harp cart and will support her return to the MPulse Harp Institute this summer.