Alaina's Bio

Dr. Alaina Graiser, originally from Texas, has made it her life’s work to promote the harp and classical music in a way that is appealing and accessible for all ages. An avid performer, researcher, and teacher, Dr. Graiser has shared her passion for pedagogy (the art of teaching) with harpists around the world, including recent engagements teaching harp, music theory, musicianship, class piano, and music appreciation as an Adjunct Instructor at Rhodes College, Arkansas State University, and Sam Houston State University; as Adjunct Instructor of Harp Pedagogy at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music (CCM); guest lecturer for the 2014 World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia; the 2015 American Harp Society Summer Institute in Logan, Utah; the 2017 Lexington Talent Education Association’s Winter Harp Workshop; and harp pedagogy courses in Cincinnati, Ohio and Toronto, Ontario. In addition to managing a thriving studio, Dr. Graiser is an active leader in the harp community, having served as Treasurer of the Greater Houston Chapter of the American Harp Society, President of Cincinnati Chapter of the American Harp Society, director of a monthly harp class for children, founder/ director of the annual Cincinnati Summer Harp Camp, and presenter of numerous community concerts and harp events throughout the year. Dr. Graiser has performed across the United States and Canada, including performances at Carnegie Hall, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and regional tours with the Seabourne Harp Quartet and REFLECT harp+percussion duo. Dr. Graiser has performed with the Delta Symphony, South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Opera Project Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Pops Orchestra, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Marshall Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Graiser received her DMA in harp performance from the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music with Dr. Gillian Sella, her MM from the University of Toronto with Judy Loman, and her BM from the University of Texas at Austin with Delaine Fedson. In addition to being a registered Suzuki harp teacher, she also received three years of intensive pedagogy instruction during her undergraduate studies and has a doctoral cognate in music education. Dr. Graiser’s current projects include creating a research-based sequential, personalized harp curriculum; a harp pedagogy workbook; the “Create Your Own Curriculum” Harp Repertoire Online Database; and preparing transcriptions of Impressionist music and original contemporary repertoire with percussionist Brian Graiser for their REFLECT harp+percussion duo.