Teachers
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Ben Albertson
Ben Albertson is an accomplished harpist with over eighteen years of performance experience across the United States, Canada, and Europe. Albertson is currently in his fourth season as the principal harpist of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. In 2025, Albertson was appointed as the adjunct professor of harp at the University of Arizona, where he leads its harp department. Albertson was awarded the 2023 Grand Prize at the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs' Emerging Soloists Competition, and he was one of just five Americans selected to compete in the 2022 USA International Harp Competition, the world’s largest and most prestigious.
Albertson arranged and published Stravinsky's 1919 Firebird Suite for solo harp, and he performed the work at the World Harp Congress and American Harp Society’s joint One Harp World Conference in Toronto in July 2026. Albertson has also performed the work across Belgium, Canada, and the United States. Albertson’s recent achievements further include winning the Corcoran Concerto Competition and becoming the youngest finalist in the American Harp Society's National Competition in the Young Professional Division. His solo performances have garnered attention, including his debut on WQXR, New York’s classical radio station, and his first performance with the Eleva Chamber Players in Vermont.
As a chamber musician and soloist, Albertson recently engaged with the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and the Mendocino Music Festival, and he regularly performs on the Tucson Symphony’s Up Close chamber music series. Albertson has also recorded with renowned violinist Mayumi Seiler, a faculty member at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and earned third prize in the Royal Conservatory’s Chamber Music Competition.
As an educator, Albertson leads the harp department at the University of Arizona, where he leads Harp Fusion, the legendary harp ensemble of the University of Arizona. In addition to Harp Fusion, Albertson also leads a harp studio class and provides private lessons to the harp students at the university. Albertson also maintains a private teaching studio in Tucson and online.
In May 2026, Albertson returned to Carnegie Hall to play with alumni from the National Youth Orchestra for a Carnegie Hall gala under the baton of Yannik Nézet-Séguin. In February 2025, Albertson received notification of his tenure with the Tucson Symphony, solidifying his role as the principal harpist. In addition to his work in Tucson, Albertson regularly performs with the Phoenix Symphony and has played with the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.
As a soloist, in March 2025, Albertson made his solo debut with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs in Colorado, and he has previously performed as a soloist with notable ensembles, including the Royal Conservatory Orchestra in Canada and the Olympia Symphony Orchestra in Washington State.
Albertson’s formal education was pursued at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, where he was awarded the full tuition Marylin and Charles E. Baillie Family Scholarship for both undergraduate and graduate studies. Ben has also attended several renowned summer music festivals, including the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado, on full scholarship. Albertson has studied under the tutelage of some of the world’s foremost harpists, including the legendary Judy Loman.
Albertson is deeply honored to perform on a historic Salzedo model harp, once owned, designed, and played by the renowned harpist Carlos Salzedo himself. Albertson also plays a modern instrument, a Lyon and Healy Style 85, produced in 2025.
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Carla Fabris
Swiss-American Harpist Carla Fabris has performed internationally and is an active performer of orchestral, solo, and chamber music, as well as a music educator. She is currently Principal Harpist of the New Mexico Philharmonic and the Santa Fe Symphony. Carla has performed as an orchestral harpist with many professional groups including Tucson Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, Opera Parallèle, San Diego Symphony, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Carla has previously taught and given masterclasses at the Interlochen Arts Camp as well as the M-Pulse Harp Institute, the University of Michigan’s summer program. From 2018-2024, she was the harp instructor at Tucson Youth Music (TYM), a non-profit music center that offers free music lessons to underserved youth. From 2022-2025, Carla was the University of Arizona School of Music faculty harp instructor.
The harp as a modality for healing and relaxation is another one of Carla’s areas of musical interest. She has extensive experience playing in public health care settings, which she began at UCSF Parnassus and Mission Bay hospitals in San Francisco. Since 2017, Carla has served as harpist for the Healing Art Program at Tucson Medical Center, providing music for staff, visitors, and patients throughout the hospital and hospice facilities. She presented her work in this field at the 2022 American Harp Society National Conference. Carla is also active within the national harp community, serving as Chapter Chair of the American Harp Society (AHS) since 2023, and as President of her local AHS chapter since 2021.
Carla received a Bachelor of Music Degree in Harp Performance from the University of Michigan where she studied with Lynne Aspnes and Joan Holland. Carla received her Master of Music Degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, where she studied with Doug Rioth.Contact Carla at:
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Dr. Christine Vivona
Christine is an award winning harpist and a Grammy nominee. She has a Master of Music from The Juilliard School and a Doctorate of Music from the U of A. She teaches classical, popular and jazz on harp.
Christine has been playing with the Tucson Symphony since 1986, is Principal harp with True Concord Voices and Orchestra and has played harp with other orchestras in the Southwest. Her many CDs include solo works as well as collaborations with classical and jazz musicians. Dr. Vivona’s students have won numerous awards and competitions nationally and internationally and many have received college scholarships.
Contact Christine at:
And visit:
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Patricia Adams Harris
Patricia teaches private lessons for children and adults at her studio, specializing in teaching adults and seniors. No previous musical training is required. She has lever harps for rent to her students. Patricia teaches all musical styles, specializing in classical music. She has a Bachelor's of Music Education and a Master's of Music degree, and has been teaching since 1962.
“I love to teach. It is a passion of mine to encourage students!”
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Melissa Varga
Melissa teaches private harp lessons in Northwest Tucson. She freelances throughout Southern Arizona and performs as principal harpist with the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra. She received both her Master of Music and Bachelor’s of Music from the University of Arizona in harp performance. Melissa serves on the board of S.O.P.H.I.A. Tucson, the local chapter of the American Harp Society.
Melissa also teaches Let’s Play Music, a music theory and keyboard class for children, which prepares kids for private lessons in any instrument.
Contact Melissa at:
And visit:
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Let's play music! with Ms. Melissa
Do you have a little one interested in music but too young to play an instrument?
Melissa Varga is a certified Let's Play Music teacher in NW Tucson.
The Let's Play Music program is a groundbreaking curriculum that teaches advanced musical skills to young children ages 4-6 in researched based, age appropriate methods.
Interested in the program?
Please contact Melissa at her Let's Play Music email:
melissavarga@letsplaymusicsite.com
And visit:
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Rebecca Foreman In Memorandum
Rebecca Foreman was active throughout the Southwest as a recitalist and orchestral musician. She was principal harpist with the Tucson Pops Orchestra and also performed as a substitute player with the Phoenix Symphony and Tucson Symphony.
Rebecca was an active harp instructor in both Phoenix and Tucson. Her students have placed in All-State Festival auditions, the American String Teachers’ Association (ASTA) State Solo Competition, and the ASTA National Honors Orchestra. Between 2000 and 2007 she was professor of harp at Arizona State University and was also a music educator with Amphitheater Public Schools in Tucson.
A few words about Becky below, from fellow harpist and friend Christine Vivona:
Becky always had a smile on her face. She was completely in love with the harp and making pretty music. Her goal seemed to be playing beautiful music for as many people as she could in her community. I have had the pleasure of living in the same neighborhood as Becky, her husband Ron, boys Roger and Brian for the past several decades. The boys are grown men living in California now but Tucson has always been home for them.
Becky was a harpist that took on all kinds of challenges in the harp world. I first met her at a competition in CA that we were both competing in. She received a Bachelor and Master of at Music at USC. Her first harp teacher was Trish Harris and they played throughout Tucson since the 1970s. Becky was harpist for the Tucson Pops, the Flagstaff Symphony and SASO.
My favorite thing about Becky was that we got to see each other almost daily while walking in our neighborhood. Her care, compassion and love for her family and music was the best part of her. I loved how she was always interested in what I, and the other harpists in town, were doing musically.
My heart breaks for her family and I have lost a good friend. I will carry on her enthusiasm in my heart.