Gretchen Sheetz Kirby is a solo, chamber, and orchestral harpist in Southern California. While classically trained, Gretchen has enjoyed performances featuring a diverse range of repertoires, including jazz combo gigs, musical theatre shows (such as The Fantasticks and A Little Night Music) and new music premieres. Her freelance career has provided her with opportunities to accompany artists from the Metropolitan Opera and the Los Angeles Opera, perform for members of the British Royal Family, and play at unique venues, from The Montage hotel in Laguna Beach to the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. She has also performed with the San Luis Obispo Opera Symphony, Irvine Symphony, and Masterworks Orchestra (Irvine, CA), as well as with orchestral and choral ensembles at multiple universities in Orange County.

Gretchen earned her Master’s in Music in harp performance from The Boston Conservatory at Berklee in May 2017, where she was a student of Ina Zdorovetchi; she completed her undergraduate education at Concordia University Irvine (B.A. ’14, music, Summa Cum Laude) and harp studies with Mindy Ball. Gretchen currently serves as the Director of Music and Worship Arts at Aliso Creek Church, teaches music history classes at Concordia, and maintains a busy freelance career and private harp studio.

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