Harpist Ann Marie Liss is lauded for her colorful musical palette and inspirational tone as a solo artist and chamber musician. A Colorado native, she has performed as a soloist and principal harpist with orchestras throughout the United States and Europe including the Colorado Springs Philharmonic, Breckenridge Music Festival and National Repertory Orchestra, and has recorded television and radio productions with Radio France, the Théâtre Français de la Musique, Opéra du Théâtre Impérial de Compiègne, and the United States Air Force Academy Band. She has concertized with the Off The Hook chamber music festival, and in 2017 she joins the Crested Butte Music Festival as principal harpist.
The youngest harpist to be awarded the prestigious Diplôme Supérieure de Concertiste (D.M.A.) from the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, Dr. Liss was inspired by the art of chamber music and pursued simultaneous degrees in conjunction with the Conservatoire National de Région de Paris in cooperation with Conservatoire Municipale Darius Milhaud earning a double Diplôme Supérieure (M.M.) specializing in both chamber music and harp performance. Continuing in her musical formation, Ann Marie extended her chamber music studies at the Conservatoire National de Région de Rueil-Malmaison and post-doctoral harp performance studies in Lyon, France. She has studied under the direction of Mary Kay Waddington, Dr. Kathy Bundock-Moore, Isabelle Perrin, and Germaine Lorenzini.
A featured musician on the runways of Paris Fashion Week and the World Harp Congress, Ann Marie has performed on the stages of the famed Sydney Opera House and Paris’ Salle Cortot, and her music has received accolades from musicians and dignitaries including Sir Elton John, Billy Joel, Colorado Governors and the Vice President of the United States. She is laureate of the Lyon & Healy Awards, American Harp Society National Competition, North London Festival of Music and Dance Camac Competition, and many other national and international competitions. A member of the Performance Faculty at the University of Denver Lamont School of Music and Denver School of the Arts, Dr. Liss has also held Faculty and Resident Artist positions with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas, Colorado College, and University of Northern Colorado, and has taught masterclasses across the United States including the Cincinatti Conservatory of Music, Colorado State University, University of Wyoming, San Diego Harp Society, Western States Orchestra Festival, and Denver Young Artists Orchestra. Dr. Liss also maintains an active private studio and enjoys working with novice to post-graduate students of all ages and is widely sought out as an instructor, coach, and clinician, specializing in technical foundation, tone production, and brain integration in musical performance.