Paula Page, born in Odessa, Texas and raised in Philadelphia, served as Principal Harpist of the Houston Symphony from 1984 until her retirement from the orchestra in 2014. Prior to her Houston appointment, she was a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony in the dual positions of harpist and keyboard artist.
A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, Miss Page began her career as Principal Harpist of the Oklahoma Symphony Orchestra. She has been guest harpist with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra, and is Principal Harpist of the Grand Teton Music Festival. Miss Page is a frequent participant in various chamber music series in Houston and has been featured at several national conferences of the American Harp Society and at two meetings of the World Harp Congress. She has served as a judge for numerous competitions including the ASTA (American String Teachers Association) and the Corpus Christi International competition. In 2006 Miss Page was honored to receive the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Always eager to combine performance and pedagogy, she has served on the faculties of the University of Oklahoma, Temple University Institute, Carnegie-Mellon University, Interlochen Arts Camp and is currently Associate Professor of Harp at The Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and the Moores School of Music at the University of Houston. During the summer she is a member of the faculty at the Texas Music Festival and the International Festival-Institute at Round Top.
Following in the pattern of her primary mentor, Alice Chalifoux, Paula Page combines her performance career as Principal Harp of the Houston Symphony and teaching experience at several universities and music festivals. Her experience is an invaluable resource to her students. Graduates of The Shepherd School Harp Studio are assuming various posts with orchestra and chamber music ensembles as well as with notable educational institutions.
Miss Page comes from a highly successful musical family. Her father is Robert Page, conductor and her mother, Glynn Page, recently retired from the Department of Drama at Carnegie-Mellon University. Her sister, soprano Carolann Page, is an established artist in opera, Broadway and recital.