Gretchen Brumwell

Gretchen Brumwell is Assistant Adjunct Professor of Harp at the University of Northern Iowa. She serves as principal harpist of Orchestra Iowa and is an active performer throughout eastern Iowa. In addition to her work as an orchestral and freelance musician, she has appeared as a featured soloist with many area symphonies, including Orchestra Iowa and the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony. As a chamber musician, she is a regular performer on Orchestra Iowa’s Showcase Chamber series. 

In addition to her work at UNI, Ms. Brumwell serves as harp instructor at Coe College and maintains an active private studio, including directing the Brumwell Studio Harp Ensemble. In the summer she is the harp instructor at the Five Seasons Chamber Music Festival. 

Ms. Brumwell premiered and recorded several newly-composed works: Jeremy Beck’s “Songs Without Words” for harp and flute, and Andrew Earle Simpson’s “Four Views of Pompeii” for string quartet and harp. 

Ms. Brumwell followed an unusual path to the field of music, receiving a bachelor’s degree in biblical studies and humanities from Grace University before earning her master’s degree in harp performance from Rice University. While at Rice University, she was a regular substitute with the Houston Symphony and the Houston Ballet Orchestra. She has studied with Paula Page, Mary Bircher, and the legendary Alice Chalifoux.