As an orchestral harpist, Susan has enjoyed a long relationship with the The Hartford Symphony, and was their featured concerto soloist in June of 2008, performing Mozart’s Flute and Harp Concerto with principal flutist, Grieg Shearer. She also plays regularly for the Waterbury Symphony, and the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and performed as harpist for the U.S. Coast Guard Band from 1987-2002. Ms. Thomas regularly plays touring shows for the Bushnell and the Shubert Theaters in Hartford and New Haven, CT, and frequently for Frank Sinatra Jr. and other well known celebrities.

Ms. Thomas, a passionate harp instructor and coach, runs a vigorous harp studio in Connecticut, in addition to her role as faculty member for MusicMakers Academy in Manchester, Trinity College, and Central Connecticut State University. She has coached varied configurations of student ensembles at both the Hartford Conservatory and MusicMakers, and has developed, marketed and run her own student summer course and harp ensemble programs since 2002. An experienced administrator, Ms. Thomas was the Summer Program Coordinator at the Hartford Conservatory from 1999-2002. Her students were first and second and third prize winners in the American Harp Society Connecticut Chapter Harp Competition in the spring of 2005, and 1st and 2nd prize competition winners in 2002.

For more information on Susan Knapp Thomas, harpist, go to: www.harppro.com.

Her experience has placed her under the batons of some of music's greatest luminaries, including conductors ranging from Neeme Jarvi and Yuri Termirkanov to John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith. No less an innovator when it comes to the harp's expressive and stylistic possibilities, Ms. Sesma has also shared the stage with such legends of contemporary and popular music as Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock, Diana Krall and Dianne Reeves.

As of February 2003, Ms. Sesma is currently the 1st enlisted principal harpist with the United States Coast Guard Band. In addition to her position as principal harpist with the Coast Guard she substitutes with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, Hartford, New Haven, Bridgeport, Waterbury, New Britain and Eastern Connecticut Symphonies. Ms. Sesma holds a bachelors in music from the Eastman School of Music and a bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Rochester. She received her masters's from New York University.

Ms. Sesma is the harp instructor for Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT and the adjunct instructor of harp at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT. In addition to a home harp studio, Ms. Sesma also travels frequently to teach harp in Guatemala as a proponent of the Guatemala Harp Project.