San Diego Symphony principal harpist Julie Ann Smith has joined the faculty at Arizona State University for the 2013–2014 school year, following the resignation of Lynne Aspnes. “I am very excited to be a part of this fantastic program and renowned institution,” says Smith. “In this new role, I will be teaching individual and studio harp, as well as orchestral repertoire study. I look forward to the further development of this already booming harp studio, and to teaching and preparing harpists for their professional careers after college.”
“I am very pleased that ASU acted on my recommendation to interview Julie” said Aspnes, who resigned from ASU over the summer following the death of her husband Ken Pokorny. Aspnes now plans to reside in Petoskey, Mich., where she recently founded the American Harp Center. Her plans include programming for the American Harp Center’s 2014 season, continued work with her TrueNorth duo partner John Wickey, and recording a solo CD. “There will certainly be the practice time to make that happen, I think,” she says. She is also planning a trip to teach in Tasmania in March, 2014.
