Dr. Alaina Graiser

An avid performer, researcher, and teacher, Dr. Alaina Graiser, has shared her passion for the harp, piano, music pedagogy, and the many facets of studying music with people around the world, including recent engagements as adjunct instructor of harp at Sam Houston State University; adjunct instructor of harp pedagogy at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music; guest lecturer at the World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia; the American Harp Society Summer Institute in Logan, Utah; and the Lexington Talent Education Association Midwinter Harp Workshop, as well as presenting harp pedagogy courses around the midwest US and Toronto, Canada. In addition to harp, Dr. Graiser has flourished teaching music theory, musicianship, music appreciation, and class piano at the collegiate level. Throughout both her own collegiate studies and her professional career, Dr. Graiser has enjoyed maintaining a thriving studio of harp and piano students of all ages and levels, including group harp classes and ensembles.

Always looking for opportunities to make the harp more visible and accessible, Dr. Graiser served as treasurer of the Greater Houston Chapter of the American Harp Society, president of Cincinnati Chapter, and director of the annual Cincinnati Summer Harp Camp. Dr. Graiser has performed across the United States and Canada, including performances at Carnegie Hall, the American Harp Society Summer Institute, the Percussive Arts Society International Convention, and regional tours with the REFLECT harp+percussion duo. Beyond formal performances, she also enjoys sharing the harp with the community through solo, chamber music, and harp ensemble performances at various local places where a harp might brighten someone’s day!

Dr. Graiser received her DMA in harp performance from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music with Gillian Benet Sella, following her MM from the University of Toronto with Judy Loman and the BM from the University of Texas at Austin with Delaine Leonard. Dr. Graiser lives in Jonesboro with her husband Brian (the Instructor of Percussion at A-State), their two sons, and their two rabbits.