Devon Carpenter

Raised in Jacksonville, Illinois, Devon's musical training began at a young age with piano and voice lessons. She began harp study during high school at the age of 15 with Alice Spero Keene at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Subsequent teachers have included Beatriz Martin-Ruiz, Suzann Davids, and Erin Ponto. She has performed with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist, and with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Bradley University Chorale (including on a European tour), Valparaiso Symphony Orchestra, Opera Illinois, Valparaiso University Chorale, and the Bradley University New Music Ensemble. Devon is a member of the American Harp Society, the World Harp Congress, and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

After attending Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, Devon transferred to Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. She graduated from Valparaiso magna cum laude in 2001 with a BA in Music and in 2005 with MA in Liberal Studies (History Concentration). In October of 2009, she returned to her hometown and presented a solo recital in the Jacksonville Public Library. In 2010, she attended the American Harp Society National Conference in Tacoma, Washington.

From 2013-2014, she lived in Mumbai, India, and performed Bollywood music on the harp throughout the country. From 2015-2016 she lived in Lagos, Nigeria, and provided harp music for Irish Government events in Lagos and Abuja, and performed with the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON), including for the world premiere of the New Horizons African Ballet.

Returning to the US in 2016, she is again an active freelance performer, providing harp music for numerous wedding ceremonies, receptions, corporate functions, funerals, and other events throughout the Midwest. Her teaching studio includes harp & piano students of all ages and levels, and she was the founding director of the South Bend Harp Ensemble.