Kathryn Harsha

Kathryn Harsha brings extensive experience and passion to her work as Artistic Director and conductor. She earned a Master of Music in Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music and a Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance from Bluffton University. While studying at the Sorbonne in Paris, she served as Assistant Conductor of the Chorale des Étudiants Etrangères and studied conducting at the Messiaen Conservatoire in Saint-Maurice, France. She has conducted performances in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Ireland, and Scotland, including performances at the Kennedy Center, Severance Hall, and St. Giles’ Cathedral.

In Cleveland, she led the Lakeland Civic Orchestra and served as Music Director of Opera per Tutti (now Cleveland Opera Theater). For 20 years, Kathryn directed the Sing Out! benefit concerts for the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, with the Visionary Voice award named in her honor in 2018. Kathryn enjoys sharing her love of music with all ages, and spent four seasons with the Peabody Children’s Chorus as Assistant Director, Accompanist, and Chorus Manager and as Executive Director of the Opus Community Music School, overseeing significant organizational growth and expanded musical opportunities.

Kathryn is honored to serve as Artistic Director for Programming at Encore Creativity, and as Artistic Director of the Alexandria Choral Society and Pro Coro Alexandria, where she continues to share her love of music and commitment to artistic excellence.