C.V.
Melissa Achten: h a r p i s t :: c o m p o s e r :: i m p r o v i s o r Los Angeles, CA
IG: @harpistemology / YouTube: @melissaachten333
E D U C A T I O N
McGill University (Montreal, QC) - Master of Music, Harp Performance Summa Cum Laude
Cornish College of the Arts (Seattle, WA) - Bachelor of Music, Harp Performance Magna Cum Laude
R E S I D E N C I E S & G R A N T S
SÍM Residency, Reykjavik (2025)
New Music USA Award, USA (2025)
Foundation for Contemporary Arts grant, New York (2023)
Darmstadt Summer Festival Kranichstein prize honorable mention, Germany (2023)
American Harp Society composition grant, USA (2022)
S E L E C T P E R F O R M A N C E S
_______________ 2026
Cassette; New York, NY (solo)
Human Resources; Los Angeles, CA (duo with Deathflavorkiss)
KM28; Berlin, Germany (solo)
Project Blank; San Diego, CA (solo)
Sine & Symbol Festival; Tucson, AZ (solo)
_______________ 2025
Studio S II; New York, NY (solo and duo)
The Broad Musuem; Los Angeles, CA (solo)
Mengi; Reykjavík, Iceland (duo with Rán)
University of the Arts Iceland; Reykjavík, Iceland (solo)
_______________ 2024
Bendix Building; Los Angeles, CA (solo)
The Center for Theatre Research; Brooklyn, NY (duo with Deathflavorkiss)
Automata; Los Angeles, CA (duo with Precision of Discipline)
_______________ 2 0 2 3
USC; Los Angeles, CA (chamber ensemble)
Brønshøj Water Tower; Copenhagen, Denmark (duo with Rán)
Darmstadt Summer Festival; Darmstadt, Germany (solo and duo)
_______________ 2 0 2 2
Bang on a Can LOUD weekend at MASS MoCA; North Adams, MA (solo and chamber)
Chapel Performance Space; Seattle, WA (solo)
Indexical; Santa Cruz, CA (solo)
R E C O R D I N G S
Basso Continuo (2026) - composed by Sarah Davachi, performed by Ghost Ensemble
The Water Tower (2025) - composed & performed by Melissa Achten and Ida Nørby
Beauty Cave (2024) - composed & performed by Melissa Achten
SALT (2023) - composed & performed by Melissa Achten and Eli Klausner
Pari Intervallo (2021) - composed by Arvo Pärt, transcription by Melissa Achten for solo harp
Traces: Sarah (2021) - composed by Tom Baker for solo harp with electronics
S E L E C T P R E M I E R E S
Basso Continuo (2026) - composed by Sarah Davachi, commission & premiere by Ghost Ensemble
Labyrinths III (2023) - composed by Eli Klausner, premiere at the Darmstadt summer festival
SALT (2023) - composed by Melissa Achten & Eli Klausner, premieres in Los Angeles, Cyprus, London, & New York
HEART SCENES (2022) - composed by Marguerite Brown
Prime (2022) - composed by Yaz Lancaster, premiere at the Bang on a Can summer festival
Traces: Sarah (2020) - composed by Tom Baker, commission for the American Harp Society
E N S E M B L E S & C O L L A B O R A T I O N S
Ghost Ensemble — principal harpist for New York-based experimental new music ensemble
Rán — duo with cellist Ida Nørby
Deathflavorkiss — duo with Eli Klausner for handbuilt instruments
Precision of Discipline — duo with hageum player Jeonghyeon Joo
P R O F E S S I O N A L E X P E R I E N C E
Co-Founder & Co-Executive Director; Oracle Egg _______________ 2022 to present
Private Harp Instructor _________________ 2020 to present