About
Please note: Due to the pandemic, I am not confirming any new dates at this time.
A broken arm led me to the harp.
Back when I was two years old, I was tinkering around on the family piano one day and fell off the piano bench. Blaming the piano for my cumbersome cast and itchy misery, I declared that the instrument was not for me. Instead, I gravitated towards the harp. My mother is a harpist, and there were harps “lying around” the house.
I began studying the harp at the age of five. As a former student of Jeanne Chalifoux, I am proud to be part of a distinctive lineage begun by the worldclass harpist, composer, and teacher, Carlos Salzedo.
The Salzedo method of harp playing emphasizes the importance of musicality, technical proficiency, aesthetics, and performance. My participation for four summers in the Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, Maine under the instruction of the late Alice Chalifoux enhanced these hallmarks in my approach to the harp.
I was born in Washington, DC, and raised in Alexandria, Virginia,where I have performed for thousands of engagements since 1995.
In the recent past, I was the featured harpist for Macy's Cherry Blossom Celebration of Music Show, the GW Masonic Memorial's George Washington Birthday Gala, the Global Child Nutrition Foundation's "A Possible Dream" Gala, George Washington University's Commencement Dinner, and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Cherry Blossom exhibition opening.
I was part of the harp quartet that provided ceremony music for Secretary of the Treasury Mnuchin's 2017 wedding, which was attended by the 45th President of the United States.
Well-versed in official event protocol, I have performed for a host of guests, including Justice Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Clarice Smith, David Rubenstein, Christine Lagarde, Thurgood Marshall Jr., Members of Congress, Cabinet Secretaries, ambassadors, and heads of state,including the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo.
I was honored to have set the stage for a 56th Presidential Inauguration celebration held in the National Archives' Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom. My music was also heard during the grand opening of the Archives' Treaty of Paris exhibit, as well as for art openings at the Embassy of Russia and the Meridian International Center. I was recently engaged for a series of events held at designer Max Mara stores in Tysons Galleria and Chevy Chase, and have shared the harp abroad, having performed for audiences in South Korea and Wales.
Cultivated over 31 years of dedication to the harp, my music speaks to a vast range of audiences, from young children and local brides to Warren Buffet, Melinda Gates, Barron Hilton, and other esteemed members of The Giving Pledge, for whom I was thrilled to perform.
I earned my Bachelor of Music in Harp Performancefrom the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University,and my Master of Arts in Museum Studies, also from Johns Hopkins University.
In addition to my work as a harpist, I am an employee of the Library of Congress.
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Reviews of Diana Marie Gibbs, Harpist
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Beautiful wedding music; mello and lovely and very professional.
I had the honor of being chosen to photograph Diana's own wedding in New Orleans, not even knowing she was a professional harpist. After meeting her, and now reading her reviews, credentials, and listening to the musical selections on her website, this lady is super talented!! Without question, one of the easiest and relaxed out of town brides I have had the pleasure of working with. If she is that laid back for her own wedding, imagine how wonderful she is to work with for yours!! Diana, your music is beautiful and I do hope to work with you again in that capacity. -Paul B. Mouton PBM Photography
Diana is kind, punctual and an amazing harpist - all the qualities you need in a fabulous ceremony musician! Hands down, I would recommend her to any bride who is looking for the most beautiful music in the DC area. I can't wait to work with her on future events!