Alison Bjorkedal – Past Concerts

Hailed by the LA Times as an "excellent player" and "a force field unto her own, yet joined in something bigger" Alison Bjorkedal is a passionate ambassador for the harp, with a focus on new music.​ A 2014 GRAMMY award winner, Alison also specializes in performing the music of Harry Partch on replicas of his unique instruments.

Her symphonic, operatic and ballet performances include The Industry, San Diego Symphony, Pasadena Symphony/Pops Orchestra, Long Beach Symphony, San Luis Obispo Symphony, Downey Symphony, Long Beach Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Santa Barbara, Opera at the Broad, Golden State Pops Orchestra, Los Angeles Film Orchestra, American Contemporary Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Wordless Music, and MUSE/IQUE. She is principal of Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra.​

Chamber and solo performances include Jacaranda Chamber Music, wasteLAnd, Partch Ensemble, wildUP, Sundays at Two (Beverly Hills), The Echo Society, Wadada Leo Smith's Pacifica Coral Reef Orchestra, Salastina Chamber Music Society, Microfest, Just Strings, and Southwest Chamber Music. Since 2004, Alison is part of Duo Ondine with flautist Boglarka Kiss.

Alison was featured as soloist with the Pasadena Symphony, Downey Symphony Orchestra, California Chamber Orchestra, American Contemporary Ballet, Southwest Chamber music, and UC San Diego New Music Ensemble "Palimpsest".​

As an advocate for contemporary music, Alison's notable world premieres include William Kraft's Encounters XII for harp and percussion; James Tenney's "Changes for 6 harps"; Anne LeBaron's HSING for solo harp and LeBaron's "Some Things Should Not Move" for soprano, flute, harp and double bass; and Wadada Leo Smith's Ten Freedom Summers, a 2013 Pulitzer Prize finalist.​ Notable solo performances include Lei Liang's "Harp Concerto" with UC San Diego New Music Ensemble "Palimpsest", Eve Beglarian's "Melancholy Fate", Luciano Berio's Sequenza II. ​​

Her chamber recordings include Grammy-winning "Plectra and Percussion Dances", Southwest Chamber Music's "Complete Chamber Music of Carlos Chávez, Volume 4" and William Kraft's "Encounters", both Latin-Grammy nominated. As part of Just Strings, she released "Harrison: Works for harp, guitar and percussion".

Alison was born and raised in Kennewick, WA. She began musical studies at age 3 with Suzuki piano. Her freshman year of high school, Alison fell in love with the harp after seeing a classmate perform in the school talent show and begged her parents for lessons. Early studies included driving to Portland, OR to study with Denise Fujikawa.

Alison received her Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Oregon (magna cum laude) where she studied harp with Sally Maxwell and Laura Zaerr. Alison earned her Masters and Doctorate of Musical Arts degree in harp performance from the USC Thornton School of Music, where she studied with JoAnn Turovsky.