History of the Chattanooga Harp Ensemble

The mission of the Chattanooga Harp Ensemble is to offer an opportunity for harpists to come together and enjoy playing in both professional and amateur settings.

Jan Pennington began playing the harp at age 10. She had a joy for living and a talent for music, having studied piano, clarinet, guitar, and voice. She was devoted to improving her skills on the harp and encouraging other harpists. Through her dedication and many fortunate opportunities, she became an accomplished performer and teacher. Though she received many awards, her greatest joy was playing for patients and families at the Memorial Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Suddenly, on March 4, 1999, viral encephalitis took her life at the age of 29. Jan's parents and friends established a scholarship fund for harpists in Jan's memory. Through the fund, Jan's encouragement lives on enabling harpists to grow and find new opportunities.

The Chattanooga Harp Ensemble was organized in November 2005 as an outreach program resulting from the very successful Harp Camp operated by the Jan Pennington Gray Harp Scholarship fund. Jan's parents, Jo and Jim Pennington, decided to offer an opportunity for all local harpists to get to know each other and enjoy playing together.

The Harp Ensemble performs concerts twice a year with seasonal repertoire. Additional concert venues may be suggested and concert dates set up for private functions. In addition to concert rehearsals, members of the ensemble get together once a month to "jam" together just for fun.