Desiree Blute is a 16-year-old harpist in her sophomore year at The Gregory School in Tucson, Arizona, studying under harpist Christine Vivona. Desiree has been performing with the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra for the past six years and is the principal harpist this year. Additionally, she has been a guest performer with the Catalina Foothills High School band, the Green Valley Concert Band, the Arizona Symphonic Winds, and the Foothills Philharmonic. Desiree was the principal harpist of the South Central Regional Honor Orchestra in both 2023 and 2024, and successfully auditioned into the Arizona All-State Orchestra in 2023. In May of 2022, Desiree was selected by the Arizona Department of Health Services to serve as a role model for teens in an anti-vaping campaign, the Unvape Generation. Last Valentine’s Day, she performed a 4 part recital series at La Encantada entitled “Love Notes.”
Desiree received many musical accolades throughout her middle and early high school years. As a 7th grader, Desiree was recognized as a special citation winner in the Tucson Philharmonia scholarship competition. This year she was a finalist in the same event. She has placed first in the harp division of the Civic Orchestra’s Young Artist Concerto Competition for the past three years and was featured as a guest soloist in their concert last spring. Desiree was also recently the featured soloist with the Arizona Symphonic Winds, performing the first movement of the Boieldieu Harp Concerto. She was recognized with a “Best in Class” acknowledgment in the Arizona State High School Solo and Ensemble competition, one of 34 out of 829 students to do so. At the World’s Strides festival in Disneyland, Desiree was one of twelve students chosen from 2000 musicians to receive the “Maestro” award for demonstrating exceptional musicianship two years in a row. In addition to her harp playing, Desiree is a competitive swimmer competing at the state and national levels. For more information and videos of her past performances, you can visit her website at desireebluteharp.com.
You can find Desiree’s 2024 Spring Music Competition harp performance here.