Christina Tourin

Christina is a second generation harpist, who began playing harp at the age of four. She received Music and Education degrees from the University of Vermont and also studied harp at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria and at McGill University in Montreal. She received her Music Therapy equivalency from Arizona State University. In addition to 20 years of public school music teaching, she studied Steiner Education and has taught in Waldorf Schools. As an recording artist with 15 recordings distributed Internationally, she has toured extensively. She is an active workshop organizer and has been instrumental in the revival of the folk harp since the early 1970’s. In 1982 she founded the Scottish Harp Society of America. Healing with Sound, working in hospitals and hospices, composing, teaching, and writing books round out her full life. She founded the International Harp Therapy Program in 1994.

Professor Barbara Crowe

Recently retired as Director of Music Therapy at Arizona State University, having held a similar position at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne from 1977-1981. She holds a Bachelor’s degree (1973) and Master¹s degree (1977) in music therapy from Michigan State University and completed her clinical internship at Ypsilanti State Hospital in Michigan. Professor Crowe’s research interests include the historical antecedents of modern music therapy and the theoretical foundations of music therapy practice. She is a past Vice President and President of the National Association for Music. She is the author of four books including “Music and Soul Making” and “A Transpersonal Model of Music Therapy” and numerous articles and book chapters. She is a treasured Core Instructor of the IHTP since 1999.

Richard McQuellon

Richard McQuellon is Director of the Psychosocial Oncology and Cancer Patient Support Programs at Wake Forest University/Baptist Medical Center. He is Professor, Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. He has a B.S. is in Psychology from the University of Washington and a PhD in Counseling Psychology from Michigan State University. His research and publications are in the area of quality of life in cancer, interpersonal communication, and depression in chronic illness. He has taught graduate courses at Michigan State and Wake Forest Universities and consulted in London, Ireland and throughout the US on effective communication skills and quality of life research. His daily clinical work is centered around conversation with cancer patients and their family members.

Judith Hitt

Judith received her B.S. in nursing from State University in New York. She studied cello at the New England Conservatory of Music. She is a certified Resonant Kinesiologist and has taught with Susan Gallagher Borg for many years. As a musician and recording artist, Judith has integrated her music and healing backgrounds to create a unique synthesis of sound and healing. Her work with stroke survivors has been featured in Jonathan Goldmans’ book, Healing Sounds.

Sunita Staneslow

Sunita Staneslow is a native of Minnesota but has made Israel her home since the year 2000. For the past decade, Sunita has been working at a children’s hospital as a therapeutic harpist where she puts to practice the art of playing with a gentle flow. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music she has become widely known for her accessible arrangements and performing in various genres. Sunita is a frequent performer and instructor at major folk harp festivals, was featured in the Virtual Harp Summit and is an instructor for the on-line Harp Column Academy. You can find Sunita on Spotify or in person, walking her dog by the sea in Jaffa or even playing in a local Irish pub. She even spent six months with her husband cycling across Europe with her harp! They now run boutique harp tours of Scotland and Israel. Their next project is to renovate an old stone house in Shetland. https://hamars.uk/

Rachel Christensen

Rachel Christensen, Harpist, CTHP, BIS describes herself as a lifelong musician, but after several years study as a music major at the University of Minnesota, she changed course to a business focus. Her professional career was spent in banking and business management. After selling her business in 2014, she refocused her involvement in music and harp. She enrolled in the IHTP in 2007 and was certified in 2010. Since that time she has remained active as a mentor of the program and an occasional workshop teacher. Rachel is a private lesson and Skype instructor, performs with several symphony orchestras and choral groups, and solo harp performance. She has been an active volunteer with numerous organizations, and currently serves as the Secretary of the NSBTM board. In addition to playing for people, Rachel enjoys playing therapeutically for animals. She lives in Minnesota and Florida with her husband, and three cats and a dog.

Dr Karen Soronow, Psy.D

Karen has worked in the field of mental health and coaching for many years focusing on personal growth, spiritually transformational experiences, near death experiences, trauma recovery / relationship dynamics, daily life stress management; and facilitating support groups. In addition, Karen’s experience focuses on guided imagery, meditation, and creative art & harp therapies. Her educational background includes a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, an M.A. in Clinical Psychology. Resonant Kinesiology instructor training program; Certificate in facilitating groups with Near Death Experiencers and Spiritual Transformational Experiencers; Reiki Level 1 and Level 2 certificate.

Martha Waldvogel-Warren MB, MM, CHTP

Martha has extensive performance experience as an orchestral player as well as solo and chamber concerts in the classical and traditional genres. Additionally she has done much work as a soloist providing mixed genre music for places such multiple venues in Chicago, IL – Las Vegas, NV – Royal Cruise Line – and The Palace Hotel in Tokyo, Japan and many more. Martha has been teaching in music schools and conducting harp ensembles for over 25 years. Presently, Martha is on faculty at Hope College, The New Harmony Music Festival and School and maintains a private teaching studio. She founded a company called Harp Source primarily for the purpose of bringing Harp Therapy interventions to the public.

Marie Gillespie

A recent retiree from a 33 year career as a teacher/director/performer, Marie is shaping her next chapter with varied creative pursuits and service opportunities. During her career, Marie taught voice, communication, theater, and English in varying capacities to all ages, including at Lyons Township High School, Columbia College Chicago, College of DuPage, Northeastern Illinois University, Montclair State College, Iona College and Seton Hall University. Marie directed 33 theater productions, including at Lyons Township High School, Columbia College Chicago, College of DuPage, and Downers Grove North High School. Marie acted in 45 plays, in school, community theater, semi-professional, and self-produced. Other past highlights include operating her own business, Theatre Connection (voice and acting classes/lessons for all ages) and founding and serving as Artistic Director for No Name Players. Marie has a BA Degree in Speech/Theater Education from St. Olaf College and her MFA in Acting from the University of Southern California.

Jocelyn Obermeyer

Jocelyn Obermeyer, Harpist, CTHP, CCM, B. Mus. is the Program Director for the Therapeutic Harp Foundation (THF) and Community Liaison of the Phoenix Chapter-American Harp Society. Ms. Obermeyer has served as a therapeutic harp practitioner for the past 10 years.​ She began her music career at six and quickly earned a spot as her church organist by age 12. She went on to Northern Illinois University, where she won a full scholarship as a classical clarinetist at the prestigious music school and went on to a degree in music, where she toured nationally and internationally as the baritone saxophonist for Mode Show, headed by Ron Modell. Later in life, after a personal experience where she saw first-hand its therapeutic effects, Ms. Obermeyer chose to learn how to play the harp, studying with some of the finest classical, jazz and therapeutic harpists in the country such as Suzanne Balderston, Lisa Lynne Franco, Dr. Heidi Hernandez, Alla Yashneva, Diana Rowan, and Mariano Gonzalez.

Vimukti Warr

Vimukti’s bio will be published shortly.

Louise Bell

Since graduating from IHTP in 2019, Louise has mentored students from Australia, US and Japan, and was co-director of the Australian Affiliate from 2021-24. She teaches Module 1 music theory and repertoire both online and at live gatherings, composes therapeutic music, and incorporates modal music from many styles, cultures and eras in her tutorials.

Louise has taught piano since 1995, gradually adding voice, percussion and harp. Her qualifications include piano, theory, and a Certificate in Sound Medicine (2000), a course in vibrational medicine and healing music, especially harp.