Cheryl Losey Feder has earned distinction as one of America’s leading harpists, receiving national and international awards, and performing in diverse settings around the world. Top prizes she has received include the Alice Rosner Prize at the Munich International Competition, one of the world’s most prestigious music contests; First Prize and Grandjany Prize in the American Harp Society’s National Solo Competition; and First Prize in the American String Teacher’s Association National Solo Competition. In May of 2018, Ms. Feder was appointed Principal Harp of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, following an international audition. Previously she was Principal Harp of the Sarasota Orchestra, and she continues to be a regular of the Philadelphia Orchestra, touring Europe and Israel with the ensemble.
Ms. Feder’s love of sharing music has led to performances in over twenty countries and six continents, in venues from the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, to the townships of Soweto, South Africa and orphanages of Kingston, Jamaica. Festival performances include the Pacific Music Festival in Japan; Tanglewood, Spoleto, and Aspen Music Festivals; and most recently, the Santa Fe Opera and Strings Music Festival. As concerto soloist, she has appeared with the Sarasota Orchestra, Orchard Park and Artosphere Festival Orchestra, among others. As an orchestral harpist, she has performed with major orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, Houston Symphony, and the New World Symphony under conductors including Michael Tilson-Thomas, Valery Gergiev, Jaap Van Zweden, Gustavo Dudamel, Franz Welser-Most, and Yannick Nezet-Seguin.
As a chamber musician, Ms. Feder has collaborated with artists such as Carol Wincenc, Michael Gieler (Concertgebouw Orchestra), Sybarite 5, Karen Gomyo (Violin Soloist), and Patrick Williams (Philadelphia Orchestra). She is a founding member of the Dallas Harp Quartet, made up of four the nation’s premiere harpists, touring with and recording the Quartet’s unique transcriptions and commissioned works. Ms. Feder has been a featured artist on the classical music station WCLV Cleveland, WUSF Florida, and in the PBS documentary Harp Dreams. Ms. Feder was honored to receive the John Ringling Towers Performing Artist Award in support of her debut solo album, A Story.
Ms. Feder received her Bachelors and Masters Degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of soloist and recording artist Yolanda Kondonassis. Additional studies include international artists Xavier de Maistre, June Han, and Nancy Allen; and summers at the Salzedo Harp Colony with Alice Chalifoux . She is a native of Harpswell, Maine where she began study of the harp at age five with Jara Goodrich. Ms. Feder is married to Abraham Feder, Assistant Principal Cello of the Detroit Symphony, and proud mother to baby Samuel and Ernie Banks-the dog.