Ms. Duffy is Principal Harp of the Wheeling and Allentown Symphony Orchestras and also serves as principal harp in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and Altoona (PA) Symphony Orchestra. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Jersey Symphony and the Hartford Symphony under conductors including Keith Lockhart, Kurt Masur, Charles Dutoit, and Lorin Maazel. She is an active free-lancer in the NY Metropolitan area, playing Broadway shows such as Mel Brooks’ The Producers, Beauty and the Beast, and The Fantasticks (both the original Sullivan St. Playhouse Production and the 2006 revival at the Snapple Theater in Times Square). In addition Ms. Duffy has served as harpist with the Pittsburgh Opera and Civic Light Opera and has recently performed as Acting Principal harpist of the Pittsburgh Ballet Orchestra. As a soloist Ms. Duffy has performed concertos with the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra, the Bloomfield (NJ) Symphony, the Altoo! na Symphony and the Lyric Orchestra. Career highlights include appearances as the first-ever harp soloist with the acclaimed River City Brass Band on their home subscription series and solo recitals in the NY metropolitan area including the Trinity Concert Series at Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan. Ms. Duffy has toured the USA with the River City Brass Band in addition to performing with the Charleston Symphony and in the NYC area as a bass trombonist. She maintains teaching studios both in NYC and at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, NJ and has been on the faculty of the Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. In addition to teaching, Ms. Duffy works in the community by playing at hospitals, nursing homes and churches and with several chamber music groups including her Pittsburgh based group, Trio Delevan. Ms. Duffy received BFA and MM degrees in music performance from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music in Orchestral Performance degree from the Ma! nhattan School of Music. Her teachers have included Kathleen Bride, Anne-Marguerite Michaud and Sarah Bullen. On February 16, 2006, Ms. Duffy performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in NYC, as a special presentation award winner of Artists International. As a result of that successful concert, she will be presented at Merkin Concert Hall in NYC on the Alumni Winners Series on May 5, 2007 at 8:30 PM.
"Harpist Fran Duffy was expert..." The Daily Gazette, Schenectady, NY
"radiant..." Times-Union, Albany, NY