Professional, classically/conservatory trained harpist with 20+ Years Experience.

Motto: Harmony...adds a touch of elegance to any event.

Awards: VA Living Magazine Top Vendor 2023, Wedding Wire Couples' Choice Award 2020, The Bash Best In Category each year since 2012 to present.

Shelley Greene has played the harp professionally for more than 30 years.

She graduated with honors from Richmond Public Schools and was subsequently awarded a 4-year merit scholarship to Peabody Conservatory of Music, part of The Johns Hopkins University, where she earned a Bachelor of Music Degree in Harp Performance. Upon her graduation with honors from Peabody, she was the first African-American woman to have earned this degree in the school’s history. Shelley continued her educational pursuits at Rice University. While in Houston, TX, Shelley served as Principal Harpist with the Rice University Orchestra, Symphony Fellow with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Harpist with the Scott Joplin Orchestra. She currently serves as Principal Harpist with the Virginia Union University Community Orchestra and is Principal Harpist and Leader of the Onyx Ensemble featuring Violinist Veronica Jackson, Violinist and Violist Megan Jenifer-Harris, Cellist Maya Johnson, Flutist Jaia Meri Greene, and Associate Harpist Aponi Brunson.

Shelley founded the music consulting firm: Harmony of Virginia, LLC in April of 1999. As a solo harpist with Harmony, she provides music for weddings, church services, memorial services, private and corporate events and is frequently invited to give Recitals and Masterclasses at educational, religious and civic organizations throughout the United States.

In April of 2019, Shelley was a featured performer of the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance’s First Fridays event at the Dominion Energy Center. A primary aspect of her work through Harmony Of Virginia is to procure performance opportunities and promote the talent of other African-American classically-trained musicians.

Always a strong advocate of education, Shelley earned a Master of Education Degree in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University and is a licensed PreK-12 school administrator. She has a particular passion for providing musical opportunities to children living in underserved communities, or attending schools where classes in the Performing Arts are not offered.

Shelley attained one of her highest professional goals during her 2-year term as the Implementation Coordinator for Turnaround Arts: Richmond, an arts-based school improvement program of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. Turnaround Arts “was founded in 2011 by the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, a White House advisory committee on cultural issues, under the leadership of former First Lady Michelle Obama. The program is based on the premise that high-quality and integrated arts education can strengthen school transformation efforts, boost academic achievement, and increase student engagement in schools facing some of the toughest educational challenges in the country.” (SOURCE: http://turnaroundarts.kennedy-center.org/what-we-do/) In this position, Shelley developed and led customized professional development sessions and provided instructional coaching in arts integration strategies to more than 150 teachers and served more than 1700 students.

Over the course of her many years as an employee of Richmond Public Schools, Shelley served as Vocal Music Educator, Harp Educator, and General Music Educator. At the historic Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia she served as Adjunct Professor of Music History, Music Appreciation, Harp and Beginner Piano.

Shelley currently serves as a Music Educator in Henrico County Public Schools, recognized for the 25th consecutive year as one of the Nation’s “Best Communities for Music Education” by the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation. She has also dedicated her time as a Consultant for the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) Fine Arts Standards of Learning Committee, the VDOE Instructional Design Plan Development Committee, and is a proud member of the Black Educators’ Collective of Henrico County Public Schools, and Board Member of the Virginia Music Educators’ Association Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Access Committee.

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