Erin Freund is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of harp at the University of Iowa School of Music.  She holds a Doctor of Music degree, Certificate of Performance, and Master of Music degree in harp performance from Northwestern University, where she studied under former Chicago Lyric Opera principal harpist Elizabeth Cifani.  She received a Bachelor of Music degree at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music under internationally acclaimed soloist Yolanda Kondonassis.   Erin attended the legendary Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, where she was a student of Alice Chalifoux.  

Erin is a part-time Assistant Professor at Augustana College where she teaches applied harp, harp literature, harp pedagogy, and music appreciation, and has developed the course Music and the Brain.  She has served on the faculty at Indiana University South Bend and the Music Institute of Chicago, and is a registered Suzuki teacher. 

Erin is passionate about expanding the harp’s repertoire through innovative transcriptions.  She has created arrangements that range from Joplin rags to a 2-harp version of Pictures at an Exhibition, to a one-harp version of Tchaikovsky’s entire Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, to a contemporary standard of the marimba repertoire by percussionist Paul Smadbeck.  These efforts have been shared with the larger harp community in the form of over 40 publications by Lyon & Healy and have been selected for performance at the Midwest Harp Festival. 

Erin maintains an active performing schedule as a soloist, chamber music collaborator, and orchestral harpist.  She is also a board-certified music therapist with specializations in NICU and Neurologic Music Therapy, and received her Bachelor’s of Music equivalency in music therapy from the University of Iowa.