Devon Carpenter, The Classic Harpist

Raised in Jacksonville, Illinois, Devon's musical training began at a young age with piano and voice lessons. She began harp study during high school at the age of 15 with Alice Spero Keene at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. Subsequent teachers have included Beatriz Martin-Ruiz, Suzann Davids, and Dr. Erin Ponto Freund.

She has performed with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and the Musical Society of Nigeria as a featured soloist, and with the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Sangamon Valley Civic Orchestra, Bradley University Chorale (including on a European tour), Valparaiso Symphony Orchestra, Opera Illinois, Valparaiso University Chorale, and the Bradley University New Music Ensemble. Devon is a member of the American Harp Socity, the World Harp Congress, and the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA).

After attending Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, Devon transferred to Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. She graduated from Valparaiso magna cum laude in 2001 with a BA in Music and in 2005 with MA in Liberal Studies (History Concentration).

In 2009, 2012, and 2023, she was invited back to her hometown to present solo recitals for the Jacksonville Public Library's Under the Dome concert series. In 2010, she attended the American Harp Society National Conference in Tacoma, Washington.

From 2013 through 2014, was hired to work in Mumbai, India, and was highly sought after for performances throughout the country, including playing Bollywood hits on the harp (sometimes even in a giant bubble!).

In 2015 and 2016, she lived in Lagos, Nigeria, where she played frequently for the events at the Irish Consulate in that city and the Irish Embassy in Abuja. In May of 2016, she partnered with Tunde Jegede, kora virtuoso, and the Musical Society of Nigeria for the world premiere of the New Horizons African Ballet.

Having returned to the United States, she is again an active freelance performer throughout the Midwest and around the world, providing harp music for wedding ceremonies, receptions, corporate functions, memorials, and other events. 

Recent engagements include a series of performances for the Gulf Brands Expo in Dammam, Saudi Arabia and high-end weddings in Cambodia, Mexico, and The Bahamas.  She can also be found as a featured perfomer on a luxury cruise line.

She is the owner of The Music Factory in Springfield, Illinois, a studio offering Musikgarten music and movement classes for children from birth through age ten, and advanced musicianship classes and private lessons for older children, teens, and adults.

Her private teaching studio includes harp & piano students of all ages and levels, and she was the founding director of the South Bend Harp Ensemble. She served as the President and Vice President of her local chapter of the Music Teachers National Association.