Harpist Barbara
Skully Dechario is a member of the
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and principal harpist with the
Utica Symphony. An active chamber musician, Ms. Dechario is a
member of the flute, viola and harp trio Rhapsodie, and is heard frequently in concert throughout
the Northeast.
Recipient of Mu Phi Epsilon's Outstanding
Chicago Area Musician's Award while still a student, Ms.
Dechario holds a Bachelor of Music degree in performance from
the University of Illinois and a Master of Music degree from
the University of Iowa. While at the University of Iowa she was
harpist with the Rockefeller Center for New Music, an ensemble
funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and dedicated to the
performance of compositions by contemporary composers.
A native of Detroit, Michigan, Ms. Dechario
began her studies at the National Music Camp, Interlochen,
Michigan. Her teachers have included Velma Froude; Elyze Yockey
Ilku, principal harp, Detroit Symphony; Alice Chalifoux,
principal harp, Cleveland Symphony; Charles Kleinsteuber,
professor of harp, University of Illinois and John Simms,
professor of music, University of Iowa.
Ms. Dechario concertizes extensively and
has been harpist with the Oklahoma City Symphony, New Hampshire
Music Festival Orchestra and the Rockefeller Center for New
Music. As a soloist she has appeared with the Dubuque, Iowa
Symphony, the New Hampshire Music Festival Orchestra, the
Geneseo Chamber Symphony,
the Binghamton Symphony, the Brockport Symphony, the Hornell Orchestra, the Elmira Symphony, the Utica Symphony and the Catskill Symphony. She has also been active with other orchestras including the Tri-Cities Opera, the Catskill Symphony, the Utica Symphony, the Binghamton Symphony, the Corning Philharmonic, the Chautauqua Orchestra and the Glimmerglass Opera. She is in demand for school presentations, corporate events and private parties. In addition to her many performances in the Northeast, she has concertized through the Midwest and Southwest and spent over four months touring Central and South America on a United States State Department sponsored tour. Among the many artists she has performed with are: Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minelli, Johnny Mathis, Cleo Laine and Barry Manilow.
the Binghamton Symphony, the Brockport Symphony, the Hornell Orchestra, the Elmira Symphony, the Utica Symphony and the Catskill Symphony. She has also been active with other orchestras including the Tri-Cities Opera, the Catskill Symphony, the Utica Symphony, the Binghamton Symphony, the Corning Philharmonic, the Chautauqua Orchestra and the Glimmerglass Opera. She is in demand for school presentations, corporate events and private parties. In addition to her many performances in the Northeast, she has concertized through the Midwest and Southwest and spent over four months touring Central and South America on a United States State Department sponsored tour. Among the many artists she has performed with are: Tony Bennett, Josh Groban, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minelli, Johnny Mathis, Cleo Laine and Barry Manilow.
Heard frequently in chamber music, she has
been featured with the Cornell University Contemporary Players,
the Capricorn Chamber Players, the Society for Chamber Music in
Rochester, Madrigalia, Syracuse New Music Society and Awake the
Harp. Recently Ms. Dechario was a guest artist with the
Catskill Chamber Players in two performances of 20th century
music at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
New York Times critic Allan Kozinn hailed her performance as
"...skillful and polished."
Her CD Timeless
Jewish Songs with Cantor Martha
Rock Birnbaum features traditional melodies arranged for voice
and harp. Her latest CD, Christmas
With Harp and Voice features
Madrigalia, Rochester, New York’s premiere choral
ensemble in a varied selection of harp solos and works for
chorus and harp. Much of Barbara’s work is
available for download through the iTunes music store,
and her CDs are readily available through www.cdbaby.com.
