Christa fell under the spell of the harp during her first lesson at 16. Two years earlier, she was transfixed by a live jazz performance at her high school. Those two events form the foundation for her career.
Equally adept as both a classical and jazz harpist, she is one of those rare individuals who can make the transition from the jazz rhythm section to the symphonic string section sound effortless. As a contracted second harp with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for over 30 years, Christa has had the privilege of playing under the baton of some greatest conductors in the world, including Neeme Jarvi and Leonard Slatkin. The appeal and respect her music generates has taken her throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe as an invited soloist and clinician at major harp festivals and conferences.
“Christa has a great sound. I work with orchestras all over the world and so it’s rare that I’ll notice and single out the harpist for their technique and talent. Christa is a total pro with amazing technique and sound.” ~ Jack Wall, Composer, Conductor and Executive Producer of Video Games Live.
Christa enjoys using the sound of the harp and the sound of her voice to create meaningful, beautiful communication and connection with her audiences. In addition to her 4 recordings on the Freefall Music label – Freefall (1996), Cheek to Chic (2002), Moonlight on Snow (2012) and Christa’s Presents (2014) – she is an on-air development host for WRCJ-FM in Detroit, where she researches, writes, and produces short educational spots that highlight the numerous connections between classical and jazz music. Her wide-ranging love for all kinds of music has influenced her compositions and recordings for the harp, which are enjoyed by harpists worldwide.
“Christa is one of only a handful of harpists that I insist on having in the orchestra whenever we’re close. She is a consummate professional, sensitive musician and a delight to know personally.” ~ Scott Lavender, Composer/Arranger and Music Director for Johnny Mathis.
Christa Grix is a past executive board member of the American Harp Society, served as conference chair for the Society’s 2008 National Conference, and served as secretary of the Detroit Musicians Fund for over a decade. National and international appearances include performances in Tobermory Ontario, Tacoma Washington, Maubege France, Prague Czech Republic, Monterey Mexico, and the 2011 meeting of the World Harp Congress in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Besides her active career as a harpist, Christa Grix is the proud mother of a college sophomore, and won’t go to bed until she’s reached “genius” status on the New York Times Spelling Bee app.
“Be it classical or jazz, it takes little time to realize what a precious musician Christa Grix is.” ~Michael G. Nastos, Music Critic
Short Bio
Equally adept as both a classical and jazz harpist, she is one of those rare individuals who can make the transition from the jazz rhythm section to the symphonic string section sound effortless. The appeal and respect her music generates has taken her throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe as an invited soloist and clinician at major harp festivals and conferences.
Christa enjoys using the sound of the harp and the sound of her voice to create meaningful, beautiful communication and connection with her audiences. In addition to her 4 recordings on the Freefall Music label – Freefall (1996), Cheek to Chic (2002), Moonlight on Snow (2012) and Christa’s Presents (2014) – she is an on-air development host for WRCJ-FM in Detroit, where she researches, writes, and produces short educational spots that highlight the numerous connections between classical and jazz music.