Cassia Harvey

Teaching
Cassia Harvey has taught cello for over twenty-five years. Her students have been accepted into Philadelphia Sinfonia, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and Pennsylvania’s District, Regional, and All-State Orchestras, MENC All-Eastern Orchestra, and the MENC All-National Orchestra. They have been accepted into the Advanced Study Ensemble Program at Settlement Music School, the Masterworks Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, and Tanglewood Music Festival.

Cassia’s students have won first prizes in the Korean-American Competition, the Lansdowne Symphony Competition, and in both the junior and senior divisions of the Tri-County Competition. They have soloed with the Bux-Mont Chamber Orchestra, the Warminster Symphony, and the Landsdowne Symphony. Her students have been accepted into schools including Esther Boyer College of Music, Indiana University Jacob’s School of Music, and the Juilliard School.

Performing
A soloist with the Kennett Symphony and the Warminster Symphony and first-place winner of the Concerto Soloists, Cafferata-Jackson, and Bournemouth International Festival Competitions, Cassia’s performances have been broadcast on Philadelphia’s Channel 57 and New York Public Television. Cassia has performed with her sister, Myanna, as part of the Harvey String Duo since 1994. She has been performing with the Musicalia Ensemble since 2015. Her recording, The Russian Cello: Rare Treasures from Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, with pianist Tim Ribchester, is available from Montag Records and she has recently released two string duo recordings with Myanna Harvey (violin/viola): Grace and Peace; American Hymns and String Duo Christmas. 

Writing
Cassia has authored over one hundred and ninety study books for the classical string instruments. In 2002, she founded C. Harvey Publications, which has sold upwards of 100,000 books to string players in over 80 countries. Cassia was the subject of a 2017 article in the Epoch Times and her contributions about the creative process were subsequently featured in 14 Artists Break Down the Creative Process.

Teaching
A dedicated teacher, she teaches more than 30 private violin and viola students, with many of her students going on to pursue music as a career. Myanna has been the strings director at the Upper Moreland Summer Arts Program for the past ten years, and was music director and conductor of the Cheltenham Youth Orchestra. Her students have been accepted into Pennsylvania’s District, Regional, and All-State Orchestras, MENC All-Eastern Orchestra, Delaware County Youth Orchestra, Philadelphia Sinfonia, Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, the Trowbridge Chamber Orchestra, and Pennsylvania’s Governor’s School for the Arts and have been accepted as performance majors at Esther Boyer College of Music, University of Delaware’s School of Music, Carnegie Mellon’s School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, and San Francisco Conservatory.

Performing
Myanna Harvey, violin and viola, was a first place winner in the Bournemouth Music Festival Competition, and has premiered works by Ciach, Koprowski, and Clearfield. As a member of the Philmore Ensemble, Myanna has performed in recital at venues such as the Reading Public Museum, the German Society of Pennsylvania, the Trinity Center for Urban Life, An Die Musik LIVE!, Sundays at Central, Swarthmore College Recital Series, and the Ethical Society of Philadelphia. She has performed lecture recitals for Columbia University and Barnard College. In addition to being a member of the Musicalia Ensemble, Myanna performs regularly as violinist and violist of the Harvey String Duo. Myanna’s playing is featured on the compact disc release Duos and Trios from Five Centuries and on From the Valley of Baca; the Chamber Music of David Carpenter. She recently released the albums Grace and Peace; American Hymns and String Duo Christmas with Cassia Harvey. 

Writing
Myanna is the editor for a series of published violin books, has written a number of arrangements and compositions for string orchestra which have been performed by area youth orchestras, and has written and published over thirty books for strings.