As a harpist, vocalist, composer, conductor, and songwriter, Timbre Cierpke has pioneered new sounds in both classical and commercial music. She brings nearly 30 years of experience playing the harp to her private teaching, and has the unique perceptive of professional work in both the classical and pop/rock genres. She has taught harp lessons for over 20 years, both privately and as an adjunct teacher at the university level.
Holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Harp Performance from Trevecca University, Timbre has performed with dozens of professional symphonies. She is the first chair harpist for the Jackson Symphony Orchestra, having been the youngest member in their history to receive a contract at the age of 15, and has also served as first chair in the Paducah Symphony Orchestra. She has also notably performed with the London Symphony Orchestra. Timbre also has many awards to her name, including the Nashville Symphony Young Musicians Competition, and was the only student in Trevecca University’s history to win their concerto competition 4 years in a row.
Outside of the classical genre, Timbre has recorded and performed with notable artists such as Jack White, Tom Jones, Ricky Skaggs, as well as rock bands like mewithoutYou, with over 50 albums credits so far.
As a collaborator, Timbre has worked with composers and songwriters of all genres, from singing the lead in Rachel Grimes’s folk opera, “The Way Forth”, to playing harp with Jack White on his Grammy Award winning album, “Lazaretto”. In 2018 she conducted Bang On A Can and SONUS choir for a performance of Julia Wolfe’s Pulitzer Prize winning work, “Anthracite Fields” at Big Ears Festival.
Timbre also fronts her neoclassical folk-rock band “Timbre”, which has toured extensively in Europe and America. Defying genre, Timbre fronts the band as vocalist and songwriter while playing her full-sized classical harp. Their latest album, Sun & Moon, has been called“a gorgeous tapestry of audible poetry,” and was chosen by UNESCO as one of the most important albums of the decade.
