Kathleen Wilson
Kathleen Wilson was born in Pittsburgh and began her harp studies in Pittsburgh with Paula Page, continuing with Alice Chalifoux at the Cleveland Institute of Music where she received a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in harp performance. She has performed with orchestras throughout the Carolinas and is also well known as a freelance musician within the tri-county area, performing for many corporate and private functions. Kathleen is currently on the applied music faculty at the College of Charleston and Charleston Southern University while maintaining a private studio as well. Kathleen served as a judge for the first Young Artist Harp Competition held in July, 2008
Kathleen has international standing as an open water marathon swimmer, having completed numerous world class long distance events, among them swims around Key West, Manhattan Island, the length of Tampa Bay, the San Pedro Channel (CA), Lake Zurich (Switzerland), Long Island Sound, the Santa Barbara Channel, the Straits of Gibraltar and the English Channel. She has been awarded South Carolina’s highest honor, the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Jim Hodges and was chosen to run Charleston’s anchor leg of the Olympic Torch Relay for the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Winter Games
As a frequent public speaker and owner of AquaHarp Presentations, Kathleen draws upon her experiences as an athlete and professional musician. She authors occasional articles for The Harp Column, a national publication for harpists.
In November, 2005, Kathleen was elected to Charleston City Council, representing District 12, James Island. This past July, 2008, she was awarded a Liberty Fellowship, a statewide leadership initiative affiliated with the Aspen Institute, designed to identify and cultivate South Carolina’s most promising leadership.
Kathleen, a devoted and lifetime fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and avid baker, is married with two children.