Rebekah Hou

Hometown:
Okemos, Michigan

Education:
Cleveland Institute of Music, Master of Music, 2024
Cleveland Institute of Music, Bachelor of Music, 2023

Bio:
Rebekah Hou received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a student of Yolanda Kondonassis. She has received several awards, including the Fine Arts Award for Harp from the Interlochen Arts Academy, and the Anne Adams Award from the American Harp Society, and was the winner of the 2023 concerto competition at CIM. Rebekah has also received fellowships from Round Top Orchestral Institute and Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the United States and is thrilled to be joining NRO this summer.

What inspired you to become a musician?
Music gave me a goal for my academic studies when I was younger, and now it has given me a purpose for my life.

Who are your all-time favorite composers and/or pieces? Why?
Gustav Mahler, Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, and Claude Debussy

What is an interesting fact about you and/or your instrument?
In high school, I earned my black belt in Songham Taekwondo.

When taking a break from music-making, what is your favorite thing to do?
I love baking, hiking, reading, and knitting.

Why did you choose the NRO?
I have heard a lot of fantastic things from NRO alums, including harpists who graduated from CIM previously. My teacher, Yolanda Kondonassis attended NRO when she was around my age, and I wouldn’t pass up the chance to work with Maestro Stern or the other fabulous musicians there!