Sprezzatura means "the art of making something difficult look effortless." The Sprezzatura Duo, featuring the talents of classically-trained harpists Kate Loughrey and Anastasia Pike, demonstrates the art of "sprezzatura" in their fun, creative, and entertaining concert programs that appeal to audiences of all ages. Concerts feature a variety of musical styles from around the world as well as original arrangements and compositions.
Kate and Anna met when they were both playing harp for Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique with the Peabody Symphony. They soon became friends and realized that having the opportunity to play together was much more enjoyable than simply playing alone. They founded The Sprezzatura Duo in 2009.
Kate Loughrey is an alumna of both the University of Arizona and the Peabody Conservatory, and has placed as a finalist twice in the American Harp Society Foundation's national competition. She has also studied at l'Ecole Normale de Musique d'Alfred Cortot in Paris and is a Fellow of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London. Kate is currently a Ph.D candidate and Provost's Fellow at the University of Southern California. In addition to performing and teaching throughout Southern California, she enjoys composing and arranging for the harp.
Anastasia Pike is principal harpist of the Washington, DC-based Capital City Symphony Orchestra, and opened
the 2009-2010 season as concerto soloist. She is also an award-winning pianist and maintains a private studio
of both piano and harp students. Anna teaches applied music at Columbia University and has degrees from
the University of Maryland, Pensacola Theological Seminary, the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins
University, and Columbia University. She studied with Alice Chalifoux and Jeanne Chalifoux.
