Alexis Colner is a classically trained, orchestral and solo harpist, currently living and performing in Norfolk, VA.

Recently appointed principal harpist of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Alexis began her first season with the VSO in the fall of 2023, under the baton of music director Eric Jacobsen.  In demand as an orchestral player across the country, Alexis has been invited to appear as guest principal harpist with world class orchestras including the Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and Omaha Symphony. Additional performance credits include concerts with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Seattle Opera and Sarasota Orchestra. 

Alexis served as the principal harpist of the Aspen Music Festival’s Chamber Symphony for both the 2017 and 2018 festival seasons in addition to receiving the sought after Aspen Harp Fellowship. Her festival and summer engagements have gone on to include seasons at the Britt Music Festival, Spoleto Music Festival, Artosphere, Music Academy of the West, and The Orchestra of the Americas, where she has worked with pioneering music directors such as Teddy Abrams, Michael Stern, Osmo Vanska and Robert Spano, among others. 

At the age of five, Alexis began her harp instruction while her family lived abroad in the Netherlands. Upon returning to the US, she studied with Seattle Symphony principal harpist Valerie Muzzolini before going on to receive her Master’s in Harp Performance at The Juilliard School under the tutelage of New York Philharmonic principal harpist Nancy Allen. Alongside her harp studies, Alexis earned her Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology from USC, where she graduated at the top of her class with summa cum laude and Renaissance Scholar honors. Dedicated to spreading her love of the harp to the next generation, Alexis maintains a private studio and also serves on faculty at the Governor’s School for the Arts in Norfolk, VA.