Jeanne Ekholm

Jeanne DeWitt Ekholm began studying the harp at the age of sixteen at Washington High School in her hometown of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  She graduated from St. Olaf College, and moved to the Minneapolis area where she was active as an orchestral and solo performer.  She first played with the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra while in high school, and has held the Principal Harp chair since 2004.  She also holds the2^nd harp position with the Sioux City Symphony and has performed with The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Guthrie Theatre, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Children’s Theater, Bloomington Civic Theater, Carleton Celebrity Room, Minnesota Composers Forum, Bloomington Symphony Orchestra, Mississippi Valley Orchestra, and Duluth Symphony Orchestra.  She has been a harp instructor at MacPhail Center for Music and taught privately. In addition to playing harp, she was an Associate Principal of Perkins+Will, an international architecture and design firm, responsible for project accounting and the financial operations for the Minneapolis office.  After retiring from that position, she moved back to Sioux Falls to be closer to family, friends, music and opportunities.