Amber Joy Koeppen is a harpist and vocalist and an avid teacher in both disciplines. She has received degrees in Music Performance and Vocal Pedagogy from UNC Charlotte and a Masters in Music from the University of Michigan.  

Mrs. Koeppen has performed extensively as a soloist, and with orchestras and chamber groups across the US. She has been a finalist in the International Lyon and Healy Awards Harp Competition, Grand Prize Winner of the Michael Kamen Award sponsored by the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation, and a prize winner in three concerto competitions – most recently being awarded First Place in the Rosen-Schaffel Competition for Young and Emerging Artists. Mrs. Koeppen has twice been a guest artist with the Eastern Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of Gerard Schwarz, and she has also been a featured soloist on WDAV Classical Radio’s “Main Street Sessions” program. In addition to her extensive solo work, Mrs. Koeppen has also performed with the New York City Ballet, the Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra, the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, and the Union Symphony Orchestra. 

As a vocalist and choral musician, Mrs. Koeppen has worked under esteemed choral directors such as Rodney Eichenberger, Jerry Blackstone, Nigel Short, Paul Smith, Joshua Habermann, and Eugene Rogers. She has also performed with the Charlotte Master Chorale, Charlotte Chamber Singers, and Sine Nomine in addition to various collegiate choral groups.

In a recent interview, Mrs. Koeppen stated: "My favorite performances reflect the fact that while I enjoy playing solo music, I especially enjoy being a part of an ensemble. I find it immensely fulfilling to work together with other enthusiastic musicians to produce music that is magnified in its beauty by our mutual passion and love for our art."

Mrs. Koeppen has been an active music educator not only in her private studio, but also for various summer music programs including the American Harp Society’s “Camp Innovation” and Interlochen Center for the Arts. In previous years, she also taught at the American Youth Harp Ensemble’s Summer European Institute and performed with the AYHE in their tours and performances in Austria and the Czech Republic, at Lincoln Center, and at the World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia. She has helped to found and run Brush Strokes and Music Notes - a summer program for children that is aimed at incorporating a diverse body of students from various backgrounds into a week of arts and music immersion. Her drive to research and offer innovative methods of musical training and community development have encouraged her design of new vocal curricula. Recently, she was invited to present some of these teaching methods at the World Alliance for Arts Education conference in Auckland, New Zealand.

Mrs. Koeppen also serves on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Area Foundation for Music and Art.