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Ms. Kidwell-Fernandes began her musical training at age 3 with the piano. She started playing the harp at age 8 and went on to study harp at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music at age 10. She began doing freelance work with her harp at age 13 and has since performed at events such as weddings, parties, corporate functions, political fundraisers, and religious services in Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Hawaii. In the course of her freelance work, she has provided music for such notables as Senators George Voinovich and Elizabeth Dole. She did her first professional orchestra work at age 18 and has performed in classical and pops concerts with such artists as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Hamlisch, the Canadian Brass, William Warfield, Peter Nero, Sandi Patty, and Maureen Forrester. While attending college at Northwestern University, she studied harp with Liz Cifani, the principal harpist of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Ms. Kidwell-Fernandes has performed with numerous professional, college,
and community orchestras in Ohio, Illinois, New York, and Vermont, including the
Dayton Philharmonic, the Hamilton Fairfield Symphony Orchestra, the Civic
Orchestra of Chicago (training orchestra of the Chicago Symphony), the
Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra, and the Wright State University
Chamber Orchestra. Regionally, she has performed with the Capital Region Wind
Ensemble, the College of St. Rose Wind Ensemble, the SUNY Albany Orchestra, the
Schenectady County Community College Wind Ensemble, and the Sage City Symphony.
In the spring of 2005, she appeared as a guest soloist with the Music Company Orchestra.
Ms. Kidwell-Fernandes holds a B.A. from Northwestern University and a
Master of Divinity from Yale University.