Nadia Pessoa

• Rob Aughtry and Jen Smith - Flute
• Daniel Pierson - Violin
• Ben Wensel - Cello

Nadia Pessoa is a professional harpist with more than 20 years of experience providing elegant music for weddings, receptions, and private events. As an active member of the musical community in Washington DC, she has performed for distinguished guests such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Chef Jose Andres, and Martha Stewart.

With performances throughout the US, Canada, Europe, and Brazil, she has performed in concert with Diana Krall, Placido Domingo, Randy Newman, Fredericka Von Stade, and Wynonna Judd, and has entertained audiences at renowned venues including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Academy of Music in Philadelphia, Miami's Biltmore Hotel, the US Capitol, State Department, and the White House.

Known for her distinctive and commanding sound, Ms. Pessoa can be heard on the 2005 Grammy Award-winning recording of William Bolcom's "Songs of Innocence and Experience" and is the recipient of awards from the National Society of Arts and Letters, the American Harp Society, and Downbeat Magazine. She holds degrees in Harp Performance from the prestigious harp program at Indiana University as well as the University of Michigan, and prior to moving to D.C., she served on the faculty of Louisiana State University and as interim principal harp in the Louisiana Philharmonic.

Ms. Pessoa frequently plays for weddings and other events in Virginia, Maryland, Washington D.C., Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, and New Jersey.

Whether it's an intimate gathering or a large-scale event, Ms. Pessoa can provide elegant harp music that will leave a lasting impression on your guests. Available styles include classical, jazz ballads, folk, Irish, pop, Broadway, top 40, and contemporary. Her diverse repertoire ensures that the music will be tailored to meet your needs.

• Air on a G String - J.S. Bach
• All I Ask of You - The Phantom of the Opera
• Amazing Grace - Traditional
• Arioso - Bach
• Arrival of the Queen of Sheba - Handel
• Ave Maria - F. Schubert
• Bridal Chorus from "Lohengrin" (Here Comes the Bride) - Wagner
• Canon in D - Pachelbel
• Chasing Cars - Snow Patrol
• Claire de Lune - Debussy
• Concerto in B-flat - Handel
• Dodi Li - Traditional Hebrew
• Erev Shel Shoshanim - Traditional Hebrew
• Evergreen - Popular
• Flower Duet from "Lakme" - Delibes
• Forever in Love - Kenny G
• Hornpipe from Water Music - G. F. Handel
• I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
• Jesu - Joy of Man's Desiring
• Largo from "Xerxes" - Handel
• Laudate Dominum - Mozart
• Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet - N. Rota
• Meditation from Thais - Massenet
• Misty - Garner
• Moon River - Mancini
• My Heart Will Go On (from "Titanic") - Celine Dion
• Nella Fantasia - Morricone
• O Mio Babbino Caro - Puccini
• Prelude No. 1 in C - Bach
• Ribbon in the Sky - Stevie Wonder
• Somewhere in Time - Popular
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Wizard of Oz
• Spring (Allegro) from the Four Seasons - Vivaldi
• Take Five - Brubeck
• The Lord's Prayer - Traditional
• The Prayer - Sager/Foster
• The Way You Look Tonight - Kern/Fields
• The Wedding Song - Kenny G
• Time to Say Goodbye (Con te Partiro) - Popular
• Trumpet Tune - Purcell
• Trumpet Voluntary - Clarke
• Un bel di (from Madama Butterfly) - Puccini
• Water Music (various selections) - Handel
• Wedding March - Mendelssohn
• Wind Beneath My Wings - Midler
• Winter (Largo) from the Four Seasons - Vivaldi
• Yesterday - Beatles
• You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
• This is only a partial list as my repertoire is too extensive to list here - To inquire about a song or to make a special request please contact me directly.

Anniversaries, Banquets, Birthday Parties, Children's Birthday Parties, Celebrations, Christenings, Christmas Parties, Church Services, Clubs, Cocktail Parties, Community Events, Conventions, Corporate Functions, Dinner Dances, Festivals, Fund Raisers, Funerals, Graduation Parties, Grand Openings, Picnic, Private Parties, Proms, Restaurants, Reunions, School Assemblies, Sweet 16 Parties, Weddings, Wedding Ceremonies, Wedding Cocktail Hours, Wedding Receptions...and more.

• Nadia is an outstanding harpist. She worked with us to ensure our wedding ceremony was beautiful when a previously booked performer told us she could not perform only weeks before the wedding. Nadia was also very accommodating......playing Ave Maria with a vocalist from the church. Our guests are still talking about how beautiful this song was weeks after the wedding. I would highly recommend Nadia if you want your wedding ceremony music to be memorable! Thanks Nadia! -- Melissa B, Washington, DC, 9/4/2010
• Nadia was wonderful. Her professionalism and beautiful music took our event to a whole new level. She was easy to work with and accommodating. We highly recommend her and hope there will be an opportunity to have her perform for us in the future! -- Adam M, Washington, DC, 6/29/2010
• It was a wonderful experience for us to have Nadia Pessoa play her harp at our wedding reception. Nadia is a very talented harpist and her professionalism, personality and music added a touch of class to our wedding reception. Our guests were thrilled by the music she played and her playing was at the right volume for our guests to talk while enjoying beautiful renditions of our favorite jazz and classical tunes. Nadia is easy to work with, shows up on time for events and is very personable. We highly recommend this outstanding and talented harpist for such venues and we would hire her again in a heartbeat! You can't go wrong with Nadia! -- Thomas H, Lothian, MD, 10/3/2009
• Nadia was incredibly easy to work with and was very responsive and helpful throughout the process and her performance on the day of was more than we could have asked for. We would highly recommend her and feel very lucky to have found her for our wedding. -- Maria F, Lewes, DE, 5/30/2009
• We were so happy that Nadia was part of our 5th Anniversary in celebration of our Wellness Spa. She was a true professional and we would recommend her to anyone. Gail J. Rush Director of Spa Operations -- Gail R, Ashburn, VA, 5/5/2010
• I LOVED working with Nadia. She is very professional and accomodating. Prior the wedding, she sent me a number of song selections that really helped me decide which songs to pick for the ceremony. She always responded in a timely manner to my e mails prior to the ceremony to confirm details. She showed up early to the ceremony and did a wonderful job. I am so happy that I had the opportunity to work with such a great vendor on my wedding day! She is talented and professional and I would highly recommend her to anyone that I know. Thank you so much Nadia! -- Julia C, Fairfield, PA, 7/11/2009
• Nadia was fabulous! Her music was absolutely beautiful and she was the most professional of all vendors I worked with. She made our day so special. On a scale of 1-5 she deserves a 10! -- Nicole G, Snowshoe, WV, 6/6/2009
• Nadia was well dressed and very polite. She kept in contact with us prior to the event, and arrived early as discussed. She played beautifully and we received many compliments on the music she provided. I would highly recommend her for a corporate event. -- Mary N, Arlington, VA, 12/6/2011
• Nadia is very professional and talented. Will definitely book her for future events! -- Jenny L, Washington, DC, 12/1/2011
• She was wonderful added a great touch to our wedding! -- Nargis G, Chantilly, VA, 11/26/2011
• Nadia was my first experience with a harpist and I was thoroughly pleased with her entire performance and dealing with her altogether. A great person and a beautiful harpist. She will be reserved for any other company function that we may have if a harpist is needed and I will make sure to refer her to anyone that will need a harpist. The experience was absolutely great. -- Dapreena S, Washington, DC, 10/15/2011
• Nadia was the ultimate professional. Her music was beautiful. She arrived in a timely fashion and played for the time requested. We highly recommend her and would use her again in the future. Thank you for this wonderful website making it all possible. Patricia and Joe Olivares -- Patricia O, Washington, DC, 10/13/2011
• Nadia' performance was elegant and beautiful. She was very professional and overall added to the elegance of the evening. The party consisted of Doctors, Lawyers and many of professionals within the Washington DC area. Everyone was very impressed with her and her performance. Thank you Nadia, for adding to the success of our event. -- Darlene C, Potomac, MD, 1/20/2012

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• Nadia Pessoa — Washington, DC