Curtis Mourns the Loss of Deborah Fleisher (Harp ’76)

The Curtis community mourns the passing of alumna and renowned harpist Deborah Fleisher (’76) on Sunday, September 29, at age 70. Daughter of legendary pianist, conductor, and Curtis faculty member Leon Fleisher and Dorothy “Dot” Druzinsky, she played harp with many orchestras and Broadway touring shows over six decades. Born on December 3, 1953, in New York City to a musical family, Ms. Fleisher was a third-generation harpist: Her uncle Edward Druzinsky was the principal harpist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for four decades. At the age seven, she began her musical and harp studies under the guidance of her grandmother, Nettie Druzinsky. Ms. Fleisher’s exceptional talent led her to Curtis in 1972, where she studied with Marilyn Costello and graduated in the spring of 1976. Following her time here in Philadelphia, she further honed her skills at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, earning an Artist’s Diploma.

Throughout her career, Ms. Fleisher held principal positions with the Baltimore Opera, Delaware Symphony, Annapolis Symphony, Florida Grand Opera, Florida Sunshine Pops, Boca Raton Symphonia, Concert Artists of Baltimore, Orchestra Miami, Maryland Lyric Opera, and the Miami City Ballet. She enjoyed performing many genres of music in addition to the classical repertoire and was sought after as a chamber player, orchestral player, and soloist. As a performer, she played with numerous musical greats, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Joni Mitchell, The Doors, Renee Fleming, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Michael Feinstein, and many others. Fleisher’s work brought widespread attention to the concert harp, bringing the instrument to new generations of listeners and musicians by playing in popular touring Broadway musicals for shows such as The King and I with Yul Brenner, Hello Dolly! with Carol Channing, The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, My Fair Lady, and more. In 2003, she recorded with singer Jose Feliciano and can be heard on his album Señor Bolero 2.

A devout educator, Ms. Fleisher taught harp at Florida International University and, in 2008, joined the faculty of the Frost School of Music of the University of Miami. She served as both an instructor of undergraduates and a dissertation advisor for Ph.D. candidates.

Our heartfelt sympathies and condolences go out to Ms. Fleisher’s family, friends, colleagues, former students, and loved ones. 

Photo credits: 1.) Portrait of Deborah Fleisher, courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera. 2.) Courtesy of Ms. Fleisher’s sister Leah Fleisher.  3.) Marie Field, Tom McCarthy, Deborah Fleisher, and Bobby Kimbel in 2003; Jean Brubacker and the Curtis Institute of Music Archives. 4.) Photo of Ms. Fleisher with her father Leon Fleisher in 2019, courtesy of Maryland Lyric Opera.