VeeRonna has had the privilege of sitting under many celebrated musicians, starting with her father who was a lively Boogie Woogie and jazz pianist. This joy of watching her father play in her formative years is what has inspired her to pursue the harp in an uncommon manner.
While loving both pop and jazz music, VeeRonna’s parents knew she would first benefit from a classically trained music education. Private instruction continued through college and beyond with nationally acclaimed harpist and educator, the late Suzanne Balderston. Harp and music performance would become a way of life at the Music Academy of the West, the University of Nevada, Reno, as a classical harpist and as a freelance artist.
With periodic roles with the Phoenix Symphony and Phoenix Bach Choir and over 30 years as a freelance soloist and electric harpist, VeeRonna has entertained on stage in settings such as Caesar’s Palace and with professional entertainment troupes such as the Bolshoi Ballet. She has performed for several professional theatre productions including The Sound of Music, Once Upon A Mattress, and A Child’s Christmas in Wales. VeeRonna has also served as a TV guest by premiering her new “Southwestern” sound on “Your Life A to Z,” an Arizona morning show. In addition, she has played at the 2008 “Superbowl NFL Experience” and the “Sonoma Jazz Festival.” She was also a featured performer for Desert Botanical Gardens’ Noche de las Luminarias.
In the mid 2000s, VeeRonna began seeking new stylistic forms typically unassociated with the harp. This thirst opened a new dimensionality to her playing. She sought after other harpists also experimenting with new styles, and even learned from accomplished guitarists and percussionists to see what kind of “out of the box” music she could create. Over time, her musical styles have become diverse and numerous. Today, it isn’t uncommon to hear influences from Latin, Flamenco, Blues, Jazz and Pop traditions.
