
biography
A
native of the Detroit, Michigan area, Christa Grix studied with
Velma Froude, at Michigan State University, and Lucile Lawrence,
at Boston University. Although she benefited from excellent,
rigorous training in classical music, she always was drawn to
the musical freedom that is the trademark of fine jazz playing.
Grix's
professional credentials reveal her eclectic personality In
1983, she was selected to be a Young Artist with the Scotia
Festival of Music in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and was first runner-up
in the 1986 Pop and Jazz Harp Competition sponsored by Lyon-Healy
Harps, Inc. In 1996, she toured England, Scotland and Wales
with the Renaissance Voices of Henry Ford Community College.
In 1999, she was featured as a jazz harpist at the Seventh World
Harp Congress, in Prague, Czech Republic. In June 2000, she
was a highlighted soloist for the National Conference of the
American Harp Society, and gave the closing recital for the
2002 conference, held in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
Jazz
critic and WEMU, FM host, Michael Nastos, has commented on Grix:
"Christa
Grix is a harp player of considerable depth and vision,"
he writes. "Her phrasing and lyricism suggest the obvious
influence of jazz progenitor, Dorothy Ashby, but in many ways,
she has taken those nuances and stepped it up a notch. Whether
it be classical or jazz, it takes little time to realize what
a precious musician Christa Grix is, and how she is literally
able to do it all. That universal appeal, and her willingness
to take risks with improvisation, is what sets her apart from
the rest."
Grix
released her first recording, "freefall," in 1996
on the Freefall Music label. Her second recording, "Cheek
to Chic" was released earlier this year. She is married
to graphics designer Michael Mullen. They reside in Northville,
MI with their young son and miniature harpist, Brendan James.