ABOUT

RIZA PRINTUP

harpist・composer/arranger・educator

Among many others, Riza Printup’s recording credits include Marcus Printup, Sharel Cassity, James Zollar, Andromeda Turre, Meg Okura, and Brianna Thomas. Under the music direction of Rob Lewis, Riza scored and recorded the harp tracks for Christina Aguilera’s ‘Christmas in Paris’ (2025). Ms. Printup has performed with a span of greats from the likes of the late great Frank Wess, Yo-Yo Ma and jookin dance master Lil Buck, Kathleen Battle, Paquito D’Rivera, Lady Gaga, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, and Stevie Wonder, and Wondersmith Entertainment’s “Passing The Crown” featuring MC Lyte and Rapsody.

Ms. Printup began her undergraduate studies as a classical harpist at the Indiana University School of Music, Bloomington, IN under the instruction of Susan McDonald and Linda Wood. In time she enrolled in elective studies in jazz with David Baker. She received her Bachelors of Arts in Music from Columbia College, Chicago, IL where she continued her studies in jazz. She later completed coursework toward a Master of Music from Georgia State University's School of Music under the tutelage of Elisabeth Remy Johnson. Other instructors include Dominique Piana, Beverly Wesner-Hoehn, Deborah Henson-Conant, Stella Castellucci.

As an educator, Riza served as Director of Early Childhood Music and Orchestra at The Greater Atlanta Christian School (Atlanta, GA), Director of Strings at The Cicely Tyson School of Performing Arts (East Orange, NJ) and Instructor for the WeBop program at Jazz at Lincoln Center (New York, NY).

Her passion for education has taken her to author her first two children's books Theodore and Hazel and the Bird and The Great Big Spider & The Waterspout Blues, and develop I Have A Song Inside My Heart, a Jazz program and curriculum for early childhood and the K-5 General Music classroom.

Riza has partnered with The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, WBGO, Midori & Friends, Homes For The Homeless, New Jersey Central Jazz Association and Jazz House Kids in engaging PreK and Elementary school students throughout surrounding communities. Her curriculum Jazz Explorers Unit 1: Eras of Jazz is in elementary schools around the US, Canada and Japan.

During the pandemic of 2020, Riza created a series of online courses for harpists interested in learning Jazz (now Little Schoolhouse of Jazz for Harp). Students from across the US and Europe continue their studies through the online platform.

To advance their commitment to outreach, the Printups founded RiMarcable Music For Arts & Education, a 501c3 non-profit organization.

The Printups also created RiMarcable Publications LLC through which they publish their arrangements and originals for Big Band, Jazz combos and solo harp, as well as their children's books,

Riza became a member of the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the American Harp Society in 2022. In 2024, she was elected to serve as the President of the North Jersey Harp Chapter of the AHS.