Album Notes

Alisa Nakashian-Holsberg discovered her love for music in grade school. Raised in Belmont, Massachusetts, she is a graduate of Bentley College and studied music theory with the late composer/conductor Rouben Gregorian. In 1984, Alisa was introduced to Benjamin Franklin's invention, the glass armonica, by scientific glass blower Gerhard Finkenbeiner. Captivated by this unique instrument, Alisa researched its history, and personally tuned and assembled her own instrument. She is the first 20th-century performer to combine her vocal talents with Franklin's armonica, and has been delighting audiences all over New England.

Alisa has had acclaimed appearances ranging from chamber music performances, duets, and colonial entertainment, to museum performances and private events, including one attended by King Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. The Hartford Courant declared her premiere in “Mezmeric Mozart” at the Wadsworth Museum of Art to be “... one truly poignant performance.” She serves as Treasurer of Glass Music International and actively promotes the revival of interest in the glass armonica.