Roslyn Rensch (born 1923) is a harpist who has published multiple books on the harp and taught at the university level.
Roslyn Maria Rensch was born in Detroit, Michigan, on June 12, 1923. Her mother, Maria, played the harp, cello, and piano from a young age. Roslyn participated in music and art activities throughout elementary school. She started lessons with Alberto Salvi, but because his concert tours kept him out of town, she took lessons from Salvi's half sister, Aida. Roslyn graduated from high school in 1941 and went to study harp with Alberto Salvi at Northwestern University. She joined Sigma Alpha Iota, an international music fraternity for women in addition to Chi Omega, a social sorority. Roslyn was elected to membership in Pi Kappa Lambda, a music honor society, and graduated with her Bachelor of Music in 1945. From Northwestern University, she went to the Juilliard School of Music to study with Marcel Grandjany for the summer. After a long summer, she went back to Northwestern to get her Master of Music degree in harp. She joined the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1946 and was the principal harpist for six years. She published her first book, "The Harp," in 1950 and went on to publish more. One of her most well known books is "Harps and Harpists." In 1953, Roslyn decided to get her doctorate in music and went back to Northwestern University. She got a job teaching harp at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and later went to teach at the National College of Education and Indiana State University. In 1970, Roslyn married Philip Erbes, the vice-president of the Chicago-based Wrigley (Gum) Corporation. Unfortunately, in 1971, Philip had a heart attack and died. She served as the vice-president of the American Harp Soceity from 1977 to 1980. In 1988, Roslyn chose to retire early and moved to St. Simons Island, Georgia.
From the guide to the Roslyn Rensch papers, approximately 1984-1994, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)
