Melissa Tardiff Dvorak, Harpist

Adding a Touch of Grace and Elegance

5.0

Verified reviews from real couples

We had an amazing experience with Melissa! She was incredibly professional from start to finish. Communication was always excellent, and she responded to all of my questions promptly throughout the planning process. She has a huge catalog of songs to choose from, and she also let us know that if there was a special song we wanted, she could most likely play it on the harp. It made it easy to personalize our ceremony. Melissa played during our ceremony, and it was absolutely beautiful. Her music created such a romantic atmosphere and really elevated the ceremony. She played beautifully, arrived on time, and everything went smoothly from beginning to end. I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone looking for a talented and reliable harpist for their wedding!

Catalina M.

5.0

Melissa kindly stepped in when our original harpist was unable to play for the wedding, and she was so kind and helpful as we made the transition! She confirmed that all of our ceremony music was correct with us on a phonecall, had a phenomenal selection of music to choose from for the pre-ceremony music and during cocktail hour, and I can definitely say that walking down the aisle to Dearly Beloved from Kingdom Hearts played on a harp is the best experience of my life to date (other than marrying my husband of course). Melissa’s playing was absolutely stunning, we heard nothing but amazing things from other guests and loved what we heard during cocktail hour. Thank you Melissa for stepping in and making our day truly magical and perfect!

Tori B.

5.0

Melissa Dvorak

OWNER

AWARD WINNER

Thanks to recommendations from couples on The Knot

Harpist Melissa Dvorak's music adds a touch of sophistication to any event. With years of experience performing for hundreds of weddings, parties, and other special events, Melissa caters to your musical wishes to provide the lavish and elegant atmosphere you've been dreaming about for your special day. Although classically trained, Melissa is just as comfortable performing in pop, jazz, and contemporary settings. Everything from Beethoven to The Beatles to Beyonce is possible on the harp, so let your imagination soar! Melissa Tardiff Dvorak, Harpist, is a Falls Church, VA musician who plays at weddings.

Woman-owned Business

Details

Instruments

Cello

Flute

Harp

Viola

Violin

Music Genres

Classical

Folk

Pop

Music Services

Live Music

Wedding Activities

Rehearsals & Parties

Rehearsal Dinner

Wedding

Ceremony

Cocktail Hour

Reception

Rehearsal Dinner

Awards and Affiliations

2011 'Best of Weddings'

Join couples who chose award-winning vendors for their wedding

Meet the team

Melissa Dvorak

Owner

Melissa Tardiff Dvorak, Harpist is an outstanding active professional free lance harpist in Metro Washington DC. She enjoys playing a variety of musical genres, from Bach to the Beatles to Beyonce and everything in between. Melissa performs frequently at area landmarks, such as the Kennedy Center, Strathmore, The Smithsonian and has had the honor of playing for every living president and Pope Francis. She holds degrees in Harp Performance from the Peabody Conservatory of Music. She also manages a thriving harp studio of students of all ages.

5.0

out of 5.0

24 reviews

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Catalina M

7/03/2026

We had an amazing experience with Melissa! She was incredibly professional from start to finish. Communication was always excellent, and she responded to all of my questions prompt...

ly throughout the planning process. She has a huge catalog of songs to choose from, and she also let us know that if there was a special song we wanted, she could most likely play it on the harp. It made it easy to personalize our ceremony. Melissa played during our ceremony, and it was absolutely beautiful. Her music created such a romantic atmosphere and really elevated the ceremony. She played beautifully, arrived on time, and everything went smoothly from beginning to end. I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone looking for a talented and reliable harpist for their wedding!

Tori B

5/02/2026

Melissa kindly stepped in when our original harpist was unable to play for the wedding, and she was so kind and helpful as we made the transition! She confirmed that all of our cer...

emony music was correct with us on a phonecall, had a phenomenal selection of music to choose from for the pre-ceremony music and during cocktail hour, and I can definitely say that walking down the aisle to Dearly Beloved from Kingdom Hearts played on a harp is the best experience of my life to date (other than marrying my husband of course). Melissa’s playing was absolutely stunning, we heard nothing but amazing things from other guests and loved what we heard during cocktail hour. Thank you Melissa for stepping in and making our day truly magical and perfect!

Any questions?

Rachel S

4/05/2026

Melissa was instrumental in the success of my wedding day, I genuinely could not have asked for a better musician. Leading up to the big day, she was communicative and patient with...

all of my questions, which I so appreciated amongst the chaos of the planning process! She played a beautiful selection of songs ranging from beloved movie score pieces to classic compositions. The melodic tones of the harp were mesmerizing throughout the reception, making for a truly magical experience. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to have a delicate musical addition to their wedding or other event!

Carolyn

4/18/2025

Melissa was so easy to work with. We added the violin, and it was just such a beautiful ensemble. The guests loved it, and it really helped create the atmosphere. They were able to...

improvise when needed, and she was wonderful to work with.

Aley H

12/15/2022

Melissa played at our wedding reception and we are so thrilled that she did! Every song she played was absolutely beautiful -- we requested a mix of classical and holiday music for...

our December wedding, and she definitely delivered! Our guests haven't stopped talking about how beautiful it was to listen to her play during our dinner and post-dinner drinks. Melissa was incredibly responsive and helped answer all of our questions. She was incredibly timely on the day of the wedding as well. We highly recommend hiring Melissa!

Erin N

10/13/2022

After finding Melissa online and listening to the wonderful music samples on her website, I reached out to her and she was immediately responsive. She was so easy to work with ever...

y step of the way and was one of the least stressful parts of our wedding planning experience! She was very open to our preferred song selections and was able to incorporate others to craft a full playlist for while our guests waited for the ceremony to start and also for the full cocktail hour. She perfectly timed the music for our walks down the aisle and created the exact atmosphere we had envisioned. Melissa is SO talented, everyone loved the music, her pricing is incredibly affordable, and I could not more highly recommend her. She made our day even more special and beautiful than I ever imagined. Thank you so much, Melissa!

Meg O

8/12/2022

Melissa was a fantastic addition to our wedding day! We had a garden party themed wedding and were looking for live music during our outdoor cocktail hour. She created such a beaut...

iful and relaxing setting by playing recognizable and modern music on her harp. She was also very responsive and easy to work with. We are thrilled Melissa was able to join our vendor team!

Ashley S

11/16/2021

We hired both Melissa and Christine for the harp and cello duet for both our ceremony and cocktail hour. Their music set such a beautifully romantic setting for our ceremony and cr...

eated a perfect atmosphere for our cocktail hour- I have received countless compliments from our guests. Both events were outdoors and I could hear them perfectly from the holding area during the ceremony, which was probably about 50 yards away. I am so thrilled that we hired Melissa and Christine for our wedding - I don't think recorded audio could have come close to creating the same atmosphere they did for us. I would recommend asking your venue for some amplified audio or a very central location for the performers during an outdoor cocktail hour though since the chatter from our guests had gotten pretty loud by the time we arrived. I did not find that additional audio amplification was needed for the outdoor ceremony though

Ileana M

10/13/2021

Harp + Violin elevate any event-- when they are your wedding ceremony and cocktail hour entertainment, they transform the mood in the space to *magical*. I'm so happy Melissa and ...

her violinist, Emily were on our vendor team. Melissa was flexible during our covid reschedule, and I'm just so thrilled she was able to do our wedding. She played all the songs on my request list, including lots of contemporary songs that are near and dear to my heart. She was extremely responsive, easy to work with, and the music was just beautiful, we got so many compliments. Thank you Melissa for being a part of our special day!

Shianne C

9/25/2021

Melissa and Barbara (harpist and celloist) we hired for our wedding did an amazing job playing music for our guests before/during/after our ceremony. We requested specific songs an...

d they played them beautifully. They are attentive and coordinated with the on goings of the ceremony perfectly. They were friendly and professional, and we would recommend them to our friends and family.

Molly S

11/17/2020

Melissa was a wonderful addition to my Oct 3rd, 2020 wedding! Although I didn't fully get to enjoy her music, my guests all had such wonderful things to say. She really helped set ...

the mood I was going for. She also was so self sufficient and very helpful in music recommendations! I walked down the aisle to Perfect by Ed Sheeran, and she knew exactly how to end it at the perfect time!

Shannon B

8/23/2020

She did an excellent job and was accommodating with covid changes! Melissa did a beautiful job with all of my requests and provided suggestions as well. Highly recommend!

Jordan W

3/24/2020

Melissa was extremely prompt and kind in all of her correspondences with me and went above and beyond to accommodate my needs and wishes. She was very professional, and I really ap...

preciate her flexibility regarding my situation. Thank you for everything, Melissa!

Emily H

5/31/2019

Melissa was very professional and great to work with! We hired her to play for our wedding ceremony and cocktail hour along with a cellist. The music was beautiful! She was recepti...

ve to our requests and filled the remainder of the time with their own fitting choices. My spouse and I are musicians who have played weddings in the past and were very pleased with their performance. Thank you!

Taylor F

11/06/2018

Melissa was so helpful in answering all of our questions in a timely manner. We are huge Disney fans, and wanted all of our music for the ceremony to be from our favorite Disney lo...

ve scenes. Melissa not only gave us a full list of all the songs she was able to play (which was everything we could think of and more!) and gave us a guideline for how many songs she needed us to select for each portion of the ceremony. We've gotten so many compliments on her beautiful music, and we could not be any happier with our choice!

Brittany F

10/28/2018

Melissa was so amazing to work with. I must have had well over a dozen questions I asked her before I booked and she took her time responding to all of them in a fast and professio...

nal manner. The selection of music I went with was all Disney and she was happy to work around the theme and even threw in more while the guest were waiting for the ceremony to begin! My guests were so impressed and offered several compliments on both Melissa herself and the music played. Easily one of my favorite parts from my special day!

M P

11/10/2016

Melissa was truly amazing! We booked her to perform at our cocktail hour and we're so happy that we found her. She was extremely easy to work with, we exchanged a couple of emails ...

with details of our wedding- months before the big day. On our wedding day, Melissa was prompt, super professional and her performance was everything! Our guests are still raving about her!!!

Elyse T

7/11/2016

I always dreamt of having a harpist on my wedding day and my dream finally came true! Having Melissa played at our ceremony and dessert reception definitely added a touch to our we...

dding! Melissa was so friendly and easy to work with. She also kept us on track during the planning phase! She played so beautifully on our wedding. We are just so glad to have Melissa played on our wedding day!

Kim T

1/18/2014

I opted for a duo (cellist and harp) and they were both fantastic! Right from the beginning Melissa was very professional. Her responses were always timely and detailed (I planned ...

the wedding in 3 months so time was extremely valuable). They arrived at the venue early (always a plus), played all the songs I had requested, and gave my ceremony that extra touch of awesome. She's professional, prompt, and talented. I want to host another event just to hire her again!

Charone T

11/01/2012

Melissa and her violinist were fantastic!! She was very accommodating even though there were a few ceremony mishaps. Her team played all of my requests at the right times and she w...

as very professional! I would choose her again and again!

Tirza N

1/19/2011

Melissa played at our wedding reception and was amazing. She was so professional and easy to work with.

Whitney h

11/21/2010

Melissa was fabulous! She worked with me on the ceremony music and gave me great recommendations about what songs to pick for which parts of the ceremony. I would definitely recomm...

end her....It was a beautiful ceremony and the music was perfect!

Cheryl K

11/09/2010

Melissa's music was a beatiful addition to our wedding ceremony. She is so easy to work with. She was always quick to respond to e-mails and was very accommodating when we asked ...

to have special music selections played.

Caroline S

10/07/2010

Melissa was wonderful to work with! She was responsive, professional and a wonderful musician. She played for our ceremony and then for the cocktail hour. She played some traditi...

onal classical music but also Lady Gaga and the theme to Star Trek. I highly recommend her!

Contact

(202) 262-2613

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Melissa Tardiff Dvorak, Harpist

Melissa Dvorak

Owner

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Melissa Tardiff Dvorak, Harpist

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