Dickie Fleisher, Principal Harp
Jane Purdy Berger* Chair
“Dickie is perhaps the finest, in my opinion, symphonic harpist in our country.”
— Erich Kunzel, conductor
Dickie Fleisher began studying the harp at age 10 with his grandmother, Nettie Druzinsky, who was the accompanist for fan dancer Sally Rand. His grandfather, Louis Druzinsky, was principal second violin in the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. His uncle, Edward Druzinsky, was principal harpist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 40 years. His father is pianist Leon Fleisher. His sister Deborah is the harpist with the Maryland Lyric Opera, the Miami City Ballet and teaches at Lynn University. His sister Leah is a harpist in the Washington, D.C., area. Dickie’s wife, Kayo Ishimaru, received first prize at the Paris Conservatory and is the harpist with the Jacksonville Symphony and Grant Park Symphony.
Dickie has been principal harpist of the Naples Philharmonic since 1983. He has also performed with the Cincinnati Symphony, Grant Park Symphony, Miami City Ballet and internationally with the Nagoya Symphony, Lucerne Symphony, National Symphony of Mineria and the National Symphony of the Dominican Republic. Dickie is the director of the Naples Harp Ensemble and teaches at Florida Gulf Coast University. Dickie was also the United States judge at the U.S.A. Harp Competition in 2022. Dickie is also a competitive table tennis player; he has been ranked as high as No. 1 in the country in his age group and has represented the United States in many international competitions.
Dickie would like to express his gratitude and appreciation to his teachers: Nettie Druzinsky, Edward Druzinsky, Edward Vito, Lily Laskine, Jacqueline Borot and her dog, Nova. In his spare time, he tries to corner the world market on harps.
*deceased