Professor Harrell received her bachelor of music degree from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the master of music degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Post-graduate study included a summer in Graz, Austria at the American Institute of Musical Studies.

Since joining the MU music faculty in 1992, Professor Harrell has been active as a soloist, with recital appearances at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, the University of Texas at Austin, University of Iowa, University of Miami, Drake University, and Indiana University. She was also chosen as a fellow for the Bach Aria Festival and Institute at Stony Brook, New York. Orchestral appearances include performances with the Quad City Mozart Festival, Missouri Chamber Orchestra, Messiah Festival of Music and Art, Dallas Chamber Orchestra, and the International Chamber Orchestra in Los Angeles, California.

Professor Harrell's responsibilities at MU include teaching voice and lyric diction, and she serves as Coordinator of Vocal Studies. In 1997 she received the Purple Chalk Teaching Award sponsored by the College of Arts and Science and was also recognized in 1998 as a recipient of the Provost's Outstanding Junior Faculty Teaching Award. Professor Harrell has consistently placed students in the finals of National Association of Teachers of Singing Student Auditions at both state and regional competitions throughout her teaching career. In March 2000, one of her students was the winner of the National Association Collegiate Artist Award in Voice. Prior to 1992, Professor Harrell was a member of the music faculty at Hardin-Simmons University.