Welcome to "Creative Harping"! I have designed this blog to discuss many topics of harp playing including technique, repertoire, and professional harp playing. I hope that this blog will be useful to harp students, harp teachers, and anyone interested in learning more about the harp.
I am a professional harpist and teacher in Charlotte, NC. I began playing the harp when I was 9. I had always been drawn to pictures and stories about angels and so naturally I was dieing to play the harp! After many years of asking my parents, they finally found a little lap harp made by a man from the Blue Ridge Mountains. This harp has 28 strings and sounds like a broken ukulele at best, but it was all I needed to realize that I was passionate about pursuing music. I soon began taking lessons from Elizabeth Dechent, former principal harpist for the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra. Beth taught me using the Salzedo method of harp playing which gave me a wonderful foundation. After a few months on my 28 string twangy lap harp, it was clear to my parents that I needed a bigger harp because I was literally becoming obsessed with practicing.
I got my 36 string Cunningham lever harp about a year later and my parents were sure that this investment would last for quite a while. This harp had full levers which allowed me to play in 7 different keys instead of just 1 key at a time. The levers also allowed me to play music with moderate chromaticism. I made a lot of progress with this harp and at the age of 12 I began performing professionally for weddings and dinner parties.
When I was 13 my teacher moved to Richmond. This was a pivotal time for me because it was this change that made me realize how serious I had become about the harp. I knew that I wanted to pursue classical harp at the highest level possible and that I would need a concert grand pedal harp to progress any further. I also realized that I wanted to study harp with Jacqueline Bartlett at the North Carolina School of the Arts where I could envelop myself completely in music and creativity. My parents knew the importance of getting me a pedal harp, but a $14,000 or greater investment was completely out of their budget. I saved all of my money from playing for weddings and even gave my first recital to raise money towards my pedal harp. Even with all of my savings, I was still no where near the amount that I needed.
One day when I was in 8th grade I came home from school to find a strange note on the door from my grandmother who lived up the street. The note said that my mom was out of town on business and that she wanted to take me out to dinner at our favorite tea room. I thought nothing of the strange note and was excited to spend the evening with her. We went to dinner and stayed for a long while afterwards until the whole tea room was vacant. I was beginning to wonder why we were staying so late when suddenly I turned and saw someone wheeling in a large harp in a blue cover. "Oh look, someone is here to play the harp!" I said. I then realized that my mom and step dad were the ones behind the harp and that my dad and step mom were also there. They all looked at me with tears in their eyes and said, "you're here to play the harp". I will never forget how amazing it was to uncover my mahogany finish concert grand pedal harp for the first time. I will never forget that the first piece I ever played on this harp was the harp cadenza from the Nutcracker Ballet. I would remember this moment many years later when I had the opportunity to perform the cadenza during a performance of the ballet at Indiana University.
With my new pedal harp I became even more obsessed with practicing the harp and learning more advanced repertoire. In the fall of 1999 my mom and I moved to Winston-Salem, NC so that I could attend the North Carolina School of the Arts. This was one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much about harp in those 4 years, but even more about what it means to be an artist. I am so indebted to my teacher Jacqueline Bartlett for her tremendous inspiration. I am also indebted to my mom who was willing to leave her hometown and move to NC to enable me to pursue my dream.
The next sequence of events are even more amazing to me as I recount them because they undoubtedly led me to where I am today. During my junior year of high school I got the opportunity to study with world renowned harpist and instructor, Alice Chalifoux who taught the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine. Alice Chalifoux was 92 at that time and it turned out to be the last year that she would teach in Camden. I was placed with a host family near Ms. Chalifoux's house on the coast of Maine. I learned so much from Alice Chalifoux that summer and her incredible spirit was such an inspiration to me. I also became very close to my host family during my month at their home and stayed in touch with them even after I left.
At the end of high school I knew that I wanted nothing more than to continue studying the harp with renowned harpist Susann McDonald who taught at Indiana University in Bloomington. When I auditioned and was accepted into her studio I was elated but also disappointed that I would never be able to afford the out of state tuition. I felt confused that I had been so driven to pursue a dream that now seemed so completely out of financial reach. After applying for many scholarships and grants I was still at a loss for how I would ever pay for this degree and I felt that my dream was over. As a last result I contacted the family from Maine and told them my situation, hoping for some helpful financial advice. I never expected the extremely generous offer that they would pay for me to attend IU. To this day I feel tremendously blessed by these events that made this possible and I am so grateful to this generous family. I went on to study with Susann McDonald and learned about the French method of harp playing. I now incorporate aspects of both the French and the Salzedo methods into my own playing and teaching. I also learned so much about musicality and musical connection through my studies with Miss McDonald and I always strive to incorporate the same genuine and supportive approach to teaching that she always had with her students.
I am currently playing harp for weddings, dinner parties, and special events. I also play with various symphonies and choirs in the area. Performance is my first love and I always enjoy an opportunity to play in a recital or perform with other musicians. I am currently performing with my fiance, trumpeter Bryan Osborne as well as flutist Emily Higgins who both live in Charlotte. In addition to performance, some of my most rewarding experiences come from teaching harp students. I have students that range in age from young children to adults and finding ways to inspire and encourage them on their journey is my greatest satisfaction.
I welcome your comments and suggestions for future blog posts. For more information about harp lessons or having harp at your event please visit: www.ncharp.com
Thanks for reading!!
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