Harp Music Festival brings heavenly sounds

Let us pause to consider the harp - the giraffe of the orchestral zoo.

It is as tall as a man, as heavy as a child, and as expensive as a Lexus sedan, with a sound so sublime it can soothe a crying baby.

We may know dozens of people who have mastered the piano or violin. But the harp? Name one.

If you can, chances are the musician knew about the third annual Harp Music Festival of Philadelphia this weekend at the Church of St. Luke and the Epiphany in Center City.

Harpists from the region - students and teachers, professors and tutors, orchestra members and soloists - participated in recitals and classes that began Friday and continue until tomorrow.

"Harp music is more complex than piano music," said Saul Davis Zlatkovski, a Philadelphia soloist and artistic director of the festival. "Most people know almost nothing about the harp, which is one of the reasons I started the festival."

There are national gatherings, but the festival is a way to bring together harpists from the region, he said.

"I did hope this would inspire everyone," Zlatkovski said.

The weekend features five recitals, including a pair of harp duos tomorrow, and three master classes.

Attendance at yesterday's master class was small, but the shared passion for the harp among the dozen or so musicians was abundant.

In the church's side chapel, students played one at a time for Rebecca Anstine Smith, a harp instructor at the University of Maryland.

She critiqued their performances, offered advice, and bolstered confidence.

At close distance, it's easier to understand the physical work involved in playing the instrument. The arms of a harpist move like a ballet dancer's, while feet tap at seven pedals.

One of the students yesterday was Jordan Thomas, 18, a senior at the Philadelphia High School for Creative and Performing Arts.

Thomas, of Mount Airy, said he had wanted to play the harp since he was 5. The desire started when his grandmother took him to see the Philadelphia Orchestra. He was mesmerized by the harp and tried to talk to the harpist during intermission.

Thomas begged his grandmother for lessons. "She would tell me, 'Let's take the piano first,' " Thomas said.

He did, but he never gave up on the harp. "I'd always remind her, 'Can I start playing the harp now?' "

Next year, Thomas will study the harp on a full scholarship at the prestigious Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

"The uniqueness of playing the harp is what makes it so satisfying," Thomas said.

Helen Gerhold, 13, of Lansdale, can relate.

A rising talent, she said she loved "the way people react to the harp, how rare it is."

The seventh grader at Germantown Academy, who will perform in today's student recital, she has been playing the harp since she was 5.

"I love the sound," Gerhold said. "Even though it's such a big thing, it's so graceful."

Zlatkovski said the study of the harp was enjoying "huge growth," thanks to the popularity of the smaller lever harp, commonly known as the Celtic harp.

A lever harp costs about $5,000 versus about $25,000, at the very least, for a larger pedal harp. "Physically, too, it is easier to transport," Zlatkovski said.

The harp has another thing going for it: a beautiful sound from the first pluck.

"My mom loved to hear me practice," Zlatkovski said. "I don't know many parents saying that about drums or the sax."

To learn more about

the harp festival, visit www.harpmusicfest.com or call 215-563-4848.

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