"Beth, how did you ever get interested in the harp?"

I am often asked this question; after all, the harp is a pretty unusual instrument. Here's one of the chapters in the story:

I must have been thirteen or so, when I first became aware of the harp, other than knowing harps existed. My parents had season tickets to a concert series in nearby Warsaw, Indiana, and my younger brother and I were encouraged to dress up a bit and accompany Mom and Dad to the concerts. My brother and I experienced a variety of musicians there at Warsaw Community High School: duo-pianists Ferrante & Teicher, Bill Evans, a amazing organist whose name escapes me, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, George Shearing, and many more.

This particular concert featured Joe Longstreth and John Escosa, duo-harpists. (A quick web search shows that they performed extensively on community concert series during the 1970's.) I was intrigued by the visual beauty of the harps, the mysterious way they pulled their harps back onto their shoulders, the tiny movements I kept noticing near the curved top of the harp, and last but certainly not least, the completely entrancing music they produced.

Years later, as I began learning harp music to use professionally, I came across several arrangements for harp of old standards and popular music by none other than John Escosa. They were all expertly done, utilizing the fun and unique sound effects one can produce on harp such as the glissando, the pedal slide, and the harmonic.

Fast forwarding a little more, one night as I was playing cocktail music for an event at Century Center, a band was setting up on the stage behind me. I performed one of my favorites, John Escosa's playful arrangement of "Ain't Misbehavin'" (not what most people think of when they think of harp music!). Shortly afterward, a member of the band hopped down from the stage, asked my name, and made a little conversation. He observed that I had just played "Ain't Misbehavin'", then extended his hand and said, "I'm John Escosa II, and that's some of the best playing I've heard of Dad's charts."

You just never know who's in the audience.

Stay tuned for more!