"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!

Have you ever had a detour turn out well?

With two performances on piano last week, and three on harp this week, I marvelled once again at the unexpected things that can happen in one's life. Back in the early 80's, I was a music education student at Indiana University School of Music (now Jacobs School of Music) with a concentration in piano. All was OK, but there was no zeal in what I
was doing...until one evening which changed everything.

All piano students were required to be in an ensemble, and I was assigned to the Women's Chorus. We were to sing in the orchestra pit during the university production of the Nutcracker Ballet (a part at the end of the first act which is usually covered by strings in professional productions) and I was placed right behind the harpists. I was  entranced. Already familiar with the Waltz of the Flowers harp cadenza from my parents' music collection, I got a front seat to beautiful harp music in the ballet score that I had never heard before.

The next semester, the first thing I did was to sign up for beginner harp lessons. Before I knew it, I was taking private lessons from esteemed harp instructor Linda Wood Rollo and taking part in Susann McDonald's weekly master classes. My life was forever changed by the wonderful harpists I met and became colleagues with. The following year brought a change from piano study to harp and a world of new possibilities.

That made it all the more special when I began receiving calls to play in the South Bend Symphony Orchestra a few years later, and when I served as the harpist for the Southold Dance Theater's production of the Nutcracker Ballet during the years that they used live music.

I am so grateful for this unexpected detour that has added so much to my life. Stay tuned!

Welcome

Today, I am launching my blog. For over 25 years, I have offered my musical services for events and today, I start marketing my business in the 21st century with Facebook and this blog. I hope you will visit often and find my business, Setting the Tone by Beth Paré on Facebook.

Stay tuned for future updates!