I am very fortunate that the Orlando Philharmonic production/stage crew moves my harp in my Lyon & Healy trunk along with the other equipment such as tympani, percussion, music stands, and chairs, etc., between the various locations in and out of town where we rehearse and perform.

The BBC Symphony does – but make sure *you* carry the bag of spare strings & bits yourself, because it can (and frequently does) get lost in the shuffle. Then you could be left without that vital 3rd A when you most need it.

It would have to equal a LOT of extra pay to induce me to ever take on the responsibility of moving a harp in and out of concert halls, orchestra pits, etc. And don’t forget the parking issues around venues like that, which are often in crowded city centres, where traffic is plentiful and spaces rare. If the harp is their property, so is the responsibility (and the repair costs).

Dear Sylvia, Now that you know that it is common practice for the stage crew to move the harp, ask the management if they will have the crew move your harp in future. Our orchestra used to only get our music a week in advance until I started asking my Harp Column friends when they got theirs. I was shocked to find out that everyone else was getting their music at least two weeks in advance of the first rehearsal. So we got our contract changed.