On March 1, over 20 harpists from Los Angeles performed on 1,000 harp strings at a benefit concert raising funds to help musicians and artists affected by the wildfires near Los Angeles. Held at One On One Recording Studio in North Hollywood, the sold-out show drew an audience of more than 100 people. Proceeds from the live recorded performance event were sent to the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Harp Society, which then donated the funds to MusiCares, an organization dedicated to supporting musicians in times of need.
The harpists who participated were: Adrienne Knauer, Alaina Stark, Alison Bjorkedal, Anya Garipoli, Ariel Sol, Carter Williams, Chie Hasegawa, Christian Thierbach, Gabriela Gutierrez, Geo, Gracie Sprout, Jessica Brizuela, Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez, Kaitlin Miller, Kim Nguyen, Leila Jay Bishop, Minta Spencer, Peggy Skomal, Pia Salvia, Sarah Thompson, Sophia Oleniacz, and Xochitl Derycz.
“This was a passion project that started from an idea of mine, sparked from an impromptu harp duo jam with Ariel Sol at a fire relief fundraiser mid-January,” says harpist Minta Spencer, who served as the event’s executive producer. “The purpose for this project was to rally together as a community and spread love through music. This has been a challenging moment in time for Los Angeles-based artists and musicians who have been impacted by the cascading effects of these fires, from loss of homes to loss of equipment to loss of schools and gigs. I believe art is how culture heals and thrives, and I felt compelled to pool together my resources and tap into my network in L.A.”
Spencer says the 1,000 Strings event showcased “diversity in talent and song choices, from the Beatles, a Celtic medley, hip-hop, a Michael Jackson tribute, and original compositions.” As part of this variety, the 22 harpists on stage also performed a few numbers with other musicians. “We were fortunate to collaborate with two incredible drummers: Taylor Kennedy and Grammy award winner Daru Jones,” Spencer says. “Rapper Jack ‘WildChild’ Brown joined us on one of his original songs, a Dilla tribute ‘Rest ‘n’ Beats.’ Our emcee for the evening was Morgan Taylor Jones.”
Event planning began in January and culminated in the event on March 1. “I had originally planned to produce a benefit concert with a full band and join as the sole harpist. But I realized we could do something truly unique and historic within the harp community here,” Spencer says. “On January 22, I sent a text to our L.A. harpist thread of around 50 people to gauge interest, and, yes, people were enthusiastic. Within a few days I secured a location with a studio I’ve worked with before and narrowed down a date where 20-plus harpists could participate. I assembled a production team, and then we just began to work nonstop to create the event.”
Many harpists worked together to make the event a reality. “It was my honor to be the executive producer of this program and collaborate with a fabulous group of people,” Spencer says. “Jessica Brizuela and Adrienne Knauer were indispensable and helped create an incredible team for us to execute this event. Jillian Risigari-Gai Lopez, Ariel Sol, Leila Bishop, and Gabriela Gutierrez were so wonderful to consult with and very supportive and proactive with logistics and ideas.”
Spencer says she is also grateful for the support of Steve Fisher and Mathias Sorum, who run One on One Recording in North Hollywood. “I was honored to share the stage with such talented musicians in such a historic studio that has been home to legendary artists like Etta James, Patti Labelle, Metallica, KISS, and Quincy Jones,” Spencer says. The event was recorded live as both audio and video, with Director of Photography Austin Esposito filming the evening. Spencer says the group of participating harpists is hoping to share some of the video soon.
Visit the event page for more information about the event, including contact information for donation options.
