Harpist Amy Christine Ley McIntosh passed away peacefully at home on November 9, 2024, following a courageous two-year battle with breast cancer.
Amy was a beloved member of the musical communities in both her home state of Michigan and her adopted province of Ontario, Canada. As a busy freelancer, Amy could be found regularly crossing the Windsor Tunnel to perform a flawless Nutcracker, rehearse with one of her many chamber music ensembles, or provide just the right atmosphere for a wedding. Amy did it all with a warmth about her and the most inviting smile that made everyone around her feel welcome and accepted in her presence.
Amy was born in Lansing, Michigan, and spent her youth studying violin and piano before finding her way to the harp during high school. When she was 16, Amy’s school attended an educational program with a local symphony. Amy felt drawn to the harp, saying that “there was something about the shape and sound that transfixed me.” She is quoted as saying that playing the harp was “something from the depths of my heart, that I had to do.” She was fortunate enough to be able to borrow a harp from Michigan State University to start lessons and never looked back. Amy went on to attend the University of Michigan (BM, MM), where she studied with Lynne Aspnes.
The longtime principal harpist for the Flint Symphony and the Windsor Symphony, Amy also held prior appointments with the Ann Arbor, Lansing, and Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestras. In addition to her symphony engagements, Amy was a founder, Artistic Director, and often featured performer of Windsor-based professional chamber music series 4th Wall Music, whose goal is to “break down the 4th wall” between performers and audience members and engage with audiences through education, interaction, and collaboration with other artists in all genres of music.
A true champion of the harp and educator at heart, Amy taught private lessons in her home studio in Windsor, Ontario, as well as at Hillsdale College, the University of Windsor, and summers at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. In addition to harp lessons, Amy also regularly welcomed youngsters into her home to teach the “Music for Young Children” curriculum to children ages 3-10, a program that emphasizes music foundations of listening, singing, and piano. Amy’s home was “always filled with music.”
Amy “lived with a vibrant and determined spirit, embracing excitement, spontaneity, grace, and curiosity.” She was a generous soul who gave endlessly of herself to her community, her family, and her friends. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing her. Amy is survived by her husband, Andrew McIntosh, her son, Dylan, and daughter, Fiona, as well as her parents, Emily Rich and Thomas Ley, siblings, nieces, nephews, uncles, and aunts. Donations in memory of Amy may be made to the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, The Windsor Symphony Orchestra, or the Flint Symphony Orchestra.
—Margot Bingham
