harpcolumn

Top 10 #practicalharpist Instagrams of 2018

December 31, 2018

With harpists everywhere using Instagram to share their musical journeys, our @harpcolumn feed is filled with incredible #practicalharpist shots. Every day this year, we were inspired by photos featuring creative angles, fantastic practice videos, gorgeous venues, and clever captions. With 2018 coming to an end, we wanted to highlight some of our favorites from the year. Be sure to tag #practicalharpist in your harp life photos on Instagram so we can see all of your great shots in the coming year!

Indonesian harpist Rama Widi posted this mesmerizing shot in November, and we’re still thinking about it. The photo somehow manages to make his Lyon & Healy gold concert grand 23 look light as a feather, and at 81 pounds, that’s no small feat! How did you do it, @ramawidiofficial?


Talk about living on the edge. This photo shared by Kristan Toczko made our hearts collectively skip a beat—you don’t have to look too closely to  see the waves crashing against the coast. Hopefully, no harps were damaged in the making of this Instagram, @ktoczko!


Question: what’s better than a harp photo? A photo with ten harps, obviously. We love the symmetry (balanced beneath two gorgeous chandeliers), the range of instrument sizes and stains, and the focus visible on each harpist’s face. Great photo, @caterina_bergo!


Maeve Gilchrist’s caption paired with her photo from September still has us laughing. All alone on a wooden raft in the middle of a lake with nothing but her lever harp, @maevegilchrist pokes fun at our often–isolated role in music programs and ensembles.


@Phoenixharpist Adrienne Knauer shared this gem on Instagram in August, which features @theweddinggals, a duo based out of Phoenix, Ariz. Gold is the perfect accent color to accentuate the harp, so this photo, from a night shoot using steel wool, is making all our harp photo dreams come true. Photo by @timkingaz and @mscottgalles.


This was the year of the harp shadow photography! Emily Granger (@emmilygranger) posted this bird’s eye view of Xavier de Maistre at the City Recital Hall in Sydney, Australia, and we are in love. The light not only highlights de Maistre perfectly, but gives us silhouettes of the harp on either side of him. Cue the heart–eye emojis.


Couples continue to get more creative and push the boundaries of what a wedding can look like. This means harpists get to play in more interesting spaces, and @harpangelharpist is no exception. In July, Deborah Nyack snapped this stunning photo from an elopement at Moraine Lake in Canada’s exquisite Banff National Park. Hopefully it wasn’t as chilly as those snow–capped mountains might lead one to believe.


In June, @Rachmillzz shared this insider look at the Chicago–based Lyon & Healy factory. With columns nowhere in sight and the necks hanging above the bodies, we just love Rachel Miller’s behind–the–scenes snap showcasing the beginning stages of a harp’s life. Plus, @afineartiste’s  “No strings attached” comment is extremely on point.


We’re always on the lookout for interesting perspectives for our next #practicalharpist photo, and this one by @harpnsouln just might fit the bill. Taking center stage in this instagram is Nichole Rohrbach McKenzie’s
Camac concert grand Oriane, and the angle allows us to admire both the harp’s mechanics and its intricate soundboard decal.


And finally, no harp Instagram roundup is complete without a dreamy #viewfromtheharp photo. Vienna Philharmonic solo harpist Anneleen Lenaerts shared this shot from the Royal Opera House at the iconic Château de Versailles to commemorate 100 years since the end of World War I. The November concert, which included Holst’s “Mars, the Bringer of War” from The Planets, ended with The Unanswered Question by Charles Ives. Brava, @alanneleenlenaerts.

Want us to see your photo? Follow us @harpcolumn and use #practicalharpist when sharing your photos on Instagram!

more like this