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Hello Karen, I’m afraid I’ve used the “well, they paid a fortune for the flowers but they don’t want to pay me a decent amount” thing myself! I have said it quite unthinkingly,
Thank you so much to all of you for your help.I will most certainly follow up on the suggestions. Re L&H flyer, I get that in my e-mail so I will watch for it.
The community orchestra I have worked with does tend to hold harpists in disregard for the reasons that I have mentioned above, requiring music in advance, requiring access to the hall so that you can tune, requiring musicians to remain quiet while you finish tuning. None that I feel are unreasonable, but are often not understood by non harpists.
Yes, I agree with this and your other posts.
As to the issue of community orchestras and prima donna harpist that was mentioned above. harpists do have particular needs and requirements that the public are not always aware of. I myself have been in the situation of being called a prima donna for requiring music in advance and not wanting to sight read on the day of the concert. The music in question was Sleeping Beauty suite, Tzigane and Giselle. I have also got the prima donna tag for wanting to arrive early to tune the harp and no one wanting to arrive early to open the hall, and/or requring the other musicians to remain quiet while I finish tuning.
As to rates of pay for community work, I tend to charge the union minimum for a rank and file (section) player rather than the principal rate out of consideration that it is a community event. But as acceptance of this work, may mean turning down other professional engagements,
Autumn, I did not see your post before I wrote mine! I understand your frustations. I have no issue with you charging less than a top professional. I believe the musicians unions, in most countries, set a minimum fee. Realistically, most professionals do charge above the minimum, and the better the harpist the more above the standard rate they
Your pictures are similar to a harp here in San Antonio which I have mentioned previously on this thread – it was given to the San Antonio Symphony somewhere around 25 years ago by a benefactor who bought it in China on a trip – it may still be in storage with the symphony although I also heard that it was given to a local church – for more information I would suggest you call the SA Symphony 210-554-1010 and ask for either the stage manager, or Rachel Farris who is the harpist.
The harp was nicknamed the “Dragon Lady” because it had a dragon head on the column with two emerald green stone eyes – it was gold and had leather pedal wraps and the 4th and 5th octaves were wound nylon strings on a steel core – did not have a particularly good sound, but certainly held pitch well –
Good luck on you search –
JohnOkay, I am DONE with the Lyon and Healy Ogden. I’ve had TWO of them and both have this issue (I’m currently buying up to 4 gut strings every month and I can never play properly because there’s always one missing). With the first I thought I was unlucky but these harps are just problematic. I contacted the store and they told me every Ogden they sold has this massive string breakage and they refuse to buy any more of these harps from L&H until they fix it. I have no idea what L&H are thinking still selling these, they MUST be aware of this problem. Everyone who has one complains about it, it seems. I’m not willing to wait until the string breakage stops, after two years I’m sure it never will.
Yay NH! I live there and am 17 too… except I live at a boarding school outside of Boston for most of the year . I definitely don’t live in rural NH
Thanks Leslie! I just looked at the Moderne again, and yes, his harps are really quite large! At 71″ its taller than my pedal harp!
Congrats! Aren’t they the most lovely harps! I have never seen them before so thanks for posting about your Laurel leaf! It IS a dream harp isn’t it! The Moderne (the mini Salzedo) made me laugh out loud, its so cute! (I think I wants it!)
When it arrives please do put a photo on and please do tell us what it sounds like! I could not find any sound bites on his website. Are they gut strings? concert harp strings or the folk ones?
