The Summer 2023 issue of the Folk Harp Journal (FHJ), of which I am the Editor-in-Chief, marks a milestone celebration. The magazine has been serving the worldwide harp community for 50 years.
The FHJ has been vitally important to my life as a harpist. I read my first issue of the FHJ soon after purchasing my first harp. A few years later, I was persuaded to take over Classified ads and they haven’t been able to get rid of me yet. All the various jobs in my life added up to the perfect assortment of skills to become the Editor of the FHJ. A job I cherish.
This April marks my 20th anniversary as a harpist. The harp came surprisingly into my mid-adult life during a seriously rough patch. After a bumpy start to my journey, a chance encounter in Oregon with a woman playing a Thormahlen harp gave me the courage to continue my quest. I ordered my first harp (not a Thormahlen, mine came later) off eBay and traveled from my small town to lessons wherever I could. The harp was the perfect partner in beginning a new chapter of my life.
The first thing I wanted to do was share harp music at hospice. I joined a healing music program that offered remote learning. Only months into playing I attended two major harp festivals. My harp traveling via airplane in a cardboard box. At both events, everyone I met was exceptionally kind and helpful to this new face in the crowd who was so bad at playing yet so hopeful. Little did we know.
My dreams of life with the harp were so minimal. Play at hospice—luckily, no songs anyone knew so they couldn’t judge my poor playing— and play for my Grandmother. Now, shockingly, here we are at twenty years, and I’m stunned at how much the harp changed my life. On April 3rd, I will be hosting a party for the release of my third album, Beneath the Starry Moonlight (click here to order). (Click here to read about the songs on the album.) We will also be celebrating my twenty years and my retirement as a professional harpist. My husband has just retired, and we are relishing this new phase of our lives.
Right before Christmas 2022, I had my fourth hand surgery. The previous ones had been minor to remove lumps from my knuckles which made life difficult for a harpist. This time, in addition to a lump on a finger, the surgeon removed a large lump in my palm. From that, we discovered I have Dupuytrens Syndrome like all the Swedish men in my family. We thought it was only for men! Guess not. And I’m so proud of my 40% Swedish genes received from my beloved Grandmother. For now, my hands are ok-ish. The current decline in my playing probably only feels significant to me. But I can’t in good conscience, book a wedding ten months out. After 17 years, this seems like a good time to bow out of the wedding harp business. (Plus, ten years as a wedding photographer earlier in my life. I’ve earned retirement from weddings.) I may do a few gigs here and there, but nothing booked far in advance. The upside to the diagnosis, however, was that it provided the incentive I needed to finish my third album. I’ve been working on this project for about six years, but I’ve repeatedly put it on a back burner since recording doesn’t make much financial sense these days. Suddenly finishing the album to wrap up this professional chapter of my life felt important. Now, I’m rediscovering the joy in playing music for myself and the harp will continue to be a huge part of my life along with the magic that it brings. Of course, I am not leaving the FHJ any time soon.
And even before all this, I’d really become much more focused on my art and relishing the time in my studio. Working on making books, doing Zentangle drawing, and all sorts of random things with paper. There will be a show of my artwork at the Fayetteville Public Library in the fall. I will be back in Lindsborg, Kansas, at the end of the year for another Artist-in-Residence stint. We are also doing a lot of traveling this year.
I’m quite proud of what I have accomplished these past twenty years with the harp, it has been more than I could have ever imagined. So, despite the shocking news of the new year, I go forward knowing that while one era ends a new one begins. I am fortunate, exceptionally happy, and looking forward to the future.