It's hard to imagine what 20 harps on a stage at one time look like, much less what they sound like. But that was exactly what the audience at Kingsbury Hall experienced Tuesday evening. This wonderful concert, which was a visual and aural delight, was performed by ShruDeLi Ownbey's Suzuki students, ranging in age from 10 to 17 years. The audience, of which probably half were children or teenagers, thoroughly enjoyed themselves, judging by their response to the performance.
These young harpists were joined by the University of Utah Children's Dance Theater for the last third of the program. Together they performed Spanish composer Carlos Salzedo's "Suite of Eight Dance." This was a charming performance, with both the harpists and dancers doing an outstanding job. The music was light and delightful, and the choreography was excellent.Ownbey and her harp ensemble have been touring the United States. It can't be emphasized enough how much fine young talent there was on stage Tuesday evening. Watching these young people perform was pure pleasure. They obviously enjoyed performing for the audience and for Ownbey, who in a couple of pieces conducted the ensemble and in a couple of others performed with them.
The music for this program was rather eclectic, spanning several centuries, from Elizabethan England (represented by the composer John Bull) to the 20th century (represented by several composers). In each piece, though, the musicians did a great job in bringing out the essence of the stylistic period.
Claude Debussy's "Danses Sacree et Profane" ("Sacred and Profane Dances") was on the program in a very unusual setting for harp, string quartet and male chorus. This was arranged by Mary Kay Waddington, one of the artistic creators, along with Ownbey and Jill Whitman, of the "Tapestry of Sound" concert, which was the basis for Tuesday's concert.
This arrangement was very effective, making good use of the instruments and voices and creating a very moody atmosphere.
Waddington was also the arranger of the evening's first piece, "The King's Hunt," by John Bull. The arrangement was for eight harps and two horns, one placed in the balcony and the other off-stage. Again, this was an effective arrangement, very visual, and the musicians performed the piece with a fine command of the music.
Other works on the program were a movement from a sonata by Johann Dussek, performed by the ensemble; a movement from a concerto by Handel, performed by five members from the ensemble; and pieces by Haydn, Van Veachton Rogers, Deborah Henson-Conant, Jean-Michel Damase and Annie Challon.
Harp music is probably not everyone's idea of great music. If so, they truly don't know what they're missing. The harp has a mellow sound, with a range almost that of a piano. In the hands of a good musician, it's a versatile instrument. Ownbey's students proved that, and she should be proud of them. They're talented and obviously dedicated to their instrument. With such fine young musicians, the future definitely looks bright.