Kash Radocha
Contributing Conservatory Editor
This week, the Review went into the harp practice rooms to speak with Conservatory fourth-year Elizabeth Johnson, a Harp Performance major with History and Music Theory minors, and Conservatory third-year Kiki Li, a Harp Performance major. They have been the sole two students in Oberlin’s harp studio for the past three academic years.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What has it been like alternating between large ensembles, recitals, independent gigs, and other performance opportunities as the only two Harp Performance majors at Oberlin?
Elizabeth Johnson: In my first year, I was extremely overwhelmed with ensemble playing. I was also in a chamber group — not for credit — which I have never done since. Harpists have to practice between four and five hours a day. Adding in another six hours of chamber music was not beneficial. Since then, I’ve cut back on how many performances I do. I typically play in one or two recitals a year, but I have made it very clear that I will usually only be available for two rehearsals and the concert, because that’s usually about all I can handle. As much as I would have loved to play more, we don’t have the studio capacity for the opportunities offered to us, especially by composition students. I feel bad because they always want harp, but we have to tell them no because we don’t have the time.
Kiki Li: My first year wasn’t quite as bad, but it was overwhelming to be practicing that much. Not only do you have to practice outside of rehearsal, but for harp specifically, you have to mark the music beforehand — you’re constantly changing fingerings or the pedals before you play in rehearsal. That’s probably been the biggest time commitment that I’ve had. For outside playing opportunities, I’ve turned down a few gigs because it’s just so intense and I need to keep up with my schoolwork.
How has working together been over these past three years?
EJ: It’s ended up being pretty great. It would have been nice to have more harpists, but at the same time, I don’t know how that would have shifted the studio dynamic. We became pretty quick friends, and we try to make things fun — though it can get really intense sometimes because there’s only two of us. Our professor’s attention isn’t spread across a studio of 10 people. We have secondary harpists, but they’re not playing in orchestra. Associate Professor of Harp Diane Evans is very generous with her time. Honestly, if there were more of us, the scheduling would just be a nightmare.
Also, Kiki ended up being in the deep end her first year because I got Covid at the start of the year. I walked her around campus and then three days later I said, “I’m dog sick, sorry, you’re going to have to figure things out on your own for a little bit.”
KL: Which I was able to do! It’s also pretty easy for us to communicate. I can say, “Hey, I’ve got this gig, can you set the harp for rehearsal for me and tune it?” We’ve been able to really support each other that way. With the lack of new harp students, our friendship grew deeper. Evans also gives us such individual time and energy. It’s really easy to go to her and say, “I’m struggling with this piece. It’s kind of a mess and I have to perform it in three weeks. What do I do?” I can literally call her at 10 p.m. and she helps me figure it out.
On that note, do you know how big the studio will be next year?
EJ: We don’t know. The school has gotten so expensive and harp is already an expensive instrument to maintain. When students are here for audition weekend, we try and encourage them to want to be here. At the same time, because it’s such a small studio, people are intimidated. Oberlin used to have between five and seven harpists, but when COVID-19 happened, a lot of people deferred.
KL: In some ways, Oberlin isn’t really advertising harp very well. They’re kind of like, “Here, go hang out with the harpists.” They’re not advertising Miss Evans. She’s a really great symphony player: if you want to learn to play in a symphony, go to her.
Is there a particular performance you’re proud of during your time at Oberlin?
KL: When we did Alberto Ginastera’s Variaciones Concertantes for chamber orchestra, as stressed out as I was about it because it was a huge part, it was so fun and I felt so proud because I could finally play the level that I wanted to play.
EJ: As frustrating as some things were with Omar, I really enjoyed the role that I had in that orchestra. It’s an amazing part. I was playing pretty consistently throughout that entire opera which is very rare for harp. I felt so appreciated and it was great. Because the conductor, John Kennedy, OC ’82, loved me, I got to sit where I like to sit. I got multiple of my own little solos. It was such a fun experience, especially getting to take that to Cleveland at the Maltz Performing Arts Center.
