When longtime trombonist Mark Hendrickson fell in love with the harp, he had to have one, even if it meant buying a new car. The 82-pound concert grand harp he wanted wouldn’t fit into his Toyota Prius.
“It’s taller than me, and I’m 5-11,” Hendrickson said. “So, I bought a Tesla and a few months later, I bought the harp. I have a harp mobile!”
Students such as Hendrickson will join professionals and listeners who appreciate one of the world’s oldest instruments at the Diehn School of Music at Old Dominion University starting Friday.
That’s where the Hampton Roads Harp Festival and Competition will celebrate its 10th anniversary. The itinerary includes master classes, workshops and a youth competition, along with a rare United States recital by Alexander Boldachev. The virtuoso harpist, whose rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” is considered genius, will close the festival with a 7:30 p.m. recital on Saturday at Chandler Hall.
He and festival founder, Anastasia Pike, will also collaborate on a piece by Melvin Lauf, Jr., who plays harp with the Hampton Roads Philharmonic.
“We’re a bunch of harpists who love our instrument,” Pike said. “We love teaching. We love spreading the word to other people.”
Credit Pike for the longevity of the region’s largest harp festival. Pike is a nationally renowned harpist and pianist who has shared a stage with violinist Itzhak Perlman and singer Renée Fleming. She studied at The Juilliard School and holds three master’s degrees, including one from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. She was born in Newport News while her father was stationed at Fort Eustis and lived in Norfolk during her husband’s naval tour.
More than a decade ago, a Christopher Newport University professor suggested that Pike, a faculty member, organize a harp festival. Held initially at CNU, the event moved to ODU in 2023. While the turnout is anticipated to be no more than 100, that’s a crowd for this niche instrument.
“We’ve grown from a small local event into a premier one with participants from all across the country and internationally,” said Pike, who now lives in Maryland. “We’ve had students enter the competition from Armenia and Canada. We’ve had presenters from France.”
The youth competition awards cash prizes and scholarships. Alumni have gone on to the bigger stage. Last year’s winner of the junior division, Noella Lee, is part of the American Harp Society’s Emerging Artists Program. Viviana Alfaro has appeared on "From the Top," an NPR radio program that showcases young musicians. Eunice Park, a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient, has performed solo at Lincoln Center in New York.
The harp’s smooth sound and ancient design make it a frequent guest at wedding receptions and elegant affairs. Pike began on a Celtic harp at 12 to please her mother, who favored the instrument because of its mention in the Bible.
Pike went to college for piano but returned to the harp. Her inspiration came from teacher Alice Chalifoux, the Cleveland Orchestra's principal harpist for more than 40 years.
“I wasn’t planning to pursue the harp, but she pushed me in that direction,” said Pike, who now has a room in her home dedicated to her nine harps. “She changed my life. All these doors opened.”
Pike has performed for European royalty and heads of state. She has given concerts at Carnegie Hall, the National Cathedral and the White House. She’s lectured at Juilliard and played at the World Harp Congress in Wales. Pike remains a faculty member at Columbia University, where she earned her doctorate. She particularly enjoys playing harp in the waiting room for patients at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Pike encourages anyone with an interest in the harp to attend the festival, where harps will be on display for practice plucking. It’s also a place where harpists can find community.
“Most of us are used to being the only ones in an orchestra,” she said. “It’s nice to gather and celebrate all things harp.”
Hendrickson plans to lug his concert harp to the festival for regulating, which is similar to tuning a piano. He’d like to follow in Pike’s path of playing therapeutic music, potentially at a local hospice.
“The trombone isn’t really suited for that!” he said with a laugh. “The magic of the harp is its magic. It has an enchanting sound that nothing else has. It has a resonance to it. I think of little drops of gold under a summer show with a rainbow.”
For more information, visit the Hampton Roads Harp Festival and Competition.