Strings Attached

Music Unites Artist

STEPHANIE HALL AIMS TO MAKE THE HARP MORE APPROACHABLE.

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Words by Amy Lynch • Photo by Raymond Gray

When Stephanie Hall glimpsed a harp at age 7, it was love at first sight. “It’s such a distinctive instrument,” she says. “When you look across a stage, it stands out. It’s visually intriguing to watch someone play. There’s a lot of gesturing; the movements match the style of the music.”

Hall didn’t get her hands on a harp for another two years. “I immediately started asking my parents if I could play,” she recalls. “After a year, we found a harp teacher with the local symphony, but she didn’t take students who couldn’t read music, so I had to take piano lessons for another year. At age 9, I dropped piano like a hot potato and finally got to play a harp.”

She performed solo, in ensembles and with her local youth symphony through high school in southern Texas, and didn’t decide to pursue music as a career until she was accepted at Vanderbilt University. Earning her bachelor’s degree in 2004, Hall continued her education at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music, studying with Houston Symphony principal harpist Paula Page and receiving a Master of Music in harp performance in 2006. In addition, Hall attended the Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden, Maine, where she spent several summers under the tutelage of Alice Chalifoux, one of many mentors she holds in high esteem.

While she was mid-stint as principal harpist with the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra in 2006, Hall’s husband landed a job in Indianapolis. The couple relocated, and after a season of flying back and forth for performances, Hall realized it was time to make some changes. After getting her teaching license, she taught elementary school for a few years. These days, Hall conducts private harp lessons for students of all ages from her Zionsville studio, is a member of the Indianapolis Suzuki Academy faculty, and performs as often as she’s able.

“I try to make the harp approachable,” she says. “There’s this huge body of rep that you probably wouldn’t know unless you’re a harpist, so any chance I get, I try to expose people to something new. I love French Romantic, but I often choose newer, fresh pieces and familiar works like Broadway standards and Gershwin to draw people in.”

Hall also collaborates with her fellow Classical Music Indy/Music Unites Artists and appreciates the opportunity to curate her own rep and programming. “Classical Music Indy is a unique asset for our city, taking music into new venues and introducing it to new audiences,” she says. “It’s transforming the image of what classical music is, making it accessible in places where it hasn’t been before.”

Looking to the future, Hall hopes to venture into some new recording projects. For now, her four musical children and her many students keep her busy and inspired.

“My husband’s not musical, but he is an expert harp mover,” she laughs. ■

Learn more about Stephanie Hall’s work at indianapolisharpist.com.