Introducing our Musician Spotlight Series:
“BEHIND THE STAND”
Meet Katherine Newman, our principal harpist!
You already know and love the music and artistry our musicians bring to the stage, but how much do you know about the people behind the instruments?
Through our new “Behind the Stand” series, we’re giving you a chance to get to know the talented musicians of Symphony North of Houston on a more personal level!
Through one-on-one interviews, we’ll share their musical journeys, unique personalities, memorable experiences, and a little glimpse into their lives beyond the concert stage.
We hope you’ll enjoy getting to know the wonderful people who make up Symphony North of Houston, one musician at a time!
SN: What first inspired you to start playing the harp?
K: I was about 11 when I happened to see “Young People’s Concerts” on my black and white T.V. An amazing young prodigy named Heidi Lewalder, was performing a harp concerto with Leonard Bernstein. I was totally hooked!
SN: How old were you when you started playing?
K: About 18 or 19, between my first and second years of college.
SN: How long have you played with Symphony North of Houston?
K: I moved to Spring Texas in 2019. After hearing Symphony North’s Christmas Concert, I very much wanted to be part of the orchestra! I met with former Director, Michael Astwood, and joined the Symphony in January of 2020, just before everything shut down for that year because of COVID!
SN: What is your favorite piece to play?
K: That’s a really difficult question to answer! I absolutely love to play “Pines of Rome” and Mahler’s “Adagietto”, from his 5th Symphony. I also really love Debussy’s “Danse Sacree et Profane” for harp and string orchestra.
SN: What was your favorite performance and/or your favorite memory from performing?
K: I remember two crazy performances in particular! One was an orchestra concert with guest artist Victor Borge, in which he decided to feature the harp and cello in a duet of Saint-Saens The Swan. Well, as you can imagine, his hilarious antics prior to that duet had me in complete hysterics as I sat in the orchestra, so much so that I forgot all about being nervous and had a great time playing that piece!! Another was to play a solo harp accompaniment for Metropolitan Opera soprano, Kathleen Battle, and I was terrified! No rehearsal, no music, and very little details about what she wanted me to do, except "just make it up"! Well, I guess she was pleased because she hugged me afterward, right on stage after her song, "Lil' David Play on Your Harp"! But I'll never forget playing for a luncheon at the Capitol in DC, honoring speaker and Holocaust Survivor, Nessie Godin. I had to learn about two hours' of Jewish pieces in two days' time, to perform before she spoke! Nerve racking, but what an honor to meet this amazing woman, and hear her story!
SN : What is something about playing the harp that most people don’t know?
K: Well…that it is not just like the piano, and it’s not a member of the string family! Actually, the harp is much more mechanically similar to the timpani. The pedals on both the timpani and the harp are used to tighten or loosen the tension on the drum head or the strings, making the pitches go higher or lower! The harp has 7 pedals, one for each musical note, A thru G, which is how the harp is able to play in all the major and minor keys, with only 47 strings! Also, we don't play with our little fingers, they're just too short!
SN: What hobbies do you love (aside from playing the harp)?
K: When I have time, I enjoy house/pet-sitting, and I also love to travel! Teaching my private students isn’t a real hobby I guess, but I do love it. And being with/living with my daughter and grandchildren- these people are total entertainment!
SN: What is one of your favorite things about being a harpist?
K: It is very difficult to choose just one thing! I'm so grateful for the gift of all the experiences, memories, people and places that have come into my life over the years, all because I chose the harp - or maybe the harp chose me?, and my life has been enriched beyond measure. But the greatest gift is being able to share the beauty of this unique instrument with others who might not otherwise experience it, from school children and retirees, to brides, hospital patients and staff, and certainly concert audiences! So, my very favorite part is knowing that the choice we musicians made years ago to become musicians, (a harpist!) had purpose, and that through our instruments and our music, we have been given the gift of making meaningful differences in the lives of others, a privilege I cherish.
SN: What teachers and/or performers inspired you?
K: Oh my goodness-My second teacher, Marjorie Tyre! She had been the harpist with the Met., played in orchestras with Maestros Stokowski and Bernstein, and with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I knew I had found the mentor I wanted to learn from. It was as if she loved every sound of every string that she played. She was a true gift to me, and to every budding harpist she taught. I also love listening to interviews and performances of Itzhak Perlman, believe it or not! His passion for his music, and his teaching and practicing tips are amazing! I suppose I'm inspired and encouraged by so many that I hear, or meet, who have something memorable to say, both musically, and in books or interviews, and also have a great sense of humor and joy!
SN: What is your profession?
K: I am now retired, (sort of), but I’ve been a Professional Harpist and harp teacher for over 55 years...YIKES, I just did the math!!
SN: Is there anything more you’d like to add to this or share?
K: One last thing-choosing to become a musician, a harpist and especially a teacher, has been such a gift, and so rewarding. To see my students learn something that gives them such joy, (as well as ulcers!) and take them to wonderful places with experiences they can’t even imagine, and then to see them actually becoming professional harpists, in their own careers-it has been (and still is), all worth it!