I love that the harp has taken me all around the world, including to my most recent event in Port of Spain, Trinidad! This corporate awards celebration included attendees from not only Trinidad and Tobago, but from numerous countries in the Caribbean, including Barbados, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Aruba, Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the Dutch Caribbean. It was an exciting night of food, music, and presentations, all with the theme of “Invictus.”
Along with solo harp selections, they requested that I collaborate with the musicians performing the set following mine – the BP Renegades Youth Steel Orchestra. What fun that was! These young pannists were both skilled and full of contagious energy. We met at the panyard to rehearse two days prior to the performance.
With hundreds in attendance, the harp would be run through a sound system provided by the audio engineers. When even the sound check the night before the event looks this good, you know the real deal will be amazing!
I played in the lobby of the function space at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad. The harp was able to be centrally located, and then speakers throughout the venue projected the sound to everyone in the room.
The music they chose followed their “Invictus” theme, and included “Titanium” and “The Greatest” by Sia, “Good as Hell” by Lizzo, “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, “I Gotta Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas, “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys, and “Rise Up” by Andra Day.
After completing my solo harp set, I moved over to where the pan orchestra had set up, and played with them for their first piece: “Ganges Meets the Nile,” a calypso song by David Rudder that celebrates the dual Afro and Indian heritage of the island nation. As a very paper-trained classical musician, to be prepared to play with the group had me listening to the piece on repeat for days so I could get the chord progression correct and absorb the style. It is still stuck in my head, and I’m loving it!
After the pannists completed their high-energy set, I met them downstairs where we got a group photo, and they had the opportunity to try the harp. I never quite leave my harp teacher hat behind me! Getting to play a harp is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most, so I provide that for students as often as I can. The grown-ups usually pluck a few strings, too!
On a side note, after my sound check the night before, I went down to the restaurant for dinner, with my harp still in tow. I was seated right next to the steel pannist performing in the dining room that night, and I just couldn’t keep my harp in its case! We had a great time impromptu jamming to whatever music it turned out we both knew.
I love bringing the harp to new audiences! Playing a multitude of styles and performing as a soloist or with other musicians, having a harpist is an addition to your event that will be impressive and remembered by your guests. I am available to perform in Trinidad and Tobago, as well as throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. Visit my website ~ Caribbean Harpist ~ to inquire for availability and to learn more about including a harpist in your plans!
