We’re almost there! Thanks to so many individuals and groups, Yukon Harpists Society (YHS) has raised almost enough money to buy a stand-up concert pedal harp for the Yukon. Thanks to the Community Development Fund, Lotteries Yukon and the Yukon Arts Centre, we have developed a storage plan, feasibility study and the initial funding for this beautiful instrument.
The Yukon has a number of publicly available concert instruments and devices—a concert grand at the Yukon Arts Centre (YAC); piano at the Old Firehall; the tympani, owned by the Whitehorse Community Choir; and risers for choirs/bands at YAC, which are used regularly by both Yukon students and visiting musicians. The Yukon Harpists Society would like to buy a pedal harp, for the Yukon, that senior harp students and visiting musicians can use.
A typical pedal harp, today, has an electronic soundboard and is made up of a lightweight graphite material, so that it is easy to change keys and it can stay in tune. When Yukon students get to university level or above grade six in the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), they use only a pedal harp for instruction and performance. Visiting musicians will use only pedal harps. Regular harps have manual keys at the top of the instrument, which means you have to stop playing your piece, change keys and then continue playing. A pedal harp means that you can change keys with your foot, without stopping the music. Modern music has many key changes, unlike original harp music which was written in one key only.
These carbon-fibre pedal harps stand out in offering the advantages of rigidity, strength and comfort, as well as an elegant, classic look. They also have beautiful resonance that offers an incredibly rich sound. The nature of carbon makes the instrument durable and impervious to extreme temperatures and humidity, meaning the harps don’t require frequent tuning and can be played in various conditions.
Visiting orchestras or large musical ensembles do not travel with harps, so harps are provided by local arts centres. The Yukon has around 50 harp students, currently, and there is a waiting list for more, should more instruments become available. One of the most sought-after classes, at Music Camp 2019, was harp.
The Yukon Harpists Society is currently running a fundraising campaign for this project, which includes silent auctions and raffles. If you’d like to help in this effort, YHS will be selling tickets at Wykes Your Independent Grocer, in the near future. Tickets will also be sold in Faro and through KIAC in Dawson City. A silent auction is planned for later in the spring. This is truly a Yukon-wide endeavour to bring harp music to the Yukon, for all of us to enjoy. Please support our efforts to bring this spectacular instrument to the Yukon.
