Word: harps
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Benet, a French Civilization concentrator, has played the harp for eleven years. As one of the 3000 members of the American Harp Society, she has won the Society's triennial National Competition twice in her age division...
...small number of committed harpists to play with and learn from is only one of the difficulties involved with taking up the complex instrument. The harp, with its 46 strings and seven foot pedals, has only existed in its modern form since the late nineteenth century, so only a limited supply of old music is available. Some masters, like Handel and Mozart, have composed music for a more primitive version of the harp, but Benet explains that repertoire can be a problem because "a lot of composers write their token harp concerto and that...
Although owning a harp can be expensive (Benet's family also had to buy a station wagon to transport the harp when she began playing it), its size can be an asset. Benet says, "sometimes, when I'm on tour, I use the harp case as a dressing room. It also doubles as a closet for my long dresses...
...Harvard, Benet practices her rare ability with the Harvard/Radcliffe Orchestra (HRO), the Bach Society Orchestra and the Ensemble Society. She takes three music classes as electives but must go to New York for lessons because Harvard lacks a harp teacher. She recently acquired an instructor from the Boston Symphony Orchestra...
Benet hopes to attend the Paris Conservatory next year, which, she says, is the most prestigious school for studying the harp. She plans to compete in June for a $2000 Close Award for full-time harp study, and looks toward her first international competition in Geneva next year...