Solar eclipse maestro rampup12/1/2023 ![]() Rachel O’Brien's ornate bronze and walnut harp looks positively celestial, as though it might have been played by an angel in some Medieval or Renaissance painting. O’Brien’s musical artistry is worthy of her harp. Having studied at the Cleveland Institute of Music, O’Brien is now settled in her beloved Appalachia, teaching her own students both locally and around the world on Zoom. She has also written a book to inspire young musicians and she regularly performs herself. On April 10, O'Brien will give a recital in Philadelphia which will celebrate her Appalachian heritage. O’Brien and her two brothers were introduced to music when they were very young. She started off playing the violin, but her life was changed forever when her family took her to a craft show when she was five-years-old. “Craft shows are very popular in this part of the country, in Roanoke, Virginia, where I grew up and where I live now,” she said. “So we went to this craft show, and there was a woodworker who had made these beautiful folk harps, and there was a lady playing them. I fell in love with the sound of the harp. I always say they didn't know what they were getting into.” So the next year, my parents got me a little folk harp for Christmas. However I am running into all kinds of basic difficulties. ![]() I really like the UI of this program - a bit more intuitive than Eclipse Orchestrator. She took to the instrument naturally and when she was 11 years old, her parents agreed to upgrade her harp. of 4 - Solar Eclipse Maestro - posted in North American Total Solar Eclipse 2017: I started playing with SEM while my serial cable -> shutter release adapter from Hap Griffin is still in transit. “When I was ready to size up to my full concert grand, my family and I took a trip to Chicago where there is a famous harp factory, Lyon & Healy,” O’Brien said. “I tried all of their hundreds of harps that they have there, and this is the one that I picked. O’Brien started taking formal lessons around age ten. She had a teacher who would travel to Roanoke where she also led a harp ensemble and played with the Roanoke Symphony. Eventually the teacher wasn't able to come to Roanoke as often, so O’Brien and her parents would travel as long as three hours for harp lessons. “If that’s what you want and you're dedicated and you also have dedicated parents, they’ drive you all over Virginia,” O’Brien said. ![]() “I don’t ever remember not wanting to play the harp for a career," O’Brien said.
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