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Whether you are young, or you are 80, 90, or even 100 years old, that moment when you make that connection and you have a partnership with an instrument…is a magic moment.
-Deborah Henson-Conant
When she was growing up, Deborah Henson-Conant refused to take music lessons. All she wanted to do was figure out for herself how to make music, writing her first musical at only 12. A prolific singer-songwriter in her teens, she agreed to play the harp for her college band and that pivotal decision has guided her entire career. You see, Deborah figured out a way to make a gigantic instrument smaller, easy to carry, and electric. She is known worldwide as the woman who liberated the concert harp by shrinking it down, strapping it on and plugging it in so that audiences large and small could hear every single gorgeous note. Her recent TEDx talk chronicles her collaboration with French harp company, CAMAC which resulted in the creation of the “DHC” harp, now played by harpists worldwide. In this interview, Deborah shares her passion for music and especially for the unbridled use of imagination. Never someone to color inside the lines, she is a trailblazer for musicians young and old who want to forge their own path. Nominated for a Grammy for a long-form symphonic concert of her original music performed in collaboration with the Grand Rapids Symphony, Deborah was delighted that PBS stations nationwide released the concert nationwide. Invention & Alchemy is now available to the world via streaming as a fundraiser during the Covid-19 pandemic, Deborah’s greatest hope is that the concert video inspires anyone who wants to make music. For a journey into the creative mind of a musical genius, hit that download button. #musician #harpist