Story By: John Strieder Photo By: James Rubio
The three harpists
behind the Kona Harp Ensemble are
free and gentle spirits who do things their own way, however softly. One of
their favorite things to do is jam together on the official stringed instrument
of the angels. Harps have unusual powers, they believe, and three harps playing
in harmony can be especially moving. “The layers create this shimmering glow of
sound,” says Bernice Roberto, the group’s founder.
The Kona Harp Ensemble
began to take off when Roberto, who plays a massive Italian tension lever harp,
met another harpist living in Kona named Irminsul, who plays a Celtic harp (and
who uses just one name). “When you open yourself up to the harp, it turns you
into something else,” Irminsul says. “It takes over your life in a very
spiritual way. It changes your thinking.” The third harpist is Motter Snell, an
orchestral musician from Seattle who flies to Kona periodically to tend her
coffee farm and to join Roberto and Irminsul in creating their shimmering glow
of sound. Accompanying the harpists when they perform are Roberto’s husband,
Manuel, on woodwinds and Jean Pierre Thoma on synthesizer.
The group plays several
shows a year in Hawai‘i, especially around Christmas, peak season for harpists.
When they first started to play, they never imagined a harp trio could sell out
a show. But they’ve discovered they can draw quite a crowd. At one gig, fans
lined up in the rain to get in, as if the harpists were rock stars.
Kona Harp Ensemble’s set
list covers an impressive range, from Jimmy Page and Ennio Morricone to Bach
cantatas, Indian ragas and Japanese folk songs, as well as original
compositions. Their arrangement of Hawaiian recording artist Keali‘i Reichel’s “Maunaleo”
uses harp glissandos to suggest the waves of the ocean. At the other end of the
spectrum, an uptempo flamenco number challenges both the audience’s
expectations and the musicians’ fingers. But regardless of the song, the
ensemble’s effect is always heavenly and never edgy. “No matter how you play
it, a standard harp will not make any sound that is offensive, harsh,
challenging or disturbing,” Roberto says. “It’s a very gentle instrument.”
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