In 1980 she won in the All-Ireland Harp Championship in Buncrana, County Donegal. In 2003 she performed with the Irish band The Chieftains. Sylvia owns and operates Sylvia Woods Harp Center.
Take us back to the time you realized you wanted to play the harp. How old were you? Who or what influenced your decision?
When I was growing up, we had season tickets to the Glendale Symphony here in Southern California. My sister and I were fascinated with the harp. Whenever there was a harp on the program, we’d go up at intermission and try to get a closer look at this amazing instrument. My mother always wanted one of us to play the harp, but never knew where to get one, or where to find a teacher.
At the beginning of my second semester in college, I spoke to the harp teacher and asked if I could take lessons. I was just planning to do it for a semester, “just for fun,” and as a surprise for my mother. Little did I know that I’d get “hooked on the harp” and that it would grow into my life’s passion.
Do you remember the first piece you played and your first public performance?
I vividly remember my first harp recital in college. Since I had only been playing a few months, all of the other harpists were much more advanced than I was. There were two 13-year-old girls there who were harp students of another teacher. They sat in the front row, and every time anyone made a mistake they would hold up their fingers, counting the mistakes. It was very disconcerting, because it was hard to avoid watching them gloat over every error I made while I was playing!
Several years later, my first “paying gig” was for a women’s club. They called and asked me to give a 45 minute concert for one of their meetings. When we discussed payment, they said “we will make it well worth your while.” I didn’t have 45 minutes of music prepared, so I practiced like mad for 2 months, getting my repertoire ready. As I recall, the performance went very well, and the women were pleased. At the end the president thanked me very much and handed me my pay envelope. After I got in my car, I opened the envelope and found ten dollars! That taught me a very important lesson. Always negotiate your pay in advance!
What was your most memorable performance? Why?
My most memorable performances were my appearances on the famous NPR radio show “Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor. A friend of mine organized concert tours for me each spring from 1981 to 1983. I performed throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, and other nearby states, and each year I was booked onto “Prairie Home Companion.” I enjoyed the excitement and vitality of those shows, and loved meeting Garrison and the other musicians.
What type of harp do you usually play in your performances?
I started in college on the pedal harp. When I discovered the lever harp in the 1970s I started playing both types of harps. In the early 1980s I sold my pedal harp, and since then I have specialized exclusively in lever harps. On my first Christmas recording I played a few pieces on the wire-strung harp and triple-strung harp, but now I generally play a nylon-strung lever harp. My favorite harp is a Dusty Strings harp with 36 strings made out of bubinga wood, with beautiful abalone inlay.
What kind of music do you include in your repertoire?
My concerts include a variety of styles and genres. As a tribute to the roots of the Cetlic harp, I always begin my concerts with Celtic tunes, including music by Turlough O’Carolan, the Irish harper who lived from 1670-1738. Audiences always love to hear familiar pieces, and so I include a selection of pop music such as Disney tunes, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the “Wizard of Oz.” I also perform some of my original compositions, the “Gecko Stroll,” and my “Harp of Brandiswhiere” suite. The arrangements of all of the pieces that I perform in concert are available in my books for other harpers to play.
