We recently connected with Chanah Ambuter and have shared our conversation below.

Chanah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I first heard the harp as an impressionable toddler and have been in love with it ever since!

However, it took some persuasion on my part to my parents that a three-year-old had discovered their life’s purpose. My mother, a professional pianist, decided to teach me piano in the years following, aware that the cerebral “language” of music was universal among orchestral instruments, and that both harp and piano music are texturally very similar.

When I did eventually begin harp lessons at the age of 11, her tutelage enabled me to transfer over that knowledge effortlessly and delve right into the art of learning the harp itself (technique, repertoire, etc). My first harp teacher, a professional by the inspirational name of Laura Majestic, quickly brought me to advanced proficiency three years later.

Laura Majestic recommended that my parents consider having me audition at Juilliard School of Music for their high-school “Pre-College Division,” and to my personal astonishment, I was accepted!

I continued to pursue that initial passion for harp throughout my studies at The Juilliard School: Precollege Division, The University of Michigan, and the University of Illinois culminating with my Master of Music in Harp Performance and Literature degree.

As an adolescent, the greatest personal struggle was learning to live with the difficulties inherent in having an autoimmune disorder, which affects my cognitive ability, emotional wellbeing, and physical strength. My parents were truly “my cheerleaders” in minimizing the difficulties I faced as much as possible.

An emotional bond forms between a musician and their instrument, and the act of discovering, refining, and perfecting music is vibrant and interactive. That said, to be a harpist is frequently to also be isolated. Because of my professional aspirations, I needed to practice (alone) at least 4 hours daily after school.

Furthermore, very few schools are able to offer harp studies due to the expense of equipment and scarcity of local harpists; this generates a self-perpetuating cycle. I performed only 3 times with my high-school orchestra because of the infrequency of repertoire with harp EXISTING at the standard public high-school level. My parents sought out as many extracurricular musical activities as they could (e.g., local youth orchestra), but looking back on those years as an adult, it did make for a lonely public-school experience.

Getting into the Juilliard Pre-College and being part of my first “Harp Studio” was a breath of fresh air. I loved it instantaneously – I had private harp lessons, orchestral repertoire lessons, harp ensemble lessons, ear training, music theory, and aural theory. Even though it was double the homework, I got to be with other harpists and passionate peers!

That said, the Pre-College program did necessitate driving 90 minutes into NYC and spending the entire duration of each Saturday there for four years; additional weekend activities like clubs or sports were simply not an option. By the time Sunday came around, I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to use my single “weekend day” to sleep and be a normal teenager, not a budding professional.

So, has the road been smooth? Looking back as an adult, I am overcome with humbleness at how smooth it WAS! Almost all of the “hardships” in my career have helped me to become the musician and person I am today. At an earlier age than is traditionally trained, I had learned: discipline, self-sacrifice, gratitude, articulation, adult interaction, time-management, planning, public speaking & presentations, delayed gratification, and investment.

I learned what really mattered in life, and that even though others can open doorways and opportunities, I still had to put in the work myself to earn the right to walk through them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

With harp career diversity exploding within the past ten years, the life and niche specializations of a professional harpist are anything but “standard!”

I, myself, play for local events and ensembles with a strong emphasis on customization of repertoire, often far outside of traditional “classical.” My repertoire has over 1,100 songs and includes Celtic, Classical, Broadway, Golden Oldies (Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Elvis, etc), Soundtrack/Disney, Jazz, Holiday, Religious, and Modern Romance. I’m always adding more music to keep my skills relevant to my audience and clients’ specific event and music needs.

I am also pushing the standard expectations about what the harp can do, as well as how musicians are able to be relevant to today’s business ecosystem. I pride myself on listening to what my clients envision for their events and adapting to align with their themes. This has included extra customization to feature occasionally-challenging radio hits (hip hop and rap on harp!), world music, and full-scale orchestral/symphonic works.

I have structured my business packages and pricing to be clear and straightforward to my clients so that they feel their resources are being valued fairly, and to foster a positive relationship of clear communications and expectations. I need to make wise choices for my business in order to continue to provide the best and freshest of services. I must always hold as my “mission statement” that: I am in the business of helping to make lifelong memories. I pride myself on making the journey of collaborating with me FUN, exciting, and stress-free.

I love being able to challenge the historical stereotypes of musicians and of the harp, and of helping in my own way to reinvent the way that musicians function and serve our communities.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

Gosh, do I have to pick?!

I have loved almost every performance and teaching experience in some way, although I also had to learn a great deal about how to position myself – and my clients – for success.

One of the experiences that is GUARANTEED to leave me aglow: I absolutely adore playing for nursing homes and retirement communities. Brides expect elegance and romance, corporations expect excellence, ensembles expect professionalism – and all as well they should!

Playing for the elderly, I can offer them the gift of memories jogged as beloved songs emerge from isolation, of feeling pampered while their adult children join them for a rare, sophisticated Mother’s Day breakfast together, of being able to boast about playing the harp themselves during my “5-minute harp lesson” experience.

When I get to truly play FOR people, it is truly a communion of souls. It always leaves me humbled, grateful, and as though I have made a positive difference in my existence.

Playing for the elderly reawakens that three-year-old child inside me, and affirms unequivocally that this is my purpose in life.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I’m most proud of the single-member business I have become. I feel like the average perception is that all professional musicians are employed full-time by orchestras (or other musical establishments). This is absolutely untrue, especially for soloists. I deliberately crafted my Master’s Degree pathway to include business and marketing classes, which further set me on the path of technological requirements such as designing and maintaining my own website and investing in amplification, wireless sound systems, and recording/video editing equipment and software – and teaching myself how to use them!

I am not just a performer: I am also my own IT/Media department, marketing dept, Public Relations dept, Budgeting, and Finance dept, Legal dept, Events Coordinator, Design dept, and even HR dept. (It’s always delicate when I have to tell myself, “This situation you’re being asked to work in is unreasonable and unsafe. You have to turn this situation down. It is not the worth the risk or time investment.” — and that’s not even getting into the other half of my career teaching harp students!

So much more goes on in running my business than I had ever imagined as a starry-eyed three-year-old thinking “harp sounds like fairies dancing!” I don’t consider myself a “freelance gigger” – I consider myself a business professional.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.TheMichiganHarpist.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/themichiganharpist
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChanahAmbuterMichiganHarpist
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chanah-ambuter-62906b10/
• Twitter: twitter.com/michiganharpist
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/ceaharps