Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Denise Fink. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Denise, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
1. How did you learn to do what you do? In short answer, The Harp found me….I’m from a musical family. We owned an old upright piano. My dad would play by ear “Alley Cat” and sang in a Barbershop Chorus, my brother played the drums, and my two sisters played the piano and later the saxophone in the High School marching band.
At the age of 8, while watching TV, I heard a harpist playing the harp on the Miss. America Pageant. I spoke to my parents and said, “I want to play the harp!” They replied, “Where are we going to find a harp teacher?” The next day I spoke to my elementary music teacher. She reached out to the University of Northern Iowa and found a teacher at the University, Mrs. Mary Beckman. After my first lesson, I fell in love with the harp.
We rented the school troubadour. It was love at first sight as the harp arrived in our living room.
I continued to take lessons from my college professor throughout my school years and undergraduate degree. I then went on to my master’s degree from her harp teacher, Grammy winner, Alice Chalifoux at The Cleveland Institute of Music and two summers at The Salzedo Harp Colony in Camden Maine. From there, I graduated and began my own studio teaching at The Fine Arts School of Willoughby Ohio; a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio. Moving forward, I now am teaching college students at two colleges, Drury University & The College of the Ozarks.
2. What Skills do you think were most essential?
The essentials In learning the harp are the technique of the instrument, the rhythmic patterns in music and learning the Theory; better known as reading the notes of the staff called, “The Universal Language”.
3. What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
Looking back, the obstacles of Life can delay your progress, but strengthen and prepare you for the next obstacle. Never giving up is the most important message. Even when it seems there is no way out of the situation. Have faith because in the end, everything is going to work out for the good! You just need to press forward to get to the other side to see the goodness of your hard work!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
Denise Fink, Award Winning Professional Harpist/Teacher/Grammy Voting Member of The Recording Academy
Awards: (2022)
Global Music Awards Bronze Medal & LIT Awards Gold Medal “Best Instrumental Classical Harpist” for the album, “Love…Harp to Heart (feat. Trez Gregory)
Denise currently holds a private studio (in person/online), and the position of Faculty Harp Instructor at Drury University and the College of the Ozarks.
She has held the position of principal harpist for The Heartland Opera Co., The Springfield Lyric Opera Co. and recently performed with the Union Avenue Opera of St. Louis in the production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin”
She also held the position as the Founder/Faculty of the Harp Department at the Fine Arts Association in Willoughby, Ohio (1991-2005).
Denise Fink, Harpist, has performed as Principal Harpist under the Batons of Pierre Boulez, Louis Lane, Dr. William Kraft of the Los Angeles Symphony, Stephen Sulich Joseph Guinta, and Evan Wallon, Jeffery Macomber, Christopher Koch and Scott Schoonover. She has also performed for the Cleveland Suburban Symphony, Soloist for the Stars in the Wings (Cleveland Orchestra), The Waterloo/Cedar Falls Symphony and The Ohio Light Opera Co.
What are you most proud of and what are the main things you want potential clients/fans/followers to know about you?
To my family, fans, followers, first of all thank you for your support. This musical journey could not of happened without your dedication and expertise. I love the creative process from teaching a student or the process of first recording a song and seeing it streaming online throughout the World!
For if there is one thing I have learned in the music industry is success comes when a musician remains humble and shares their “Gift of Music” to the World unconditionally. The best part of being a musician is watching The Empowerment of Music unite people to sing the lyrics or dance to the beat in unity.
“Music is a Universal Language…where the words end, the music begins.”
Are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?
“The internet, YouTube, Zoom”, It is very useful when preparing for a rehearsal or learning a piece of music. The recordings are there to learn from other musicians and orchestras on how the music is to be performed.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
As a harp teacher, it is very rewarding to pass on the knowledge to the next generation of harpists and watch them absorb that knowledge in real-time. Recording an album is also rewarding to see how your listeners respond to the music. The harp, in particular, can give the listener a sense of calmness and a peaceful through the vibrations of the notes.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.harp2harp.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/harp10661/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/denise.fink.73
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/denise-fink-b69995203/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/harp_to_harp?s=21&t=t80sMmV2zX8jZhx3ZA3Hhw
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=denise+fink+harp
Image Credits
Live Recording session of “Blessing” from the Album, “Love…Harp to Heart: Trez Gregory, Vocalist, Robert Murdaugh, Sound Engineer, All rights reserved under Harp to Harp Productions.