Photo courtesy of Yolanda Kondonassis
Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis will be featured in Copland's Appalachian Spring, a Columbus Symphony Orchestra performance at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Southern Theatre, 21 E. Main St.
Music from American composer Aaron Copeland will be featured, along with Revueltas, Piazzolla, Ginastera and Debussy. Kondonassis, a Cleveland resident, will perform Ginastera's Harp Concerto and Debussy's Danses sacree et profane.
Kondonassis, who has performed internationally, received praise from The New York Times for her talent. The musician has been featured on CNN, PBS and National Public Radio. CityScene got a chance to chat with Kondonassis about her passion for music and what's coming up next for her.
CityScene Magazine: When did you start playing the harp, and what made you decide to start?
Yolanda Kondonassis: I played the piano from earliest memory, but began harp lessons when I was about nine. My mother and I were both fascinated by a spectacular display of harps in the window of Lyon & Healy Music Company in Chicago on Valentine’s Day weekend. Soon after that, we looked into it, and I started learning to play the harp.
CS: What other musical artists inspire you and why?
YK: I am probably most inspired by the great pianists. The comparison of musical issues shared by the harp are probably the most similar with the piano, and I like to keep a pianistic sound in my head when I play. Otherwise, it’s easy to start approaching the harp more percussively and lose some of the natural phrasing and lyricism.
CS: I understand that you your latest album is Together. Where did you draw inspiration for the music for that collection?
YK: Together evolved very organically and was primarily inspired by a great collaboration and musical fit with the guitarist Jason Vieaux. We surveyed all the existing repertoire for harp and guitar, commissioned some additional music and began exploring the opportunities. It’s been an incredibly fun project, and we love the music on this CD because it’s unlike most other recordings we’ve done and feels very fresh to us. We’re very excited to continue commissioning works and expand the repertoire for harp and guitar while touring and doing more recording.
CS: What do you enjoy most about performing live?
YK: I love the interaction with the audience. Performing is just a like a conversation – there is a wonderful unspoken communication that occurs. I can clearly sense the energy of an audience while I play, and it’s a wonderful feeling to bounce that energy back and forth in a concert hall.
CS: What can we expect next from you?
YK: I’m really excited about two new upcoming recordings, quite a few performances of Ginastera’s Harp Concerto in 2016 celebrating Ginastera’s Centennial year, my Harp Concerto commissioning project with Jennifer Higdon, concert touring with guitarist Jason Vieaux and maybe even a little vacation in there at some point!
For more information about the upcoming performance, visit www.columbussymphony.com.
