I had the pleasure of attending the Harp in Worship Conference in Colorado in July. I admit to being more than a little nervous signing up for this with only about a year of harp experience behind me. Before signing up I did contact the organizers to make sure it was appropriate and also communicated with one of the ensemble leaders. They were encouraging and welcoming.
Traveling any farther than church with my harp was also a bit harrowing. My Jeep was absolutely full. Then there was the worry about stopping anywhere, even the bathroom, with my harp in the vehicle. Those were probably some of the quickest pit stops I’ve ever done. Silly I know – I think it would be very noticable if someone broke into the Jeep and pulled out a harp. But I would be devastated.
I was fortunate to spend time with family the night before the conference, and ate at one of my favorite spots for breakfast – The Buff (but where I could keep an eye on my vehicle.) Even with that stop I made it to the church where the conference was being hosted several hours before the start of the event. So, I offered my hands for setup and whatever else was needed. They kept me pretty busy until registration opened up. I stuffed the welcome bags, prepped some of the craft materials, and hauled harps and music stands to various rooms where they would be needed. Once the conference actually got started it was pretty much nonstop after that.
Mornings generally started with devotional experiences and the evenings ended with concerts. In between there were workshops, rehearsals, and meals. Because of my food allergies the meals were pretty much off limits for me, but I came prepared for that. Even so, I enjoyed getting to know more about the other harpists during the meal time.
My top three workshop experiences during the week were Playing Hymns from a Lead Sheet with Cindy Horstman, Create a New Song by Dr. Heidi Hernandez, and Guided Improv by Megan Metheney. I really wasn’t disappointed by any of the workshops and was often frustrated that I couldn’t attend them all.
Playing in the two ensembles was very satisfying and exciting. I played in the New Song Ensemble that presented Cindy Horstman’s arrangement of Swing Low Sweet Chariot and the Praise Ensemble lead by Rebecca Moritzky. In that ensemble we played four contemporary Christian praise songs on our harps. Both ensembles played in the Saturday night concert, and again on Sunday morning for the worship services at the church that hosted the conference.
I knew that the conference was going to be an amazing experience for me musically. What I had not expected was the tremendous spiritual growth that I experienced over the four days. Starting each day with devotion, sitting in a gorgeous sanctuary surrounded by harp music, and hearing the testimony from other Christian women about their harp and spiritual journeys was transformative. I really didn’t want to leave for home. I can’t wait until they annouce the time and place for the next Harp in Worship conference. I will do everything in my power to be there.