Spotted in: The Sunset, SF
Occupation: Harpist, Elementary School Music Teacher
What are you up to today?
I have the day off from work for Easter Monday, so I was just printing some music and I'm going to do some lesson planning.
What do you do?
I'm an elementary music teacher. I'm also a harpist—that's what I was printing music for.
How long have you been doing that?
I've played harp for like, 16 years I think?
16 years!
No, 17 actually—I started when I was nine.
Wow, was that something you just kind of gravitated toward?
My parents were orchestral musicians. Growing up, they played violin and cello so I got dragged along to symphony concerts, ballets, and different events where I would hear the harp all the time as a kid. And I decided from a really early age that I wanted to play it.
That's amazing! It's interesting to hear how some people know at really young age what they want to do.
I know, yeah! My parents made me play piano for a while because they were like, we're not buying you a harp—you're like five years-old!
Do you do performances as well?
I do. I play with some of the local orchestras like Symphony Napa Valley, Merced Symphony and also smaller performances. I have a lot musician friends so we'll put on little local concerts sometimes.
What are your favorite places to hang out in the neighborhood?
Around here? I really like Trouble Coffee, and I also just came from Andytown Coffee today.
Which direction is that?
It's on 42nd or 43rd and Noriega. It's delicious. You should go—on a sunny day, they have this really good drink called the Snowy Plover that's espresso and sparkling water and whipped cream.
Whoa! That sounds unusual but interesting!
Yeah, it's different but it's good.
So this 3 Fish Studios right here—is this a practice space?
No, I actually just live near here. They're our neighbors and they're really sweet. They do have some really great concerts here though, so if you go into the gallery and you go all the way through to the back they have this really cool courtyard area and they'll get bands to play shows. Actually my roommate is an oboist, and so I think we're going to try and schedule a show there sometime later, maybe late summer or early fall. And Annie, the lady who lives there, she's the one who—I don't know if you've ever seen the art that has a bear holding the state of California with a floral background? She's the one who does those and a lot of stores around here carry her prints. She and her husband own the place and they do a lot of prints, lithographs and things like that.
Are you from here?
I'm not, I'm actually from Nashville. I moved because last year I did an internship with Symphony Napa Valley and I lived in north of Napa in kind of a remote area up there. And I've always loved San Francisco so I was getting a lot of work playing weddings and with a lot of the local orchestras so I just decided to stay. I wanted to move more into the city because I needed a more urban environment. And a lot of the gigs I would play for were down here anyway.
What's something that's captured your interest lately?
Well, I went to see the Punch Brothers at the Fillmore just this past Saturday and they were really fun. They're like bluegrass, but they also incorporate a lot of different styles—they'll do classical arrangements, but they'll also do pop covers, like Radiohead. They're really diverse and they're all awesome musicians, so I've been into that a lot lately. They just put out a new album, Phosphorescent Blues.
Any recent challenges that you've hurdled?
Doing my taxes! [laughs] For a freelance musician, that's always a long process!
I also wanted to ask you about what you're wearing today! Where did everything come from?
So these boots are my mom's, they're vintage from the 90s. This dress is from like TJ Maxx or something, and this jacket is from Crossroads. I love plaid. In undergrad, one of my would always count how many plaids I was wearing on any given day. She's like, ok plaid jacket, plaid shoes—two today! Some days would be three, or four! [laughs]
