For several years internationally acclaimed harpist Rita Costanzi has thought Powell River would be “the perfect place for a harp colony,” and now her dream is coming true.
This month Powell River will host its first International Harp Academy of the Pacific. It is planned for June 16 to 27 and is attracting musicians from as far away as South America. Students and professionals will gather together for two weeks of intensive masterclasses and personal growth.
Costanzi is a former principal harpist with Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and CBC Radio Orchestra.
“What I’ve learned this year is that you have to put an earthly foundation under the dream,” said Costanzi, who has played harp since she was nine years old.
She had been involved with the Symphony Orchestra Academy of the Pacific (SOAP) since it began nine years ago. When she learned that the program was not going to continue this year she submitted her proposal to establish a harp academy.
“I spent hours taking something that was a dream and putting it into practical terms in a proposal,” she said.
Costanzi said she thought that it might take a few years for her proposal to be realized and was in a state of shock when she heard back only a month later that Powell River Academy of Music was onboard. “I never thought that it would happen so quickly,” she said.
Costanzi, who lives in New York, began recruiting students, fundraising, creating a website for the event and putting advertisements into harp magazines with the help of her project manager Mike Heron at the academy of music.
While the majority of organizing for the event has happened by email, in March she was able to visit Powell River, so she took full advantage of being here and set up a meeting to pull everything together.
“It was really wonderful to be all in the same room,” she said.
Throughout organizing she was not always so confident that it would work out. Starting out she received “quite a positive response,” she said. Costanzi had hoped to begin with 10 students this year and then take more in following years as the program developed. But when she opened registrations in the spring she was surprised that the spots did not fill up right away.
“I thought maybe this was a signal that it was all too soon,” she said.
It was not until she had raised money for full scholarships and informed students there was money for them to come, that she was able to fill the spots.
Six students from Argentina, Brazil, United States and Canada are registered to attend.
She was asked by her students in New York why she had chosen to go so far from home for the harp academy and she told them that the journey is part of the retreat.
“It’s all part of the philosophy and there is something to be said for making an effort to going really far from home.”
Costanzi said one aspect that makes her classes unique is that she tries to teach her students how to make contact “with their inner being and inner voice,” to help them when they return to their busy lives and schedules.
A Gala Opening concert is planned for Sunday, June 16, at Max Cameron Theatre and will feature Costanzi, soprano Megan Skidmore and the academy’s Women’s Vocal Ensemble conducted by Walter Martella.
Costanzi and Heron have organized informal outreach concerts for seniors who might not be able to attend the main events. Costanzi and harp academy students will perform at 2 pm on Tuesday, June 18, at Evergreen Extended Care Unit, at 1:45 pm on Saturday, June 22, at Olive Devaud Residence and at 2:30 pm Monday, June 24, at Kiwanis Manor.
Costanzi and her students will also play at Diana Woods’ garden on Westview Avenue from 11:30 am to 3 pm on Sunday, June 23, as part of the Powell River Garden Tour.
A final concert to wrap up the harp academy is planned for Thursday, June 27, at Max Cameron Theatre.
Tickets for the opening and closing concerts are $20 and can be bought at the academy of music or at the door.
