Janine MacLeod began playing harp when she was eight years old. On track to pursue a career as a classical musician, injury led her to explore a writing career. New to Powell River, she is currently completing her PhD dissertation and participating in the local music scene. Recently, MacLeod performed blues and jazz standards on her classical harp at the Plucked ‘n’ Strung music festival at McKinney’s Pub in Townsite.
What brought you to Powell River?
I just moved here in December from Vancouver and I love it. I’m working on my PhD dissertation in environmental studies and have a period of time where I’m able to write full time. This is a beautiful place where I wanted to live
How did you get started playing the concert harp?
I saw one being played as a kid and was really captivated by it. I started taking lessons when I was eight and when my family moved to Vancouver I was able to study with a woman named Rita Costanzi; she’s an incredibly inspiring teacher. In my teenage years I was on track to become a classical harpist. I was really focused on that and then developed acute tendonitis in both forearms. It actually happens to a lot of harpists. I was playing too much and ripped the tendons and had to stop. I took a few years away from playing and took up yoga and other modalities to change the way I was using my body when I played. That’s when I took up writing.
What are you writing about?
I’m writing a book about water. Currently, I’m doing an academic version of it, but it’s a larger project. My PhD is about the relationship between water and capitalism and looking at water as a possible medium of social transformation. There’s the academic version, but I’m going to turn it into a non-academic book that will be much more creatively written and have lyrical and narrative elements to it.
What kind of music do you like to play?
In my late 20s I finally got a pedal harp and that allowed me to start playing the blues, because the blues require some key changes when you’re playing. The eventual goal has been to play and sing jazz on the harp and I’m kind of edging my way into that from blues. I tend to play early blues; things like Bessie Smith and Nina Simone, and also really enjoy early 20th century pop music from the 20s, 30s and 40s. I also like playing bluegrass. Right now I’m just enjoying playing music with different people around town.
