How a chance encounter sparked this musician’s passion

Born in Taiwan, Vivian Chen first met harp on a family trip to Vancouver – a city that would later become her home.

The memory of the elegant harpist in a blue silk dress, plucking out magical notes from her beautiful instrument beachside left a strong impression to the young girl.

“I don't remember the sound of the instrument, but I just remember how beautiful she looked,” Chen told Kelowna10. “And so, I begged my mom, I was like, ’I need to learn this instrument.’ So that's how I got started.”

Chen likens the playing of the harp to a dance, due to its beautiful shape and the gesture employed to evoke its sound.

And while she said mastering the instrument is difficult, it is a much less arduous task to start learning than it may seem.

“It's quite different than say, violin, because you don't have to put too much effort to get a good sound out of it,” she explained.

“Anyone can come to the harp and have a nice sound,” she added while plucking a string. “Or, if they just swing their hand then you have a glissando.”

She said more people are starting to learn the harp, however, not many choose to pursue it as a profession.

“You do see younger children learning harp as sort of like a hobby because it's so pretty and it's photogenic, which is all true,” she said. “But in terms of when you go to university, I feel there's less people now, but I think it's just the trend, and it's probably going downward now, but eventually it'll go back up again.”

Chen spoke to Kelowna10 while at the University of British Columbia Okanagan’s (UBCO) Arts building for her event ‘Getting to Know the Harp.’ There, attendees could learn more about the history and beauty of the harp, as well as some basic technique.

“I think it's a very great thing for me to be able to bring my harp here and share with everyone all the wonderful music and the sound it has to offer.”