Harpists performing professionally in the United States are rare – so rare only about 40 harpists make a living as full-time symphony orchestra musicians in the United States. One of them resides in Upper Arlington, Ohio, a suburb the state capital Columbus.
Jude Mollenhauer stands among this elite group of harpists whose skill enables them to be devoted full-time to music. She is a member of the Columbus Symphony for more than 40 weeks a year and augments that with a variety of personal performances and instruction.
“Even the largest orchestras in the United States may have only one full-time harpist along with one or two part-time people,” Mollenhauer said. “Many orchestras have no harpist at all. I’m really quite fortunate to be in the situation I’m in.”
Fortune is less a function of Mollenhauer’s role in the symphony than is talent. Starting more than four decades ago at age nine, the Quincy, Illinois native took up the harp to accompany the piano she played since the age of six. “I guess I knew even as a child that music would be my life. I loved it,” Mollenhauer recalled.
By age 13, Mollenhauer so distinguished herself with the harp that she earned a summer at music school to study under famed harpist Carlos Salzedo. “Prior to attending the school that summer, I devoted about an hour each to the piano and the harp. But that summer under Salzedo was the turning point for me in terms of the harp. It became clear that the harp was the instrument for me. I found a certain glamour and charm to the harp that really appealed to me,” Mollenhauer said. She also found a new discipline. Salzedo instilled his own method in his students, often starting them off as if they had never played an instrument before, Mullenhauer said. In addition, he demanded five hours of practice a day and taught two lessons a week during the summer school. “Life was never the same again,” Mollenhauer said.
With a new focus for her life, Mollenhauer returned to Quincy and settled into a routine of academics and music practice. By the time she completed high school another door opened, paving the way to greater opportunity.
“Because of my exposure to Carlos, he recommended me to a small group of harpists that toured the country each fall, the Angelaires. He happened to be their coach and mentor and although the five touring members usually were at least 20 years of age, I made their final fall tour at the age of 17,” Mollenhauer said. The fall with the Angelaires led to a tryout for the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, an exclusive scholarship school opened only to audition. Upon acceptance, Mollenhauer entered a bachelor’s degree curriculum with the harp as her major focus.
“Certainly, my study under Carlos Salzedo led to my opportunity with the Angelaires and that was a dream come true. That touring experience probably gave me a certain maturity or experience which helped me enter the Curtis School of Music and thrive there,” she said.
Four years later, with degree in hand, Mollenhauer began to play professionally. She also was married and had a baby girl. Still, she and her husband, also a musician, traveled t Italy to perform for a few weeks after which they were invited to join the Icelandic National Symphony.
They accepted.
The Iceland experience proved invaluable to the still-budding harpist and exposed her to the rigors and schedule of an orchestra. After a year in Iceland, Mollenhauer returned to Philadelphia, where she settled to raise her two daughters and freelance between the Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. After 20 years in Philadelphia, a short tenure in Cincinnati followed. A little more than a year later, she auditioned for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Christian Baddia. Her audition successful, she moved to Upper Arlington in September 1985 and undertook her role as the Columbus Symphony Orchestra’s only full-time harpist. Today, Mollenhauer’s life is as filled with music as ever. Besides a demanding orchestra schedule, she teaches 13 full-time music students and fits in personal performances at weddings as well as a recent funeral of a friend. And then there’s practice time.
“The orchestra will usually rehearse on Wednesday, twice on Thursday and Friday and perform on Saturday and Sunday,” Mollenhauer said. “In between all of this, I practice. I also find I need more practice now then I used to.
“I’m a pretty high-energy person and it’s not unusual to see me up late into the night trying to get everything done.”
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