Mixing It Up

Variety spice of life for harpist

Harpist Beth Stockdell will make her Trail Mix debut this weekend.
Harpist Beth Stockdell will make her Trail Mix debut this weekend.

"People go to the harp and angel connection, which is lovely but not necessarily always appropriate," says harpist Beth Stockdell. "I'll often ask people what they want to hear and they will say, 'I don't know any harp music.' But that wasn't the question! I can play from almost every genre. Almost every harpist can play 'Stairway to Heaven,' so maybe ask me to play Taylor Swift's 'Shake it Off,' a favorite Beatles' song or something else that speaks to you.

"I haven't learned how to play 'Freebird,'" Stockdell adds with a laugh. "So don't ask about that. Just in case I wasn't clear, I can play 'Stairway to Heaven,' and if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me that ...!"

FAQ

Trail Mix

WHAT — A walking tour of music, including Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem, the Sisters Sweet and ensembles from the Artosphere Festival Orchestra

WHEN & WHERE — 6-8 p.m. Saturday on the Frisco Trail in Fayetteville and 1-3 p.m. Sunday on the Crystal Bridges Trails in Bentonville

COST — Free

INFO — 443-5600 or waltonartscenter.org

This weekend will mark Stockdell's Trail Mix concert series debut, joining musicians making all kinds of music from classical to Americana, and she too will be playing "a wide range of music and styles. And I'll be taking requests, so the sets will be directed by the audience.

"The festival is geared toward classical music so I have some special things prepared since classical is my first love and a favorite," she adds. "[And] although I won't say my harp is Celtic, I do love to play folk tunes because they are meaty and have such emotion in them."

Stockdell says she "really wanted to be a part of the Artosphere event for several reasons," one of them being the chance to "let people interact with music and see musicians in action. Most of the time when I'm out, people say that they have never seen a harp in person before and rarely have they seen one up close. We need to be able to show people, especially kids, the joy of making music. You don't have to be perfect, or a professional, just enjoy the process. It is good for the brain and the soul."

-- Becca Martin-Brown

[email protected]

NAN What's Up on 06/19/2015

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