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IN this edition of the Symphony Spotlight Series we get to know Elisabeth Remy Johnson, the principal harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for the last 22 years.
"I was appointed principal harpist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 1995, during my senior year at Harvard. The ASO typically has 2-4 concerts per week on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and/or Sunday, with rehearsals Tuesday through Thursday, with a program changing every week. Some weeks we also have education and outreach concerts. I like to get to the hall 45-60 minutes before rehearsal so I can tune in relative quiet and get a nice warm-up in before rehearsal.
"In addition to performing with the ASO, I teach at Emory University, Georgia State University and Kennesaw State University. I also teach through the ASO's Talent Development Program (TDP), which provides free musical training to African-American and Latino students. In 2000, I co-founded the Urban Youth Harp Ensemble (UYHE), which provides harps and ensemble instruction to students in the Atlanta Public Schools. Though I resigned as artistic director in 2010, it has been a true joy to see several UYHE students accepted in the TDP over the years, and to teach them privately. I resigned the UYHE position when I was expecting my first child- something had to go! My children are now 3 and 5, and an utter delight. I was practicing Scintillation the other day, and during the "scintillating" section, my son started chanting 'Go, Mommy, go!' How can you top that?!
"The ASO certainly went through an economic rough patch, with lock-outs in 2012 and 2014. We lost our summer season, which was a tough blow, but successfully resisted the 2014 attempt to eliminate our complement (minimum number of musicians in the orchestra.) There has been a very successful fundraising campaign to build our numbers back up, and whole atmosphere is a lot more optimistic now. The lock-outs also galvanized the community,...