Seven members of the Capital ‘Harpers Autoharp Club joined in a musical evening at the Pilgrim Korean Church in Burke, Virginia, last Saturday, October 16, 2010. The church has a women’s club with about ten members who play autoharps. Their leader happened to hear us and stopped by at one of our monthly meetings at the local library. Not only did we then discover each other, but learned of a third group of Korean ladies playing autoharps in nearby Maryland.
This church sponsored concert was all in Korean language, but music is universal. It opened with energetic and talented young people singing with three electric guitars, keyboard and drums. There were solos on autoharp, piano and saxophone, and a traditional dance performed by ladies in their beautiful native Korean gowns. Each autoharp group played two tunes, and then we three groups joined together to play one – “Edelweiss”. Capital ‘Harpers played and sang “Keep on the Sunny Side” and “I’ll Fly Away” with Mary Dettra providing back-up on her bass.
After the concert we were treated as honored guests and brought to the front of the buffet line before a spread of authentic Korean dishes. When our plates were full, there was more food at our table: roast beef, cheese, salami, and tuna sandwiches – just in case the Korean food was too exotic. No one went hungry. It was a fun evening.
So you see how this autoharp can lead to many unexpected and pleasant experiences. A few of the ladies plan to join in our monthly meetings.
…Sally Schneider