I get by with a little help from my...chef de partie

I'd been planning on having friends over on Saturday for about a month. I knew I wanted to serve prosecco in my champagne flutes. I wanted to make some homemade flatbread pizzas (with this recipe for the dough from Mom) and serve them up on Jadeite plates with cloth napkins and my silverplate flatware. I wanted to pick some green hydrangeas from my garden and have them in vases around the house. I wanted to light candles and play good music on the stereo and sit back and laugh and relax with my friends.

But the day sneaked up on me. It was midnight on Friday by the time I finished and submitted a writing project barely under deadline. I still hadn't cleaned the bathroom and Harry had done one of his wiggling rolls across the floor and left a trail of hair in his wake. I knew I wouldn't be able to get much of anything done Saturday because I had to play at a wedding out of town.

On Saturday morning Mom and I talked before I headed out to the wedding. I told her I was going to be lucky if I got a chance to put out a fresh roll of toilet paper in the bathroom and vacuum up the worst of the hair balls and buy some boring cheese and crackers before the get-together.

An hour or so later, Mom called me back saying that she had made up the flatbread dough for me and I could pick it up on my way home from the wedding. All I had to do was roll it out and top it and bake it. I love my Mom - she can be my "chef de partie" anytime.

Greek style with tomatoes, garlic-stuffed olives, feta cheese and seasonings.

Margherita style with tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese and balsamic vinegar.

And a few avocado slices on top for fun.

Served with a tired but happy smile.

I did get some candles lit, but I didn't get the hydrangeas picked. We ate off my Jadeite, but with our fingers and with paper napkins right at the kitchen counter. I forgot about the procecco - my friends brought ready-to-serve margaritas (which we drank from a crappy juice glass) and a variety of interesting beers (straight from the bottles). I drank cheap white wine that was already open in the fridge out of the oldest scuffed and chipped wine glass I have. I did manage to push "play" on the stereo and it turns out we listened to my favorite Coldplay song on repeat for the next few hours (because I'm so good with technology). Not that we noticed. We were too busy relaxing, talking, laughing.

Harps in old churches

 An old Methodist church in a small town in southern Minnesota. 

Waiting for the wedding guests to arrive.

There are a lot of things to worry about when you know you're going to play the harp in an old church. Like if you'll be able to fit the harp and cart through the narrow doors. Like if the building will be air conditioned. Like if you'll be able to fit the harp in at the front without having to place it high up on the platform and thus distract attention from the bride and groom.

But mostly, I worry about being able to manage to haul the harp up the flights and flights of stairs old churches always have on the way to the sanctuary.

On Saturday, I needn't have worried about the stairs, though there were plenty.

This old church had been updated with an elevator. Miraculous.

Harp in, push the button...

...and up...

...and up some more...

 ...and voila! 

The harp at the sanctuary level and I didn't even have to get a hernia 

or break a sweat lugging the harp up stairs.

And we're ready for the wedding to begin, easy as that.

I think I need a wall full of chandeliers...

This was the decor at the wedding I played at last weekend. 

I want a wall full of chandeliers and hanging crystals behind my harps.

I think it would help with practicing.

Where do you need a little glam in your life? Tell me all about it. I love getting distracted by shiny things. 

Have a sparkly weekend, my friends.

Rolled right into temptation

When I wheeled the harp into the wedding cocktail hour I was playing at yesterday, I was so relieved. There wasn't a wedding cake in sight. I don't know why, but couples looooove to have the harp set up near the wedding cake. It's probably really good for pictures. "Oh see our wedding cake, and look, there's the harpist!" - all in one shot. But it's not really good for the cravings it starts in me.

I rarely eat cake or cupcakes or even muffins. But wedding cake gets me every single time. I can't leave without a piece. Or two. And if I don't get to have wedding cake, I'll start to think about cake and desperately want it until I get it. And non-wedding cake is so disappointing.

I thought I was safe. I set up the harp in my corner, got it tuned, got the harp cart and case hidden away in a closet and waited until start time.

And then they started rolling out carts and jars and containers and all varieties of...candy. 

The candy buffet was in full view through the strings.

Yogurt pretzels, white taffy, rock candy, silver and white almonds, little pearly sixlets,

 gold foil-wrapped goodies. All within arm's reach.

Do you know how hard it is to play for two hours with the scent of this table of goodness wafting at you?

Pretty hard.

But I waited until I was done playing and all the guests were inside the ballroom for dinner and the candy buffet was in near ruins. Scooped up a little handful of the pearly sixlets in one of the monogrammed cups and relished my minty, chocolately reward on the way home. Not wedding cake, but not bad.

Winery wedding

Down a little road, past rows and rows and rows of grapevines, is Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery. Great Minnesota wine...and a great place to hold a wedding celebration.

The very sweet bride and her mother hired me to play for this wedding at a bridal show in February. It was a cold, cold day - and I couldn't imagine an outdoor wedding in August at that point. But August came, and with it came some absolutely perfect weather. Cool, overcast, low humidity.

 

Perfect for taking the harp outside. What a backdrop.

The scene is set. That's the winery in the upper left corner.

Layers of decks and seating areas overlooking the ceremony site.

Filled with guests and a gorgeous wedding party, the place was soaked in romance.

(I just noticed that dent on the neck of the harp...it must be new. Another beauty mark.)

Afterward, I played at the cocktail hour beside the tent while guests congratulated the couple

and sampled Chankaska Creek's most popular wines: Kasota Rose and Petite Colline.

I'm not a red wine drinker, but that Kasota Rose...mmm...

it was so good I didn't even get distracted by the cupcake tower right behind me.

After I packed up the harp and put it in the truck, I made my way up to the winery to buy a bottle of the Kasota Rose to take home with me. Tragedy! They're sold out for the season! But I did give my card to the owners and there was talk of having me play in the tasting room this fall and winter. Lovely. Stay tuned for dates.

P.S. - Been there? What's your favorite wine?

How a harp is like a Harley

You might think they couldn't be more different, harps and Harley-Davidson motorcycles. But oh, think again.

~ They both make that sound you'd recognize with your eyes closed.
~ They're both top-of-the-line machines.
~ They both have models that are big and impressive.
~ They both have models that are light and maneuverable.
~ They both have thousands of moving parts.
~ They both need specialized repair guys to keep them running.
~ They both have owners who are kinda fanatical about them and base their identities around them.

~ AND they're both really good at weddings. See?

Harp at a wedding.

Harley at a wedding.

Yes, this was the same wedding. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle theme wedding, complete with harp music.

The wedding was in shades of bright Harley orange.

The bridesmaids even wore black leather Harley ankle boots 

under their shimmering orange dresses.

Outside. In August. Those girls meant business.

Lots of little touches to keep the guests and the harpist cool,

like fan-shaped wedding programs. In orange.

Lots of big, strong Harley guys to help the harpist with her machine.

Lots more harp music while the guests sipped the couple's 

signature cocktail, The Screaming Eagle, under the tent.

Yes my friends. Until you've been to a Harley-Davidson theme wedding with a harp, you haven't been to a wedding...

And another family wedding!

My dad comes from a family of 8 siblings. Each sibling has at least 3 children (except our family, which is just me and my brother). Which means I have a lot of cousins. And now the youngest cousins are growing up and getting married. Which feels so strange. I remember when these kids were born. I babysat them and changed their diapers and when they got older we read "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" series together and I basically corrupted them by teaching them naughty songs and swear words in German.

But they all turned out ok, despite my best efforts. How do I know? Because when it's time to get married, they want the best thing ever: harp music at their weddings. (Read about the ones so far here, here and here...)

A few weeks ago, it was my cousin Sarah's wedding. It was a hot July day, and the ceremony was in a big, beautiful (air conditioned...whew) Catholic church. 

Harry was confused by the Catholic service music I was rehearsing.
Harry's only heard Catholic service music a few times in his life.
But he doesn't want you to hold that against me.

Plus, he wanted to make sure he got his cat chow before I loaded up the harp 

and headed 45 miles south to the wedding.

Here's what I love about family weddings: 

Cousins and uncles waiting outside the church to help you load the harp.

The nice cousin on the left also made sure I remembered to go potty before the service started

and to change out of my flip-flops (summer harp loading shoes) into my "real shoes."
Good boy. He knows me so well.

It was such a beautiful wedding. Sarah walked down the aisle to "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring"

just like her mother did, and just like her sister did last year.

(Speaking of shoes, see how the bridesmaids' shoes matched their bouquets?)

(And the bride's, too!)

I'm really glad I wasn't the one playing during the unity candle, because afterward Sarah and her new husband did that thing that always makes me bawl: giving roses to the parents and grandparents.

Blaaaah! Nobody wants to see a bawling harpist. I just sat in the corner of my pew and sniffed.

I collected myself by the time the reception was in full swing, though.

They were serving chablis in a box at the open bar.

Mom and I decided we love chablis in a box.

Aunts Janet and Joyce love chablis in a box, too.

Cousin Caren? She loves chablis in a box as well.

Aunt Kathy and her sons Andy and Ben weren't so much fans of the chablis in a box,

but they made certain I always had a full glass in front of me.

My Dad (left), Uncle Marvin (center) and Uncle Joel (right) drank punch like good designated drivers.

Chablis in a box makes you dance to thinks like "Devil Went Down to Georgia." But by the time they start playing "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy," you just kinda know it's time to go. Because sometimes there are real cowboys at cousins' weddings, and cowboys usually think it's fun to pick you up and dance with you over their shoulder. (Note: it's usually not fun. Experience talking.)

Plus, by that time you've already danced so much that it hurts to even wear your flip flops.
So you end up putting your "real shoes" and your flip-flops in your music bag
and taking the harp home in your bare feet.  

Wedding harpist tip: It hasn't been a good wedding gig 

if you're not unloading the harp in your bare feet.

Outdoor summer wedding

I got an email in late June from a bride in a panic - her wedding music plans "didn't work out" (I didn't ask for details) and would I be available to play on July 7th? In just over two weeks? I'm usually booked out for summer and fall Saturdays pretty far in advance. But oh, this was a lucky bride. By some miracle, for her, I'd had a wedding cancellation (again, I didn't ask for details) for July 7. I loved being able to swoop in and save the day, musically. Yep, Super Harpist.

The wedding was at her parents' home out in the country. Surrounded on all sides by cornfields so far past the "knee high by the 4th of July" stage that it felt like there were giant green walls surrounding the wedding. Beautiful in the way that only tall, tall corn on a Minnesota July day can be. I arrived early and set up under the shade of a tiny little grove next to the house.

Someone had built an arbor, just for the wedding.

The flower garden was my backdrop.

This adorable little girl asked 100 questions about the harp, about my dress, 

about my music stand, about my music, about music notes, about my shoes, about my corsage,

about my chair, about my music bag, about the clothespins holding my music...

I finally distracted her with some bubbles I'd gotten at the wedding the night before. (Wedding harpist tip: always carry mini bubbles in your purse to occupy curious little ones so you can get on with the prelude.) Don't you want a polka-dotted dress with a pink ribbon sash?

I played pretty Renaissance songs, some simple Baroque pieces and then started Canon in D for the family, the bridesmaid, the two dapper groomsmen looking oh-so-manly in their hot pink ties, the adorable little flower girls.

The wedding was short and sweet. Oh, so sweet.

Harp sleepover

Something doesn't look right. Something's...missing. 

The space there in the corner by the music shelf is so empty...

The Lyon & Healy concert harp is missing. I know. It's been extremely hot here in southern Minnesota. I needed to take the harp to a wedding rehearsal last night to practice with the soloist, and the wedding was today. I couldn't imagine taking the big, delicate harp out Thursday night, taking it home, taking it out Friday night, taking it home again. In and out and in and out of air conditioning and intense heat isn't good for harps (or harpists). 

So I did it something I rarely ever, ever do. I took the harp to the rehearsal...and left it at the church. Yep. I left my baby in the care of somebody else.

But she was safe and sound in the music room at Christ the King Church. 

(A big, bad cut-out of Goliath kept watch over her.)

It was odd, only carrying my purse and my music bag to the wedding today.

(Harry is realizing he can't "escape" onto the porch if I'm not moving the harp, bench, music stand...)

I was so glad to travel light, though. It was almost 100 degrees when I left home. I would have been a not very attractive, pretty sweaty harpist when I arrived. I just hopped into the truck, blasted the air conditioning, got to the church and breezed through the automatic doors in one trip...not four.

Set up, tuned and was ready to play without even a "glow" appearing on my forehead.

Coming home, however, was a different story. The 10 minutes it took to get everything into the house left me stunned from the heat. I took off my dress and threw it right into the washing machine. Took a nice cool bath. Drank ice water. Then I unpacked the harp.

There we go. All's right with the world. Very glad to have the harp home from her sleepover!

Amy Kortuem, Fruit Cup Lady

My friend Nicole got married last weekend, and she asked me to play the harp. She was having a Celtic handfasting ceremony - the bride's and groom's hands are bound together by cord and each guest comes forward to tie a ribbon around their hands to symbolize their union. It promised to be a beautiful, unique wedding and I was so excited about the music Nicole chose - Renaissance songs and Celtic folk songs.

I arrived at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship early and went downstairs to see if I could help out. Nicole's Mom handed me a knife and pointed at a pile of fruit - "Make fruit cups!!!!" she said and rushed back to making punch and coffee.

I think I did rather well, don't you?

About 20 minutes before the ceremony was to start, I went into the sanctuary to tune the harp and get ready for the prelude. A wedding guest was in there taking photos. He looked at me, looked at the harp, look toward the stairs leading to the basement, frowned, and said, "I thought you were the fruit cup lady."

HA! All over town I'm known as "Amy Kortuem The Harpist." Now I have a new title: "Amy Kortuem The Fruit Cup Lady."

Nicole's ceremony was so beautiful. The service she and her husband planned was filled with elements of nature, spirituality, solemnity and humor. I had shivers through most of it. During the handfasting itself, I played the Irish song, "Give Me Your Hand." Sniff, sniff.

Nicole wore this gorgeous flower crown in her hair.

I got to place it on her head. She glowed like a fairy queen.

The aftermath of the ceremony - bouquet, golden shawl and bundle of ribbons

trickily removed from the couple's hands so they could walk back down the aisle.

And cupcakes. (I love cupcakes.)

New harp photos

My friend Ursula had a great photographer for her wedding. And the location, the Red Sky Lounge in Mankato, had such dramatic lighting. So after the family photos and the bride and groom kissing shots, the photographer came over to where I was playing for the cocktail hour and started shooting. Here are the results.

The harp always looks bigger in photos than it feels when I'm playing it.

Mid-Canon in D.

Dreaming of wedding cake.

Getting the giggles. Happens every time a camera's pointed at me.

See my asymmetrical haircut? Longer on the right side.

Matches my seeking, searching, off-kilter life these days.

Thanks for the great shots, Jeremy Depew!