Harnessing love for the harp

Originally from Sparta, Mich., Molly Grettenberger applied to Michigan State, University of Michigan and Arizona State before choosing IU. She wasn’t looking for a business degree from the Kelley School or a biology degree to buffer her pre-med path, but for a school to foster her musical talents.

“I love the harp because it’s so beautiful,” Grettenberger said.

Through the guidance of her mother and private lesson instructor Sylvia Norris, she found herself studying harp performance at the Jacobs School of Music, home of the largest harp program in the country.

As artistic director for The World Harp Congress, Susann McDonald knows a thing or two about performance. A distinguished professor of music and chair of the harp department at IU, she said she recognized Grettenberger’s potential from the beginning.

“I felt Molly showed serious musicianship in her audition, enthusiasm and love of the harp and an overall confident and friendly manner which would fit well in our harp department,” McDonald said.

Grettenberger stumbled upon the talent by accident. She picked it up to please her mother without any real interest in the instrument.

Playing in orchestra and pit orchestras for musicals in high school helped Grettenberger gain experience. In summer 2011, she did some freelance harping, playing at about 10 weddings that one of her teachers could not make.

Although she plays a lot of classical music, Grettenberger said she enjoys playing modern pieces because “they are not what people expect to hear.”

However, Grettenberger’s harp capabilities didn’t always come naturally. Although she worked hard to perfect her talents, like any performer, some moments throughout her career caused her nerves to get the best of her.

In ninth grade, Grettenberger attended the Traverse City Workshop in which all participants were required to play a concerto recital at the end of the workshop. She picked the piece “Sad Marguerite at the Spinning Wheel” by Alfred Zabel, which she had played in the past.

Four days before the event, she practiced the piece a couple times. On the day of her performance, she made it halfway through before she realized she was playing the right strings, but the wrong notes sounded because her pedals were off.

She could not set herself straight and, even after starting over, could not finish correctly, so she improvised and walked off the stage sobbing.

Although it was a horrible experience, Grettenberger turned it into a positive one.
“I worked more on my memory after that, and it helped,” she said.

It was a challenge bouncing back for future performances, she said, although her next performance produced one of her favorite memories: playing “Au Matin” by Marcel Tournier at a school variety show.

“It was the first time most people at my school had seen a harp, and there were mostly rock bands at the show,” Grettenberger said. “I played right before a screamo band, and people were excited about the instrument I played. It was fun to explain it.”

While the harp is not one of the most well-known or common instruments, other music connoisseurs at IU have recognized it as an essential piece of the orchestra. Unlike other fields of study, competition is not a prominent issue within the harp studio.
Grettenberger often found herself leaning on other harpists to nurture her abilities. Another perk was the opportunity to study under McDonald.

“It’s an honor studying with Ms. McDonald because you hear about her, and the first pieces I played were by her, and now I study with her,” Grettenberger said.
The 18 harpists in the program have all received weekly private lessons with McDonald.

“While each harpist is an individual with different gifts and needs, I would tend to feel Molly is similar to most of my class in her goals, experience, etc. And, of course, she is just a freshman,” McDonald said. “I think she brings an unusual amount of experience in ensemble, being a violist, as well.”

Aside from Grettenberger, two other harpists in the program are freshmen, whereas IU recruited none the year before. This gap made a difference in mentorship, but Grettenberger said she still looks up to the older students as friends.

In their weekly studio performances, what Grettenberger said she particularly enjoyed was that it was unlike master class. Students didn’t critique each other but were more supportive in their work.

“Even with the supportive atmosphere, people still work hard because Ms. McDonald expects a lot,” Grettenberger said.

College provided an outlet catering to Grettenberger’s talents in more ways than just her music pursuance. Because her father is a pastor, she was always involved in church choirs and youth groups, which prompted her to become involved at IU. She also worked at the Buskirk-Chumley Theatre Box Office downtown.

Her ability to manage time proves useful.

“Because in high school I was involved in other things, I practiced about one hour a day,” Grettenberger said. “Coming here it was a little bit of a culture shock because we’re expected to practice four hours a day. I worried I wouldn’t keep up and stay motivated, but the transition has been easier than I thought it would be.”