Anna Kate Mackle plays an instrument that can cost as much as a new Hummer and gets worse mileage.
The Florida Orchestra's principal harpist explains that harps aren't like violins; they get worse with age as the tremendous strain from the huge strings literally pulls them apart. So don't bother looking for a Stradivarius.
As Mackle tilts her light-blond, concert grand Lyon & Healy harp back to her body and lays her fingers on the silver, red and black strings, she seems to disappear into the instrument. The 80-pound collection of woods, levers, cables, strings and tuning posts resonates with a, well, heavenly tone. She begins with a stately Bach transcription.
Mackle is one of a handful of female musicians who hold principal chairs in the orchestra, playing an instrument whose top ranks are frankly dominated by women. She fell in love with the harp as a 10-year-old, having already started piano lessons at age 5 and violin at 9. Hearing Copland's ballet score Appalachian Spring at a youth symphony concert did the trick.
The 36-year-old New York City native keeps a busy schedule, even if "there is a little more flexibility and freedom" than a button-down, 9-to-5 job. During the orchestra's 36-week season, Mackle can have three to five rehearsals a week, a dress rehearsal, performances on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights (at three different halls in three different cities) and solo work for weddings. She also teaches, either private lessons or at a local high schools and at St. Pete College.
For an orchestra without a permanent home or rehearsal space, there are times when several different programs are being worked on at the same time. That can mean lots of different pieces of music, from Debussy to Mahler, the dark, brooding German composer who's among Mackle's favorites. "What I like about him is the colors that he uses, and the orchestration allows you to hear every instrument," she says.
Mackle and her husband, John Shaw, the orchestra's principal percussionist, live in a house littered with musical instruments, from a piano to steel drums to xylophone to her harp. She's had a lighter workload this concert season, as the harp hasn't been required in as many pieces as usual. But that suits her just fine. She gave birth to a daughter last May and has appreciated the extra time to devote to motherhood.
Upcoming gig: Florida Orchestra's Masterwork Series: Debussy's La Mer, Apr. 13 (TBPAC); Apr. 14 (Mahaffey); Apr. 15 (Ruth Eckerd), www.floridaorchestra.org
Music Issue 2007: Chicks Rock
Tampa Bay's top 10 women musicians — plus 100 must-have CDs by women artists
This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2007.