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Interview of Diana Stork
by Maireid Sullivan
(for "Celtic Women in Music" Fall 2001)
Q: How much did you take
from the Celtic repertoire before going
on to new realms for the Celtic or Lever Harp?
Diana: The Celtic harp was my
first love and I immersed myself in
learning a healthy dose of dance tunes--jigs, and reels and such, along
with the music of Turlough O'Carolan (one of Ireland's greatest composers
for the Irish harp). But, I came to play the harp after having studied classical piano and flute since I was 4; and quite
frankly, by that time I
was prettysick of reading what was on the printed page. Something
about the harp awakened a rebel in me--or a poet--however you want to look at
it. I started making up my own variations on Celtic pieces and not long
after started composing my own music. That continues to be my
main focus to
this day, though I am heavily indebted to Celtic music for its
continuing inspiration.
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Q: What are the
characteristics of a harp rebel?
Diana: In terms of style, I
was clear from the beginning that I wanted to follow my own inspiration
on the harp rather than playing the
accepted ways of Celtic or Classical harp traditions (which were
the only ones
available at the time). For example, I liked the sound of my nails
plucking nylon strings,
rather than the accepted finger pad technique--so I kept
that, even though I could discover no teachers
of that style, at that
time. So I just played and listened. Also early on, I discovered a lot
of tensions
in my body when I played the harp. I went to a body worker
here in San Francisco with the proposal
that he and I work together with my
harp to
undo my tensions and develop my muscles specifically
for the
harp. I
worked with him every week for almost 2 years and it was a
fascinating experience.
He taught me not only about the proper user of
the fingers,
but many subtle things about the body
which I use to this day and
teach to all my students.
Even though I was
playing a Celtic harp, I found myself bringing all sorts of influences into my music.
I heard the music of
a harp player in Venezuela, which was highly syncopated and fiercely
rhythmical,
and I
added that to my "Celtic" music. I fell in love
with medieval harp music. Then there were my
years of Classical training which came
bubbling in.
Some years later, I got involved with Tibetan
Buddhism and that
came
through the harp strings. And all the beauty and poetry of
life and those
that I love.... Somehow, the harp seemed the perfect
vehicle for it all.
Q: What has Tibetan
Buddhism done to your harp playing?
Diana: This is really quite
remarkable, I think. The harp is a very sensual, kinesthetic instrument.
You make your sounds by
directly touching the strings with the tips of your fingers--no mechanisms
get
between you and your producing a sound. So, if you listen carefully,
you can hear what's going
on inside the person--which in this case was
myself. As I listened to what I was playing, I found
that the more I let go of
my mind and played from my heart, the more beautiful the music
sounded.
On the other hand, if I was playing with tension, anger, or from a
negative frame of mind, the music
sounded tense and tight. So, I preferred
the music of the heart which led me directly towards
opening my heart and
developing compassion, which is I believe, the essence of the Buddhist path.
Q: That's very
interesting. Have you recorded any harp music for Buddhist projects?
Diana: Relieving suffering is
a Buddhist activity, and I've composed music
for many healing tapes and videos. I've composed some
pieces based on
Buddhist prayers with as much of a Buddhist mind as
possible. And I've
produced a major concert at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco in
1997 as a
benefit for Tibet and to raise people's awareness of the serious
situation
of this occupied country. More than that though, it's my
frame of mind or
attitude, which is Buddhist. I guess it's just a part of
who I am these
days.
Q: I hear that you've
recently released a recording and video called "Celtic Harpestry".
What's that about?
Diana: I co-produced the
recording, "Celtic Harpestry" on PolyGram, which is a compilation of a
number of the world's greatest Celtic harp
players. I traveled to Scotland and England to
record some of the artists,
which was a great fun. Then, my co-producer got the idea to
turn it
into a PBS Special, which actually came about. Working with TV
and big record
executives absolutely demanded as much Buddhist patience and
compassion as I could
muster up! But the project was worth doing;
and I'm proud of the result and happy that
so many people have been turned on to the
Celtic harp. It turns out that the actress Kathy
Bates, saw the
PBS Special and took up the Celtic harp! She called our office to tell us
so.
Q: You also produce a
concert series called the Festival of Harps.
Diana: I started the Festival
of Harps in 1990 in San Francisco. My vision was to bring
the world together through the harp. I
featured many
different styles of harp, such as Celtic,
Latin, and Classical
all on the same stage. And people after having been drawn in to going
to hear one particular harp style, would then hear others which they never
would have
heard before. And more often than not, they were absolutely
delighted. I'm continually
surprised how many of the classical music lovers
were
instantly enamored of the harp music
from Latin America.
And Celtic harp--well, everyone loves that!
The Festival has been
quite successful. We've featured lots of traditional Celtic harpists over
the years, as well as neo-Celtic
and
Celtic fusion harpists. We have one Celtic harpist--Rudiger
Oppermann, who plays an electric Celtic harp, which has a mechanism that bends
the stings
and makes it sound like a blues guitar. It really surprises
our audiences.
Q: ...And where from here?
Diana: I recently performed
with the Maihar Orchestra of Ali Akbar Kahn--the great North Indian
composer and sarod
player. Another special project was composing and performing for the
Lines Contemporary
Ballet with Jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. These are both good
directions for me. But essentially, I hope I'll be able to do more of the
same--play, perform,
compose, produce harp events and recordings, teach, and expose
people to the special beauty
of the harp. It's a good and very full
life.
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