Meet Amelia Romano | Lever Harp performer and instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amelia Romano and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amelia, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
The lever harp and I have been virtually inseparable since 1998. Since day one, I’ve experienced so much joy sharing my passion for the instrument. It’s made  performance and instruction the right choice for me.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

I have always sought out the path less travelled (consciously or unconsciously). Choosing a freelance career on lever harp is the perfect example. While the pedal harp is the instrument of choice for harpists looking to study classical harp and join an orchestra, the lever harp is used more traditionally as a folk instrument performing diatonic repertoire. That means, as a lever harpist, I’ve had to forge my own path as a cross-genre freelance performer and composer. Pursuing a classical performance degree in lever harp at San Francisco State University, I’m designing my graduate program to fit my particular needs and interests: teaching, arranging and performing chromatic piano or pedal harp works. This Fall and Winter I am offering an online seminar centered around lever shifting techniques for lever players seeking tools to navigate chromatic contemporary and classical repertoire on the instrument. I plan to offer future seminars on adapting and arranging to facilitate expanding the repertoire available to the lever harp. As a cross-genre performer, my mission is to give the instrument more visibility in the classical and folk world.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?

I recommend attending SFJAZZ with a dinner stop at Burma Superstar. Be sure to spend a day enjoying a bike ride or hike through San Francisco ending at the Red Poppy Art House for an intimate night of live music. Check out the local co-op, Other Avenues, in the Sunset District. Great produce for a week of healthy, local and seasonal meals. Last but not least, come see my trio, Luminance, in concert.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Both my childhood lever harp teacher, Diana Stork, and Karen Gottlieb, my current harp instructor at San Francisco State University.

Website: ameliaromano.com

Instagram: electricharp

Image Credits
Adrian Arias – (acoustic harp) Manali Sibthrope – (blue electric)