Meet the Artist: A Conversation with Harpist Andrea Mumm

November 5, 2024

WDAV shared some exciting news back in October! After a four year hiatus, we’re bringing back our Small Batch Concert series. Located at Free Range Brewing in the NoDa neighborhood of Charlotte, Small Batch concerts present classical music in a unique, casual atmosphere. 

Our first Small Batch concert is just days away. We can’t wait to kick things off with harpist Andrea Mumm on November 15th, as she presents a program of Debussy, Ibert, and more.

A native of New Jersey, Andrea Mumm holds the Dr. Billy Graham Principal Harp chair of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. She is also the Principal Harpist of the Colorado Music Festival and has performed with Civic Orchestra of Chicago, National Repertory Orchestra, Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, Mercury Opera Company of Rochester, and the Brevard Music Center Orchestra in addition to having toured extensively throughout North and South America as Principal Harpist with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas

This is your first time collaborating with WDAV for the Small Batch Concert Series, but we’d love to hear more about your work with other Charlotte-area organizations.

I’m so excited to be partnering with WDAV! I am the, admittedly self-appointed, ambassador of the harp for Charlotte, so I love bringing the harp to all reaches of the area. I have taught both at UNCC and Davidson College in addition to my private studio. With my job at the CSO, I have played at nearly every venue I can imagine in the Charlotte region, but my favorites are the outreach performances. I’ve recently been playing at the Roof Above centers for their hot lunches as well as their Thanksgiving meals. I’ll also be playing for the family dinner this week at the Levine Children’s Hospital’s NICU. I obviously enjoy playing operas for Opera Carolina, and the ballets for Charlotte Ballet (hello Nutcracker season!). My husband and I also love to support Bach Akademie Charlotte, as he is the founder and previous board chair. 

You’ve also worked with lots of other organizations nationally and internationally. What are some of your favorite locations you’ve performed at?

I was very lucky to travel for two summers with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas (now re-titled Orchestra of the Americas). We played at some of the best concert halls in North and South America, but through the organization, I discovered my favorite city in the world, Buenos Aires! Through YOA, I also became a harp coach for the youth orchestra in Bahia, Brazil, and even helped them select a harp from the Lyon & Healy harp factory in Chicago and travel with it to Brazil. My favorite hall of that tour, however, was in Montevideo, Uruguay at the Teatro Solis.

What are your favorite places you’ve traveled to?

Buenos Aires, Paris, Tokyo, and London.

You mentioned you’re also an educator. What do you enjoy about teaching young harpists?

Their eagerness to learn something new. Often as adults and professional musicians, we forget how actually cool it is to be able to sit down and play an instrument, especially to the degree of proficiency we achieve. Got a tune in your head? I can play that on harp, and accompany myself as well. How amazing is that?! I also love seeing the sense of accomplishment from my students, young and old. It is such a confidence boost for the student to finally finish that piece, or perform well at a jury. 

Right now, my daughter (she’s 2.5) loves every single nursery rhyme. When she hears me practicing, she comes in and demands I play ABC’s, Itsy Bitsy Spider, or any tune from Ms. Rachel. Seeing the sheer delight on her face that Mama can play what she can’t quite sing yet is magical.

Well you certainly stay booked and busy. What role does rest play in your artistic process? How do you like to recharge when you’re not in the concert hall or classroom?

Oh so busy! I try to emphasize to my students how important it is to take a day off a week and fully unplug. If the teacher tells you, hopefully that lessens the guilt that most musicians feel when we skip a day of practice. Sometimes our brain needs time away from the instrument to see a difficult musical passage in a new light.  For me, I am mastering the art of practicing in super short segments. With a toddler running around, gone are the days of a good 3-4 hour practice session in one sitting. It is amazing what I can get done in 10 minutes of practice in between teaching lessons. In this phase of life, it feels like a treat to be able to sit behind my harp uninterrupted, so I’m finding new joy in practicing an instrument that’s been with me the majority of my life. 

Outside of music, my husband and I like to completely couch potato and watch movies to unwind. I love Great British Bake Off and any Bobby Flay cooking show. Pre-toddler, my unwinding activity was baking, and I’m sure I’ll find the time again when she’s a bit older. I know my colleagues at the CSO will be glad when I get back to baking a lot, as they are always my guinea pigs for a new recipe. Right now, I’m also really enjoying working with a trainer at the gym and lifting heavy weights. There’s a special kind of joy you get when you realize you are stronger than you think.

We’re so excited for our audiences to see you at our upcoming concert. What can audiences expect during your performance?

Harp pieces you’d totally expect mixed with pieces that will beg the reply “I didn’t know you could do that on the harp!”. I am a fan of classics like Debussy and Bach, but this being a WDAV Small Batch concert at a brewery, I wanted to mix it up a bit and play some jazz and some more modern pieces with the coolest of extended harp techniques. Being an educator, I love talking about the harp to people who may have never seen one before in person. You can definitely expect my performance to come with a Q&A section, so come prepared with any questions you can throw at me!

You’re also performing with flutist Erinn Frechette. Can you tell us a little more about that collaboration, without giving too much away, of course.

I adore all my flute colleagues at the CSO! Erinn is not only an amazing flutist, but she has a fantastic sense of humor so I love working with her any chance I get. Erinn will play 3 pieces with me that evening: one of our go-to standards, one a bit more funky but still so fun to listen to, and one where Erinn has extended techniques that will make you wanna drag out your old flute and try it yourself when you get home!

Finally, we love to emphasize the unique nature of our Small Batch concerts, since they provide a different way to enjoy classical music. What do you hope audiences will take away from your performance?

I hope audiences will take away how versatile the harp can be. It is not only for car commercials and dream sequences. I want audience members to walk away wanting to look up a harp album on Spotify for tomorrow’s commute (I can give you a recommendation), and also have the knowledge to crush your next trivia night, should the question ever be about harps (Hint: we have 47 strings).

Want to experience this amazing concert? Join us for good beer, good music, and good company at Free Range Brewing on November 15th. Tickets available here.