By Jonathan Schneider
Invited annually, graduate schools of music present the Presser Graduate Music Award to an outstanding graduate music student whom they select. The program is designed to encourage and support in a special way the advanced education and career of truly exceptional graduate music students who have the potential to make a distinguished contribution to the field of music. The Award is a cash stipend of up to $10,000, which is made available to a graduate student designated by the institution.
Jonathan Schneider received the Award in 2022-23 from the University of Illinois. His project took him to Spain, France, and Italy to perform free concerts, explore harp pedagogy with renowned harpists, and visit the Salvi Harp Factory.
Background
A master’s in music in harp performance and literature graduate from the University of Illinois, I was born in Spain and raised in Puerto Rico. Throughout my life, I have been passionate about the pedal harp and expanding its repertoire, and I seek to become a professional orchestral and chamber musician as well as a soloist and composer.
Some background on the harp: The double-action mechanism of the pedal harp was developed in 1801 by the French harpist and maker Sébastien Érard. Prior to this innovation, harps were limited in their ability to play highly chromatic repertoire. This mechanism enabled the harp to play in all keys and greatly expanded its versatility and range. Given its relatively recent invention, the double-action pedal harp’s repertoire is fairly limited compared to most other instruments that are typically played in the world of classical music.
The Journey
With the funding from The Presser Foundation through the Graduate Music Award, I went to Europe to study with internationally recognized harpists to further my education and career.
I started the journey in Spain, performing three concerts there before traveling through France to the HarpMasters Festival in Mondoví, Italy to study with several world-renowned harpists, including Irina Zingg, Ieuan Jones, and Anneleen Lenaerts. The time there was intensely focused, featuring masterclasses, workshops and a mock audition. Being able to interact with teachers of such renown coming from a variety of backgrounds was incredibly rewarding and drastically changed my approach to the harp.
Afterwards, I headed to Nice, France, where I had the opportunity to study at the Academie Internationale d’ètè Nice with Marie-Pierre Langlamet, the principal harpist of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. A masterful artist, Langlamet’s vision of music was unlike anything I had ever heard, and my work with her proved to be greatly beneficial. While in Nice, I was also able to take a private lesson with Isabelle Perrin, president of the World Harp Congress and harp professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo.
I then traveled to Veneto, Italy to perform two more concerts – it was incredibly rewarding to be able to share the practical applications of what I had learned that summer with the audience since we all shared a deep love of the harp.
Wrapping up my time in Europe, I went to Saluzzo, Italy to the Suoni d’Arpa harp competition and advanced to the second round. I received vital feedback from the jury, expanded my professional connections, and visited the nearby Salvi Harp Factory.
Impact
Upon completion of this research, I made important connections, gained insight into the world of classical music in Europe, further sharpened my technical abilities and musical interpretation in the “home” culture of the concert pedal harp, and shared my own culture and perspective with those I met on my journey. Not only have I better learned certain repertoire and orchestral excerpts, I also now have a better grasp of how to approach, study, and perform them within diverse musical traditions. I had many intense experiences that pushed and challenged me to go beyond what I thought I could do, and ultimately resulted in greatly concentrated growth, both technically and artistically.
Another incredible result from this opportunity was exposure to all modes of art in Europe, from exhibits at the Louvre in Paris, to music in the streets of Saluzzo, and beautiful architecture everywhere I went. Seeing the context in which the art was made, enjoying the history and culture, deeply impacted my connection to classical music and furthered my understanding about the role each musician plays in creating art. Leaving an academic setting to see the use of art in day-to-day life was something that forever changed my perspective about my craft. Having the privilege of seeing the harp approached from a wide variety of vantage points was invaluable to me.
Throughout the summer, I also had the opportunity to perform in many beautiful spaces and venues. From a monastery built by the Romans in 950 CE, to a church nestled in the lovely hills of Turin, Italy, the whole trip was deeply enriching. Through these experiences, I met many people that would become close friends, and the support I found from the teachers was hugely encouraging. Throughout this last year, I have also had the privilege of taking lessons with many of the harpists that I met last summer, resulting in a continued stream of growth and learning. Because of the network I have built and the prospects that have been opened through those opportunities, I’m currently working on getting my Spanish citizenship to be able to live and work within the European Union. From there, I’ll develop my career there and continue working with the harpists that I met last summer.
I am thankful to The Presser Foundation for changing the course of my life by entrusting me with such generous support. I am truly, deeply indebted to you for such a marvelous gift.
Fueled by his passion for capturing light and beauty through music, Jonathan Schneider is a harpist who tells vital stories by creating vibrant soundscapes. Having begun taking piano lessons at the age of 5, when he was 10 he discovered the harp and quickly adapted to it. His participation in the program Symphonic Experience, hosted by the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra, fomented his love for music, and he returned to the stage as a soloist and young adult to play Debussy’s Danses. After graduating from the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, he continued his education under Dr. Ann Yeung at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he received a Master of Music in Harp Performance and Literature. It was through the University of Illinois that Jonathan received the Presser Graduate Music Award, an opportunity which has opened the door to move to Europe.
