In a small practice room just outside the sanctuary at First United Methodist Church sits 15 harps in a semicircle. Some harps stand tall with ornate, golden accents. Others show the natural knots of the dark brown wood.
Elizabeth Asmus, who has played the harp for around 40 years, warms up on her semi-grand harp. She said the harp is a 鈥渂ewitching鈥� instrument, unlike any other.
鈥淲hen you pull it back and play, the harp is vibrating, and it vibrates through you, too,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here's something about it.鈥�
She鈥檚 one of a couple dozen harpists that are coming together to play songs of praise in Fort Collins this weekend as part of the . It started in 2008 as a way to offer workshops and connect with those who use the harp in church ministry.
鈥淲e're not here to see who's the best,鈥� Harp In Worship chairperson Bonnie Mohr said. 鈥淲e're here to celebrate the gifts that God has given us and to use those wherever he may call us to use them.鈥�
The conference has workshops on how to write music, improvisation and more. In the evenings, harpists perform a variety of songs, from hymns to modern-day worship music.
Asmus came from the East Coast to participate, but others are coming from all over the world 鈥� including France and Switzerland.
鈥淚t鈥檚 all in honor of God,鈥� Asmus said. 鈥淚t's an experience that's beyond words, I can't find the words. I hope it鈥檚 a giving 鈥� offering is maybe the better word for it.鈥�
It鈥檚 not often that several harps are in the same room at once. Most harpists play by themselves, and rarely do they get to play with other harps. This room had six decades of musicians playing together, all with unique harps and skill levels. It鈥檚 a different kind of synergy.
鈥淚t is like the difference between a droplet of water and an ocean of sound,鈥� Heidi Hernandez, a Phoenix-based harp teacher and composer, said. 鈥淵ou just get this like whoosh of music.鈥�
To these musicians, the harp has a weighty, spiritual significance. It鈥檚 the first instrument mentioned in the Bible, and it comes up several times after that. Hernandez believes there鈥檚 a special anointing on the harp.
鈥淚n Psalms, it says over and over, 鈥楶raise the Lord with the harp, make music to the Lord with the harp,鈥欌�� Hernandez said. 鈥淪o why is harps so important to worship? I would have to say, because God wants it to be, because He chose that.鈥�
Hernandez is one of the guest speakers and performers at the conference. She鈥檚 playing a seven-part piece , which focuses on how different parts of nature reflect the attributes of God.
鈥�(One part,) Ocean, is just huge and vast,鈥� she said. 鈥淎nd I always think of that as His love, which is just, you look out on the ocean, you can't see the end of it anywhere. It's so beautiful.鈥�
Mohr hopes that when people attend the concerts, more people will see what the harp has to offer.
鈥淚t's a fun instrument,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's not just the instrument that sits in the back of the orchestra and does the glissando and things like that. There's so much more that the harp can do.鈥�
The harpists will have . They are open to the public, but they are taking free will donations at the door.
