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News > String dreams: Teen harpist caps Reno Philharmonic season
String dreams: Teen harpist caps Reno Philharmonic season 
March 31, 2007 Jeremy Keppelmann doesn't remember exactly what convinced him to play the harp, but he thinks the idea came to him in a dream. When he was 5, his mother, Jackie Keppelmann, started him on piano lessons, but -- even while tickling the ivories -- Jeremy continued to ask for a harp. "I said, 'We have a piano, so you'll play piano,'"‰" Jackie said. "He had to tell us for two years before we allowed him (to take lessons)." "I just knew I wanted to play the harp," Jeremy said. "I took it on and stuck with it." And he excelled. Now 14, Jeremy has been playing for seven years. He will perform Handel's Concerto for Harp with the Reno Philharmonic on Sunday and Tuesday. Soloing with a professional orchestra is an honor for a young musician, and Keppelmann said he's looking forward to the experience. "Just to solo with the Phil in general is a big deal," said the philharmonic's principal harpist, Beverly Colgan. "I don't know if he's the youngest soloist we've ever had, but he's one of the youngest. "» I mean most of the people, even if they're young, are in college." Jeremy said he'd never even seen anyone play a harp until he was 7 and his family attended one of Colgan's performances. Although the concert was a fresh experience, Jeremy said nothing surprised him. It was as though he already knew the instrument. Jackie and her husband, Ed, talked to Colgan about starting Jeremy on lessons. Jeremy immediately loved playing the instrument, and he took to it quickly. "He was reading notes and everything, and the harp music is similar (to the piano)," Jackie said. "I don't think he even realized it was a challenge." Colgan taught Jeremy for only a short time, helping connect him with an internationally recognized teacher when she learned how gifted he was. She still keeps in touch with him, though. "We've remained friends," Colgan said. "Sometimes if I can't do a job, he'll do it. You know, if I can't play a wedding, he will. Or if he can't play a wedding, I will. This kind of thing. So, it's no more teacher. It's like Jeremy is a colleague." Within two years of starting on the harp, Jeremy had entered his first competition, playing alongside other youths in the Lily Laskine International Harp Competition in Deauville, France. "I got an award for the most promising young talent," Jeremy said. He didn't need encouragement to keep practicing, but he said the recognition was welcome. These days, Jeremy said, he tries to play the harp at least an hour a day, but he isn't always able. That's because: He is a student at Sage Ridge School. He flies to California every other week to take harp lessons. He has a leading role in Sage Ridge's upcoming production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." He swims six days a week. The swimming is part of Jeremy's music training, because he uses it to ward off a severe case of tendonitis that he developed at about 12 "» most likely from playing the harp. At one point, the pain was so bad that he had to stop playing. But, with the help of a trainer, he has strengthened his upper body so it no longer hurts. Jeremy said he can tell, however, if he gets away from his exercise routine. "Even if I take a couple of days off from swimming I notice a problem," he said. In 2005, Jeremy entered the Lily Laskine competition again, placing third among harpists born after Sept. 1, 1989. One of his prizes was the opportunity to perform a harp concerto with orchestra. Sunday and Tuesday, he will again be the featured soloist in a large group, and Jeremy said it's a treat to perform in that environment. "There are so many harmonies that are added when you're playing with an orchestra as opposed to solo," he said. "So much is added to the piece." Jeremy said he isn't nervous about the concerts, but he is excited. "I feel like that's a big accomplishment for me," he said. "It's definitely a step forward." See the video here. |
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