Victoria remembers being 6 years old and praying to be able to play the harp one day. She had been drawn to it ever since she first saw it being played by Minnie Mouse in an orchestra. In the 3rd grade, Vicki had read the story of David playing for King Saul and was struck by the harps’ significance in the bible. She began playing the piano before starting private harp lessons at 7.
Vicki received her bachelors in music from East Coast Bible College, and studied the harp at the University of North Carolina alongside with The University of South Florida. She has a classical background but has also studied Jazz and has travelled to Ireland to study Irish music at the Irish Harp School. Vicki has gained skills from many of the greatest harpists in the world including Jan Jennings, Carrol McLaughlin, Deborah Henson-Conant, Cheryl Losey, and Isabelle Perrin.
She has been greatly inspired by Louise Trotter, Deborah Henson-Conant who were able to do so much more with the harp than people would expect by playing blues, country, jazz, and fun music. Vicki has been influenced by Jan Jennings to play popular music, Alfredo Ortiz has inspired latin music, and Ana Maria Luis Rayan with classical music.
Vicki puts a lot of heart and sensitivity into her playing. She describes herself as a romantic, and has a vast repertoire in all genres including classical, jazz, and latin with her specialty being in popular and sacred music. Vicki believes there is a difference in the aura of an entertainer when they truly love what they are doing.
When preparing for a gig, Vicki arrives early to set up her harp, sound equipment, music stand and bench. She warms up her fingers and tunes the harp. Vicki believes music is the first impression and it is special to walk in and hear the soothing sound of the harp, so she often begins playing before the actual set time.
Vicki puts a lot of thought into the pieces she is going to play, beginning with the clients personal tastes and requests. She considers the type of event, age group, time of year, and what songs are popular at the time of the event. Vicki believes that variety is key, people have varying tastes in music so an assortment often makes everyone happy. She tends to mix up the order of songs by playing fast tempoed songs followed by slow, toe tapping, and key changing, all things that keep the music lively and interesting.
Although Vicki enjoys playing at weddings, churches, retirement homes and Christmas events, she especially loves playing at funerals. People are quiet and the harp is soothing and Heavenly providing comfort for those who are grieving. Her dream gig would be to play on the streets of Jerusalem where King David played for Saul.
Vicki believes the harp has gained popularity in recent years and it will continue to keep growing because musicians have unlimited access to music lessons now thanks to the internet. Vicki’s love for the harp had been instilled from a very young age, and she wants to continue to serve others through music. She loves when music touches a person’s heart and assists in creating everlasting memories for their special day.
Breezin’ Entertainment & Productions offers premier service that is sure to both relieve the stress of the event planning process and guarantee that the entertainment that is provided exceeds all expectations. To book your next event contact a Breezin’ representative at 813-463-2272 today or visit https://breezin.com/