Harp & soul: A lifetime of music

Recently, Dan Yu, a graduate student at the IU School of Music, won the USA International Harp Competition held on the IU campus here in Bloomington. Just the latest example of the profusion of talent that has emerged from the School of Music during the years, she has gone from being unheard of to the talk of the musical world.\nYu comes from humble beginnings in Shenyang in the northeast corner of China. Her father is a flutist and has encouraged her in her musical pursuits from the very beginning. She started off playing the piano at the age of six. \n"But, my pinkies were too small, so I was introduced to the harp because it does not require the use of pinkies," the 27-year old Yu said. \nSince the age of 10 she has been playing the harp, always intending on becoming a professional harpist.\n"I never considered anything else for my career. From the beginning, playing the harp was my way of life," Yu, who is an Artist Diploma student here at IU, said. \nIn Shenyang she attended a special high school for the musically gifted, where she started to seriously develop her talent. \nShe entered IU last year, having established herself as a successful student musician. Previously, her best competition result was a third round showing in an international harp competition in Israel. She also lost in the third round of the 1995 USA International Harp Competition. Entering this year's contest, she had anything but winning the whole competition on her mind. \n"Of course, I was not confident because the competition involves 30 to 40 of the world's best musicians," Yu said. "I expected to reach the third round again." \nBut once she entered the final round, winning was not elusive anymore, and once it was announced that she had won the contest, it was not a shock.\n"I knew that I had a good chance of winning once I got to the final round," Yu said. \nWinning the contest brought with it much more than just prize money. Apart from a $6,000 check and a $55,000 gold-plated harp, she now has concert dates in London, New York, Paris, Geneva and Tokyo. \n"Receiving the gold-plated harp was like a dream. I will keep and cherish it all my life," Yu said. \nWhile everyone knows about the winning and the prizes, not too many know about the hard work and dedication involved in performing at the highest level. Yu practiced as much as 10 hours a day in preparing for the competition last month. \n"If she wants something, she works really hard for it," Tong Yu, her flutist brother, said. "Winning this prize proves that she has the ability to be the world's best." \nWhile it is obvious that she has the makings of a world-class performer, her sights are set elsewhere. \n"I see myself being a harp teacher in the future," Yu said. "Being a performer at the highest level seems scary to me."\nWhether she dazzles audiences with her performances or educates young enthusiasts of the harp, it is evident that she is one of those rare talents whose humility and rejection of fame and prestige give her a unique aura. \n"Music has no boundaries," Yu's flute teacher father, Kixie Yu, said. "Dan's success today is the fruit of artistic exchange between China and the U.S"