Triennial harp competition returns to Auer Hall

Since winning the gold medal at the 2001 USA International Harp Competition in Bloomington, IU alumna Dan Yu has achieved tremendous success and notoriety with a recording contract and recitals around the world. Her prizes included a $55,000 golden harp, a recording contract and debut recitals in New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. In 2002, Egan Records released her debut CD "The Nightingale."\nApproximately 50 competitors from 17 countries hope to follow in Yu's footsteps at the 6th triannual USA International Harp Competition, expected to draw over 4,000 people to Bloomington through July 11. The event starts with an opening ceremony 4 p.m. today in Auer Hall.\nYu credits the competition for jumpstarting her burgeoning career. \n"Whatever I have done today is because of the competition," Yu said. "It really helped me in every way."\nMoya Wright, executive director of this year's competition, said Yu was phenomenally successful at her debut concert in New York.\n"She had one of the most rave reviews I have ever seen for harp playing," Wright said.\nYu's former roommate, IU alumna Meng-Lu Chiu, will perform in the competition for the second time. She said she hopes to draw on her experience from 2001.\n"I feel like I'm more prepared because I have the experience from last time," Chiu said.\nProfessor Susann McDonald, USAIHC founder, said the competition has become increasingly well-known throughout the world.\n"Our past winners are making important careers and that reflects favorably on our contest," she said.\nWright said the quality of performances has continually increased.\n"The standard is increasing all the time," Wright said. "In the beginning it was the 25- to 30-year-old people winning. Now we have a younger group 17 to 21 at the top professional level."\nAt 17, incoming freshman Jane Yoon is one of the competition's youngest musicians.\n"She is really a rising star," said Erin Witt of event promoter Hirons Communications. \nIn conjunction with the competition, four up-and-coming performers ranging in ages 11-13 will display their talents at "Stars of Tomorrow" 8 p.m., Wednesday at Auer Hall. \nEleven-year old Jeremy Keppelmann is the only boy performing in the concert.\nJackie Keppelmann, Jeremy's mother, said he sometimes gets teased at school because most harpists are women. But she said he is not ashamed of his talent.\nJeremy said he doesn't remember why he wanted to play the harp, but he knew he wanted to do it since he was 5 years old.\n"I said to my uncle one time, he asked me, 'Why do you want to play the harp?' and I said 'Cause I wanted to be like the angels," Jeremy said.\nAlthough Jeremy started playing the piano at age five and harp at age seven, he said he prefers playing the harp.\n"It really makes me happy," Jeremy said. "I just get into it and feel the music. It's really a lot of fun."\nJackie said she started to notice her son's talent after he spent several weeks with a harp instructor in France. \n"He started playing around town for luncheons, Christmas parties," Jackie said, referring to their home town of Reno, Nev. "He's getting to be known in our town as the harpist."\n-- Contact staff writer Steven Chung at stchung@indiana.edu.