Kim Robertson Celtic Harp: "Instrument of the Angels" An Interview by Unita Belk, Angel Times Vol 1, No.3

ANGEL TIMES

Volume One, Issue Three

INSTRUMENT OF THE ANGELS
HEAVENLY HARP

An Interview with Kim Robertson by Unita Belk

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arpist, vocalist, and composer Kim Robertson, whose name has become synonymous with the gentle, but powerfully evocative Celtic harp, has a love affair with her music which has blossomed into a highly visible performing, recording and teaching career. She is one of the most popular and admired harpists performing today.

When I interviewed Kim on the phone, I was delighted at the ease with which we connected with one another. We both got ourselves a "pot of tea" and settled in for a comfortable chat. Thoughtful, sweet and humorous, Kim answered my questions as though talking to an old friend.

Unita: I understand that it was in the mid 70's when you discovered the Celtic harp.

Kim: I was a classical music student at the time, and when I saw the Celtic harp, I was totally enchanted with it. First, by its sound, and the sight of it - it was so small. I'm a small person and as a student, the piano and pedal harp were always a little big for me. When I finally found the Celtic harp, it was perfect.

Unita: Once you started playing the Celtic harp your life changed?

Kim: Yes, I never would have guessed it would turn into a career, but one thing led to another and I began to specialize in the Celtic harp.

Unita: Recently, it came to my attention that the harp, in ancient Egypt, is the hieroglyphic symbol for joy and well-being. Do you find that your music and your personal happiness have been inter-related?

Kim: I don't mean to diminish classical or other music, but ever since I was little I have written my own tunes. I had an autoharp once and I tried to take off all the bars and make it a harp. I've gone the other route and played classical and commercial music; however, creating my own music is the self-expression I was looking for.

Unita: Most people associate the harp with angels. Do you find this to be true as far as how people relate to you and how they react to your music.

Kim: A lot of people jokingly say that I'll be all set when I die, I'll have a job in heaven ... but I think they have it backwards.

Unita: How is that?

Kim: I believe that most of us who play the harp now have already played before in a previous plane or incarnation and that's why we're doing it now. Most people who play the harp have always dreamed of playing the harp. So when they finally find the harp, it's like a recognition ... a bonding. Do you know what I mean? There must be a reason why the harp is historically the instrument of the angels.

Unita: What do you think the reason is?

Kim: That it really is the instrument of the angels. There seems to be a harp movement going on, more and more people are discovering the harp, and not just the classical harp, but smaller harps.

Unita: When you perform, do people treat you differently, as though you were an angel, so to speak?

Kim: When I played the big golden harp, the pedal harp, people did seem to treat me that way. Now that I play the smaller harp, I've noticed that people are more likely to come up to me and even try to play it themselves. It seems to me that most of the time when you see angels in artwork they're playing the smaller harp. I guess angels didn't have station wagons to carry the larger ones.

Unita: Are angels symbolic or significant to you personally and how does that affect you as a creative artist?

Kim: Yes ... since I've been aware of angels I feel as though I have an inner guide. I have this feeling that I have an inner booking agent ... I don't even use a booking agent in my career. It's not so much a visual thing as it is an inner voice that sometimes guides me to take some unorthodox steps in my musical direction, not always taking the safe path. To me the angels and the guides coexist with us. I feel like the guidance is always there for us. For me it's the contemplating of dreams and it's looking for the little lessons of everyday life. Like when you see a bumper sticker or a sign, or someone says something to you that has a different meaning from what they intended ... I'm not sure what you call that, but I call it "waking dreams" or the guidance of angels.

Unita: In the title song of your album Angels in Disguise, you wrote, "It's time to open my eyes, time to realize, we're all angels in dsiguise." Please share with us what you meant by that.

Kim: We are all spiritual beings, no matter what our level of awareness. We are all connected and we're on our journey home. Instead of looking outside ourselves, we can be angels to each other. One of my favorite quotes that might explain what I mean here is by Luciano de Crescenzo. "We are each of us angels with only one wing. And we can only fly embracing each other."

Unita: Your Crimson Series with Singh Kaur on the Invincible label is very beautiful. I heard that there was a very unusual incident that happened during the recording session that could be called an angelic experience.

Kim: We were working very intensely, rehearsing for four weeks before we went into the studio. I was recording the harp tracks separately, but Singh was in the recording studio with me because we had such a strong connection by that time. I was playing away and suddenly I thought I heard singing in my headphones, so I looked over at her and was really angry. This was a ten minute track where I couldn't stop, otherwise I would have to start all over again. When I looked over at her, she was glaring at me because she thought I was the one singing ... neither one of us were. Something was singing in the headphones along with the harp, and we think it was some kind of digital angel.

Unita: Several years ago a friend gave me a copy of Mender of Hearts, from the Crimson Series and I must have played it a hundred times. It was very healing for me due to what I was experiencing in my life at the time. The voices on the album were so beautiful, like angel voices. Who were they?

Kim: We did multiple harp tracks and also multiple tracks of Singh Kaur's voice, so it became like a choir of strings and voices.

Unita: Do other people find your music healing?

Kim: The sound of the harp is inherently healing, so I don't like to take credit for that.

Unita: Have you ever had a sense of destiny about yourself and your music?

Kim: I had such an experience in my early 20's. I was wall-papering, and my hands were wet from the wall-paper paste and I accidentally touched an exposed electrical socket. I received such a shock I was thrown across the room. When I woke up, I had this incredible feeling of peace, and since then I've found that I don't fear death any more. It was an affirming experience, but more than that, it made me realize that we really are protected supported, and are not alone.

Unita: You have quite an interesting touring schedule, traveling to France, Scotland, and British Columbia. Do you prefer live concerts to recording?

Kim: There's no substitute for the energy exchange between an audience and a performer. When I'm playing concerts, I'm truly living in the moment. When I'm recording it's not the same exhilirating energy, because I know I can do it over. It's like watching National Geographic on TV, which is nice, but it's not the same as taking a walk in the woods. Of course, in our woods you're not likely to see elephants and giraffes!

Unita: Is there anything you'd like to do or accomplish? A heart's desire?

Kim: It's always been very clear to me that I would make music. I tried many other professions and it now seems that for a time I was trying to avoid my destiny. Some people have a career and some have a calling. It's not so much that music is a calling for me, it's just what I'm meant to do.

Unita: So in a way, you are living your heart's desire?

Kim: Yes, and it's also a gift that I need to give. I'm also very blessed to be making a living doing something I love. But there's always more, there is always another step you can take. Then again, I have this silly image of myself sitting on the front porch in the country somewhere in my rocking chair playing the harp. Maybe that's my real heart's desire.

Unita: If there is one message you would like to share with the readers of Angel Times, what would that be?

Kim: That's a tough one. I've always felt that I've had an angel on my shoulder holding a flashlight to show me the way. I guess I would say, don't be afraid to listen to your inner voice and to act on it, despite any resistance you may encounter. Now is a good time to share what one of my teachers once told me. She said, "If you don't tune your harp, it gives the angels a headache."

Unita Belk is a singer/songwriter and performer