The ensemble performs at Grace Baptist Church in 2016.
Change isn’t new to the Richmond-based classical music collective known as the American Youth Harp Ensemble. It features student musicians who matriculate in and out of the group, and it grew out of a program in Richmond Public Schools, becoming a nonprofit in 1999. The ensemble, led by founder Lynnelle Ediger, has toured internationally, sold out shows at New York’s Carnegie Hall, played for presidents and released several CDs. The group is currently in England to record at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London for a project to be released on Silva Screen/Sony Records.
American Youth Harp Ensemble founder Lynnelle Ediger
Ediger may have joined the students for the trip, but she’s no longer directing the group. She continues to support the GreenSpring International Academy of Music, of which the American Youth Harp Ensemble is the flagship program. in January of 2020, she stepped aside from the ensemble for personal reasons. Alumnus Amber Koppen took over for several months before handing over the reins to former member Trey Nunnally in October of 2021.
“He understands what it takes to create a great ensemble, because he grew up in one. So, yeah, things are in good hands with him,” Ediger says. “This will always be my baby.”
The ensemble was born from a school program Ediger led in 1994. Interest grew, and five years later, she opened the music lessons up to the community and started the nonprofit. The harp ensemble consists of about 30 students in five levels, from beginner to pre-professional; those in the latter also serve as mentors in the program.
“The one thing that definitely stays true to our mission is that, regardless of financial means, all students [who] are interested in learning how to play the harp are given that opportunity,” Ediger says.
The group’s Sound Experiences program has worked with local Boys & Girls Clubs for 15 years, providing tuition-free music education to students who may not otherwise have access to it. There’s also the Harp Therapy Outreach Program, which started 25 years ago and teaches students with disabilities how to play the harp. Prior to the pandemic, the group performed in health care settings, including neonatal, oncology and surgical recovery areas and hospitals.
“We went from doing about 300 concerts a year to zero during the lockdown,” Ediger says. “And we were invited to perform for the Welsh Proms and the World Harp Congress in Wales, and that tour was canceled. We'd spent about two years working on that. So all of our touring came to a grinding halt — and performances as well.”
Things were starting to pick up in recent months, before the latest coronavirus variant emerged, bringing with it concerns about larger indoor events.
“But I hope we're on the rebound and recovery phase,” Ediger says, “because we're starting to get bookings again.”
Ensemble Director Trey Nunnally
The ensemble also performs at its own concerts and sends musicians to galas, dinners and other community events. One of its 2005 performances at a grocery store caught the attention of the father of a 3-year-old boy who had already told his parents he wanted to be a harpist because he’d seen the instrument played in Disney movies. That child was Trey Nunnally, the group’s future director.
“And he said, ‘Don't go anywhere, I'm going to go home and get my wife and son [and] come back,’ ” Nunnally recalls. “And I met them and got to listen to them play and talk to them. And my parents talked to their parents. And we got the name of the American Youth Harp Ensemble, [the director’s] contact information, and called.”
Nunnally has worked with the group as a teacher while working as a graphic designer.
“When you first start learning an instrument, [you] don't expect that this is what's going to happen in a couple years, or 10 years, or 15 years down the line,” Nunnally says. “But it just kind of goes to show that being a part of American Youth Harp Ensemble isn't just about learning the instrument. … It's life-changing with these opportunities.”
Never miss a Sunday Story: Sign up for the newsletter, and we’ll drop a fresh read into your inbox at the start of each week. To keep up with the latest posts, search for the hashtag #SundayStory on Twitter and Facebook.
