Harpist Plucks New Life From Top Prize

Maria Casale was first mesmerized by a harp at the age of 4. But lessons, she was told, were out of the question because she was “just too small.”

When she brought up the subject again--at 5--she was advised to study the piano.

But the following year her wish was granted, and Casale studied her beloved instrument for the next 20 years. Last month all that hard work paid off when she won top honors in the first USA International Harp Competition at Indiana University in Bloomington.

“I knew this was my last competition,” said Casale, 26, who lives in North Hollywood. “If I didn’t win, I would have to face the fact that I’d probably be playing the harp in restaurants for the rest of my life.”

Casale’s victory may be the start of a new phase in her career. In addition to winning a handmade harp valued at $25,000, Casale also won the opportunity to give a solo recital at Alice Tully Hall in New York’s Lincoln Center on March 13, 1990. A series of other concerts, including a performance in Paris next Bastille Day (July 14, 1990) await her too.

“I’ve always wanted to be a solo harpist,” said Casale, who earns her living by playing background music at the Dynasty Room of the Westwood Marquis Hotel, as well as at a variety of social functions. “It’ll be great to play the harp and not have someone being married--or buried--while I’m doing it. The people will be there just to hear me.”

Although harp competitions are held regularly around the world in such places as Israel, Rome and Munich, the USA International Harp Competition was the first contest of its kind to be held in this country in 20 years.

It was organized by Susann McDonald, artistic director of the World Harp Congress and a professor of music at Indiana University, as well as the head of the harp department there. Organizers hope that the contest will be held again in 1992 and every three years thereafter.

This year’s contestants were selected on the basis of audition tapes. Thirty-seven harpists, ranging in age from 18 to 29 and representing 14 nations, competed in the contest, which included four elimination rounds.

Casale had to play 11 different compositions during the competition, including four required selections. Even though she had been practicing the pieces for the past two years, Casale left Los Angeles June 15 to have plenty of time to rehearse in Bloomington.

During the two weeks before the competition, Casale generally spent 10 to 12 hours a day practicing. “That’s all I did when I got to Indiana,” she said. “The skin was just peeling off of my fingers because of the humidity. It was very strenuous, grueling and nerve-racking.”

On the first day of the competition, the contestants drew lots to determine the order in which they would perform. Casale drew No. 36 out of 37. “It was nerve-racking because you had to wait longer,” she said.

The four finalists performed in the university’s Musical Arts Center, which she said has a stage about as wide as that of the Metropolitan Opera The 3,000-seat Musical Arts Center was filled to capacity with harp enthusiasts.

A jury of nine unanimously selected Casale as the champion. In fact, she had placed first in every round of the competition. (Contestants were graded on a point system and scores were tabulated by Price Waterhouse.) In addition to searching for a talented performer, the judges were also looking for someone with stage presence. Casale said: “It was like acting. It was more than just playing.”

The Lyon and Healy Century harp that Casale won will not be ready for at least eight months, she said. It is a one-of-a-kind instrument commemorating the company’s 100th anniversary and the first USA International Harp Competition.

Once Casale receives her prize, it will be christened “George,” after a harp enthusiast who helped move the musicians’ harps during the competition. “George kept telling me, ‘I’m laying my money on you winning.’ So I told him, ‘If I win, I’ll name it after you,’ ”

Casale said she has always named her harps. “You spend a lot of time with your instruments, so why not? Some people name their cars. I name my harps.”

Born in Santa Monica, Casale moved with her family to Oregon when she was a toddler. It was there that she started taking harp lessons at Marylhurst College. Throughout her childhood, Casale had the opportunity to play music with other members of her family

After high school, she attended the Juilliard School of Music, where she studied with McDonald--and met her future husband, Christopher Hanulik, a co-principal string bass player with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Although they have only been married two years, Casale says she is not bothered by the fact that she will be doing a lot of traveling in the upcoming months. “He knows how much this means to me, and he’s very happy for me,” Casale said of her husband. “We both understand what it means to be a working musician. It’s not like having a 9-to-5 job.”

Casale’s musical talents have taken her to a variety of places, including Munich, where she was a semifinalist in a 1983 harp competition, and Israel, where she was a finalist in a 1985 contest.

In Europe, harp music is very important, she said. “In the U.S., sports take over. This competition is like the Olympics of music. It’s something that should continue.”