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Tabitha Reist
Hatteberg's People
Reporter: Larry Hatteberg
February 15, 2004--Most of us don’t think about harps. We associate those with angels and other ethereal moments, but Kansas Tabitha Reist has made this unusual instrument her life and critics are taking notice.
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“Hi, this is Tabitha from the Wichita Grand Opera, how are you?”
Tabatha Reist works for the Wichita Grand Opera. She is assistant to Parvin Barcardif, the man who makes the Opera happen. |
“I’m learning a lot and I feel very fortunate to be working in the arts. Especially in music.”
But she is so much more.
“So much of my day is spent in the office and the last thing I want to do is work some more.”
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Tabitha, is also principal harpist for the Opera and on her own, is making a name for herself with her music.
“The harp for me comes very naturally. I think the harp chose me more than I chose the harp as an instrument. The love for the instrument comes naturally.”
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“It’s neat how the string just fits into a groove on your finger. It’s just a great feeling.”
Tabitha has been practicing with the Harp since she was 8. This is her Masters Recital at at the conclusion of her Master of Music degree at the
Peabody Conservatory at Johns Hopkins University.
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“Playing the harp for me means joy. I started harp on my eighth birthday and at the time I thought what a horrible way to spend my birthday. In the meantime, it has grown into the biggest blessing that has been in my life.”
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Since then, this quietly talented young woman has performed with the Dayton Symphony and the Kansas City Philharmonic where a reviewer for the Kansas City Star called her performance some of the most precise and beautifully inflected harp playing he had heard in years.
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“It feels good to have someone write something great about you. You never play as good in public as you do at home by yourself and you think to yourself…if only he had heard me play at home by myself, what would he have said then?”
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Now, working with the Wichita Grand Opera, Tabitha feels fortunate to have a job in the arts – and fortunate to be in Wichita.
“I’m very grateful for it and I’m very lucky to be a part of it. It’s exciting growing opera in Kansas. I was born and raised in Kansas and I feel very lucky to be doing music in my home state.” |
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