Andrea Brook's gigantic harp has played around the world, including India, Mexico, Bulgaria, Canada, Brazil and all around the U.S. This weekend, she brings the massive instrument to uptown Charlotte's First Ward Park.
The long-string harp, which Brook has named "Sonic Butterfly," has long brass strings that must extend at a minimum 60 feet in length. In Charlotte, the strings extend from a pair of butterfly wings on a pop-up stage to a mechanical lift about 100 feet away in the center of the park.
Brook designed and created the instrument in 2013 and named it the "Sonic Butterfly" because she found it to be an "instrument of transformation." Rather than pluck the strings, she plays the harp by running her fingers along each string.
"The whole experience of playing the harp is a dance in and of itself," she said.
See the harp in a Friday night performance
The harp will feature heavily in an abbreviated 70-minute performance Friday night of an opera titled "Nightingale and the Tower."
The two-act opera was written by Rebecca Comerford of Ojai, California. It tells the story of a young boy named Teo who likes to play outside in a dystopian future where that's no longer allowed.
Comerford wrote the opera specifically with the "Sonic Butterfly" in mind.
"It has an element in the overtone and the harmonics of the instrument that feels both new and ancient," she said.
A mother of two, Comerford said she began writing the piece six years ago as she wrestled with her children's use of technology as they were growing older.
"As a mom, I’m seeing that my kids are also in this place where there’s social media, there’s screens, there’s so many things that are kind of either an impediment, or can unlock creativity," she said.
The opera similarly wrestles with that question, she said. "How do we navigate those things, and find a balance between technology and our ability to maintain our humanity?"
Charlotte performers included
The 8:30 p.m. performance Friday will feature a cast of singers and musicians from the Charlotte area and from UNC Charlotte's Opera Workshop.
"This is really not just representing our wonderful guest artists, but the city of Charlotte," said Jessica Lindsey, director of the Digital Arts Center for the UNC College of Arts and Architecture, which is presenting Friday's performance.
A key set piece — the tower — was also constructed by students and faculty with UNC Charlotte, Lindsey said, and the projections on the harp's butterfly wings were designed by a UNC faculty member. A trio of musicians with Davidson College will also accompany the harp Friday night.
Friday's performance is free for the public, and it a part of the 17-day annual Charlotte SHOUT! arts and culture festival. The festival is presented by Charlotte Center City Partners, which is a WFAE underwriter.
