Curtis Institute of Music harpist explores Cuban heritage through Latin American music

As Hispanic Heritage Month continues, one musician at Philadelphia's Curtis Institute of Music is challenging expectations about classical music and the harp.

Isabel Cárdenes, a master's student at Curtis, is using her instrument to explore her Cuban heritage while expanding the possibilities of the harp in classical music.

"I often hear this phrase, 'classical music is dead,'" Cárdenes said. "And it hurts me to hear that. I couldn't disagree more."

Cárdenes is working on a major project: the premiere of a newly commissioned harp concerto by Venezuelan-born composer Ricardo Lorenz. She hopes to perform the piece sometime next semester.

"This is a very special piece to me because it was a gift from my father for my undergraduate graduation from Manhattan School of Music," Cárdenes said.

The approximately 20-minute concerto draws on Venezuelan folk harp traditions and features a solo harp accompanied by a chamber orchestra. Cárdenes described the three-movement work as "driving, ferocious and beautiful."

For Cárdenes, the performance is also an opportunity to connect with her family's roots.

"I come from Cuban heritage," she said. "My father was born in Havana. This concerto was a really great opportunity for me to discover my heritage through my instrument."

The harp is not traditionally associated with Latin American music in the classical setting. Cárdenes said she has had limited opportunities to perform works from the region because relatively little repertoire has been written for the instrument.

The concerto gives her a chance to explore techniques and sounds that audiences may not typically associate with the harp.

"I'm pushing the boundaries of classical music and the stereotypes of the harp with this concerto in that we're exploring all that the instrument has to offer, what has not been represented in the past," she said.

Her interest in Latin American classical music also has a personal connection. Her father, violinist Andrés Cárdenes, premiered works by Latin American composers and sought to bring greater attention to their music in the classical setting.

"So I feel that he's passed on this responsibility and this opportunity to me," she said. "I hope this inspires not just other harpists, but also just other musicians in general to collaborate with each other and see what's possible."