Today we’d like to introduce you to Alix Raspé Gray.
Hi Alix, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I dreamt of being a harpist since I was a little girl. At 5 years old, I told my parents I wanted to play the harp. At the time, I was taking piano lessons but only had an interest in lifting the lid of our grand piano and plucking the strings inside. In addition, I was obsessed with the movie The Aristocats, that features a beautiful harp solo at the end of the movie, played by Duchess, mother to the kittens. After 3 more years of piano, my parents finally obliged, and I began harp lessons… and the rest is history!
I started harp lessons with harpist Ruth Berman Harris through my childhood, then was a student of Dr. June Han at Juilliard Pre-College right until college. I then attended New York University, where I studied Harp Performance with Bridget Kibbey (native of Findlay, OH). After graduating from NYU, I then attended New England Conservatory for my Masters of Music, where I studied with Jessica Zhou.
My harp career has led me around the world to performance opportunities on live television (The Late Late Show with James Corden, Live with Kelly and Ryan), movie/tv soundtracks (Reservation Road, RuPaul’s Drag Races Season 5), as well as with artists such as Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bolton, Roger Daltry, MAX as well as orchestral performances with the Boston Symphony, Columbus Symphony, Lima Symphony and more. I have been featured on WOSU Classical and WGTE.
My career is quite versatile and spread throughout the country. I currently am the harp instructor at Phillips Academy Andover in Andover, MA, Associate Harpist of Columbus Symphony, Principal Harpist of Lima Symphony (both in OH), and a substitute harpist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
My music career also feeds my entrepreneurial spirit of making music accessible and available to all audiences. I have always had an interest in helping build and develop communities through music. While at New England Conservatory (NEC), I was the recipient of two Individual Solo Fellowships, an Ensemble Fellowship for NEC’s Community Performances and Partnerships, and two Entrepreneurial Musicianship grants. Shortly after graduating NEC, I co-founded and co-directed the Dorset Chamber Music Residency, a community-driven classical chamber music festival, which had its inaugural summer June 2017. In 2018, I served as Development Director of Caroga Arts Collective, and 2019-2021, I served as Marketing and Development Director for The Chamber Music Connection, located in Worthington, OH.
As a side passion, I have a 500-hr Yoga Alliance teaching certificate, where I teach at New Hampshire Power Yoga, Yoga for All Musicians, and Phillips Academy Andover, along with private yoga/meditation classes and leading workshops (Phillips Academy Andover, Yoga for All Musicians, The Chamber Music Connection, The CORE Foundations Bootcamp, and Balancing Owl Yoga). My love for these mindfulness tools has seeped into my teachings with students, and we often begin lessons with a short meditation and shoulder-opening mini-yoga flow before we dive into our music.
My family makes this crazy schedule all possible—and I am so grateful for the love and support of my dear husband, Erik Gray, MFT, and our two mini-Australian Shepherds, Ollie and Indie.
Feel free to read more about me in my bio: www.alixraspe.com
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The competition that is part of being a musician is often compared to that of being an athlete. We train for hours and hours, and our life is our craft. The difference and the challenge of being a musician is that in the professional level in winning orchestra positions, being the musician selected, or winning a competition, it is very subjective. We don’t have a “scoreboard,” and the level is high that judging the winner and loser isn’t so simple. At lower levels early on, it comes down to perfect notes and techniques, but at the professional level, we are all playing the right notes. It comes down to subjective and stylistic choices. That can be a real struggle in being a musician; you may play perfectly but not be selected.
As well, being a musician is not a linear career path. It is not for the faint of heart. You have to have stay creative and network to further performance opportunities, have lots of grit, optimism, and most importantly believe in yourself. The performance anxiety that goes along with being an artist is a muscle that you must continue to strengthen throughout your career—and always remind yourself how much you love music and how far you have come.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I believe what sets me apart is my versatility as a musician, musical entrepreneur, and mindfulness instructor. Truly— I always find a place for the harp and strive to make the harp accessible to all settings and audiences—and I think my entrepreneurial, creative spirit is what sets me apart from other harpists.
As well, I seek to eliminate the encouragement of competition and anxiety in the music field to the developing young artist and to combat their performance anxiety with mindfulness exercises, breathwork, meditation, and yoga.
What I truly love about being a musician and harpist is the versatility. You can be a soloist, a teacher, an orchestral harpists, a wedding/gigging harpist, jazz harpist, pop harpist…etc. I love that the harp is my canvas to truly be curious and creative. I feel blessed that my career is always growing, changing, and developing with me.
Some of the performances I am most proud of are on my live television performances with MAX on The Late Late Show with James Corden and LIVE with Kelly and Ryan. Those performances were nerve-wracking as they were live, but an incredible rush. I am proud of the musicianship of those performances and the intimate experience we gave the audience even in a live television setting.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
In terms of networking, what has worked for me is always being willing to say yes and expand boundaries when necessary. Even sometimes, if a job seems small, it can not only make the biggest difference to the audience but can lead to incredible performance opportunities later on in your career. I always encourage my students to be mindful of when they are resistant or anxious to a performance opportunity and instead jump in (trust the breathing and meditative skills we have worked on in lessons if there is any performance anxiety involved) and see where it leads!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.alixraspe.com
- Instagram: @followyourharp
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alix.raspe/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alixraspe/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bzdyk7Dxos
Image Credits
Kelly
Ryan
James Corden
Andy Duback
Duback Photography
