The Harpsichordist
As a soloist in the mid 1970s, Ms. Larsen was a member of Arnold Grayson’s Early Music Consort in Miami, Florida, and taught and performed at the Miami Dade Community College and at the University of Miami. She performed the inaugural concert on the 1619 Giovanni Boni harpsichord at the Vizcaya Museum in Miami (restored by harpsichord builder and historian Frank Hubbard). Her studies included several summers at the Aspen Music Festival. While in Iowa, she taught harpsichord at Cornell College in Mount Vernon and initiated the "Music in the Museum" program at the University of Iowa Art Museum. She was also selected for an Artist in Education program through the Iowa Arts Council.
In Cincinnati, Ms. Larsen performed regularly with the Arion Consort, a group that traveled throughout the Midwest under the roster of the Ohio Arts Council. The group won the National Flute Association Ensemble contest in 1985, competed in Artists Guild International competitions, created a crossover classical album with a jazz whistler Ron McCroby, and for six years gave concerts at the Cincinnati Art Museum as their Ensemble in Residence.
She has given harpsichord workshops in Florida, Iowa, and Ohio. Locally she played continuo with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra in the mid 1990s and was on the faculty of the Musical Arts Center in Obryonville for over 20 years.
COMMENTS FROM PROFESSIONALS WHO REVIEWED THESE PROGRAMS
“It has been such a pleasure to listen to the recording and to read through the script. I like how you emphasize the expressive qualities of the instrument. I was immediately drawn in and you included a fantastic variety of pieces. I think that your script will be relevant to a wide audience, not just for harpsichord beginners. I’m amazed at how much information you covered. I definitely learned some new things!”
“I’ve read your program notes and listened to the CD and am very impressed with both. Your writing is engaging and serves as an excellent introduction to the instruments and the national styles. Your playing is very fine—technically top-notch, but also musical and convincing.”