Trine student to share unique talent

Harpist to play classical, contemporary pieces

 

ANGOLA — A Trine University sophomore will give a one-of-a-kind performance Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. in the University Center’s Fabiani Theatre.

Hannah Alley of Angola will play music ranging from pop and contemporary to Baroque and classic masterpieces on her orchestral harp as part of her endeavor to earn a diploma from the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in London. Alley is an education major and music minor at Trine. Her dream is to teach others to play music and to be a stay-at-home wife and mother.

Alley, the daughter of Dr. Jonathan and Michelle Alley of Angola, has been taking harp lessons since she was 11 years old. She wanted to play the bagpipes, but her mother suggested the harp as an alternative. Local instructors, however, were hard to come by. For a while, she took lessons from Auburn instructor Mary Beth Rexroth, who belonged to the Harp School Inc., an international institution dedicated to teaching U.S. and Canadian students to play the harp.

“I progressed very quickly,” said Alley, who explained that her years of piano lessons helped her excel. Throughout her teenage years she continued to take lessons with instructors who met her throughout Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan. Currently, she takes lessons with Amy Ley at Hillsdale College.

Trine music instructor Mark Kays believes Alley could have gone to a top music school and succeeded.

“She has such talent, and she chose to stay here. Trine is lucky to have her,” Kays said. The school currently does not offer a music major, but is hoping to increase program offerings after the renovation of the T. Furth Center for Performing Arts.

“Trine has been so good to me,” Alley said. “Professors have been flexible, and they have really gone out of their way to help me pursue my dreams in music. They have made my first concert possible.”

“Musicians often have different goals. Some want to perform while others want to teach,” Kays said. “She excelled in Trine’s Middle College program and now hopes to earn a degree and stay in the area.”