Juno Lin works her magic on the harps & harpists of FNQHC.

Juno Lin repairing Natalia Mann’s harp. Photo: Naomi Jean.

Photo contributors: Joy Zahner, Natalia Mann, Katherine Knott, Naomi Jean.

Our Sunday morning workshop with the wonderful Juno Lin on the 7th of August 2022 was a huge success!

Juno shared her considerable expertise with 9 FNQHC members (7 in the room, 2 online) during a 3-hour session that was full of revelations for everyone present.

As a certified technician for Lyon and Healey and Salvi harps, Juno travels in Australia and internationally, bringing out the best in premium harps wherever she goes.

Juno began by introducing herself and telling us a little about her musical studies and the technical training she undertook in Australia, Taiwan, America and Italy.

Illuminating many aspects of harp repair that as harpists we can take care of ourselves, Juno shared tips and insider knowledge on how to clean, maintain and even change parts without damaging the instrument (or ourselves!). Her pragmatic demonstrations on the models of Lever and Pedal harps available helped to instill confidence in approaching some of the more complex issues we may encounter.

She proceeded to take apart various mechanisms — levers, pedals, removed the base to show us the pedal action and how the rods go up the column of the pedal harp (incredible!)— to help us better understand the mechanics behind the music; going step-by step through how to best care for every element and clarifying with examples exactly why each detail is important.

Subjects covered included: string replacement variations, locating and silencing buzzes, fine tuning, lever regulation, various tools of the trade, felt replacement, pressure issues and how to alleviate them, as well as showing us some of the different methods used by the world’s most prominent harp makers for construction and care, and a fascinating tour of the inner workings of a Pedal harp.

7 pedal and lever harps were serviced with great care and professionalism in the 2 days before the workshop, and we got to hear the results and witness final adjustments getting made.

At Juno’s wonderful workshop the harpists of FNQHC received a boost in skills and sonics and the atmosphere was inspiring. It was the first time I had met most of the community in person and it was a real pleasure to attend such a positive event.

We all extend a huge thank you to Anita for hosting us in her beautiful home.

Naomi Jean