DALLAS (KDAF) — Harpist Cindy Horstman has been redefining her instrument for over four decades. Classically trained but jazz at heart, Horstman founded the Dallas Jazz Ensemble and has recorded with blues legends — she joined us in studio at Stage33 to share more about her music and how she became interested in the harp.
“I was a music major at UT Austin,” Horstman said. “And in one of the practice rooms, there was a harp, so I just fiddled around with it to figure out how it worked. Luckily, I knew the harp teacher at UT, so I went ahead and approached her and said, ‘Can I try it?’ The minute I started playing it, I just fell in love with the instrument, and I haven’t stopped since.”
Horstman was classically trained at first, to learn the technique, but once she got out of school she started dabbling in jazz — and she also started writing her own music on the harp.
“Through the years, I decided I really needed to continue this legacy by writing the music down, writing arrangements, and offering it out to the world.”
