Joanne Meis – Ontario / Alberta
harp player . composer . teacher
Reflections of Joanne Meis (1944-2023)
Joanne Meis (ARCT) was an outstanding Canadian harpist and educator. She began playing the pedal harp in 1975, while living in Vancouver. After moving to Ottawa, she discovered the celtic roots of Ottawa Valley music and proceeded to educate herself in this style of playing. Subsequently, she collected all types and sizes of harps including a clàrsach, and a pneumatic harp which was specially designed for her.
Joanne’s in-depth research into the historical, cultural and performance aspects of the various harp repertoire she played was reflected in her engaging and inspiring performances. She also played with several ensembles including Flood Road Philharmonic, the Ottawa Ceili Band and the Ottawa Flute & Harp duo, with whom she recorded two albums. In addition to her recordings with the duo, Joanne can be heard on other albums including Celtic Spirit (Oasis) and Sunset over the Cordilleras (West Park Music).
An avid and well loved educator, Joanne conducted harp ensembles in many locations across Canada including Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary, and is responsible for the creation of a strong harp community in Ottawa, one which continues to thrive today.
Above all, Joanne made a profound musical impact on everyone she interacted with; audiences, students and colleagues, through playing and sharing her love for the endless beauty found in playing the harp.
“When my three kids were old enough to walk home from school by themselves, thereby freeing up some of my day, I called the Ottawa Folklore Centre and asked if they rented harps and if they offered harp lessons. The answer was yes and yes.
That’s how I met Joanne Meis: a radiantly smiling, welcoming, enthusiastic, positive, generous, motivating, non-judging person who was about to open a world of wonder to me as an adult harp student.
Joanne was a perfect fit as a teacher. Her method was to entice me with beauty. She would play pieces that so captivated my ears I wanted to learn them immediately. Once she caught me in her web of enchantment, she then worked in musical theory and fingering technique along the path of learning. My weekly lessons were infused with a little jocularity, a little musical history, a little technique, and the delight of making progress on the most magical of instruments. I had the calluses on my fingertips to prove I was practicing. Joanne checked!
An example of Joanne’s lighthearted humour was evidenced on a hand-written score she wrote for me of a traditional Irish piece. At the top of the page was the tempo marking “Mucho rubato, many schmaltzos”.
Joanne was a harp teacher and so much more. We connected on a multitude of levels as adults, as women, as observers of humanity. Although I was a mere novice as a musician, we had other things in common. We were both nature lovers and bird-brains. I was very fond of Charlie the canary, and Barney, her neurotic feather-plucking parrot whose favourite perch was the top of her pedal harp. In other areas, Joanne encouraged me to organize house concerts and local events, showing me how to create media contacts and press releases. Even at an early stage, I was nudged into accepting the challenge of performing at a local radio show, at a storytellers’ concert, and at other gigs.
Joanne’s resumé said that she was a talented visual artist and also a flutist, and so she was. But the Ottawa Harp Choir was Joanne’s most cherished pursuit. She courageously assembled ten adult harp players of varying skill levels and planted repertoire, including her own compositions, on our music stands. Week after week we placed our fingers and plucked our collective harp strings until, by some miracle, something emerged that was no longer ‘notey’ but rather harmonious, rhythmic and mellifluous!
Joanne was a mountain girl at heart, and eventually the Rockies summoned her home to the West. There she would do it all over again, getting involved in the musical community in Calgary and starting up another Harp Choir.
Ottawa harpists bid her a fond farewell, all of us dressed in denim jeans and cowboy hats. We presented her with a wreath woven of broken harp strings, a metaphor for the broken hearts she was leaving behind. Obviously, Joanne was well loved.“
– Susan Sweeney Hermon. Susan half of the harp duo Acacia Lyra. She and her duo partner Janine Dudding have produced four albums of original, contemporary and traditional material. acacialyra.bandcamp.com
Harp, Oh Canada 