Josh Layne has been playing the harp for over a decade. He was homeschooled by his mom, Marty Layne (see her interview). Now in his early twenties, Layne has become totally devoted to this instrument. Why? "Some people are addicted to chocolate, I'm addicted to harp playing!" he reveals. This attitude allowed Layne to reach for the stars, considering some major setbacks.

Luckily, gifted Layne has chosen something he loves unconditionally. A professional musician, Layne has never tired of playing solo performances. In this exclusive interview with the talented musician, he’ll reveal the secret to musical success. He’ll share his life experiences, and what inspires him to play everyday. Bravo!

Joanne:
How did you get started?

Josh:
I first became interested in learning to play the harp after listening to some cassettes of Celtic music which featured the harp. (Pam and Phillip Boulding and Magical Strings). I was thirteen years old at the time and hadn't studied music before.

My family and I were lucky enough to find a secondhand Celtic harp, as well as a fabulous harp teacher, Kathryn Ely, here in Victoria, BC (Canada). I still study with Kathryn. I started learning the harp and I loved it! Two years later, when I was fifteen, Kathryn told me I was ready for a pedal harp. Since the cost of a pedal harp starts at $14,000+ this was quite a big a step! Fortunately we were able to get a bank loan and with the help of some friends we purchased a harp. That same year I joined the Musicians Union and started playing "gigs" - concerts at nursing homes, background music for conventions and restaurants.

It all helped! Soon I was making enough to pay for the monthly loan installment. As well as paying for my harp all this performing was great experience. I think a major part of becoming a good performer is simply performing frequently. The more one is out there in front of people the less scary it becomes. My casual gigs have helped me become very comfortable on stage. In 1994 (when I was 17) I gave my first full length recital - starting my solo recital career!

Joanne:
What inspires you to play the harp every day?

Josh:
Some people are addicted to chocolate, I'm addicted to harp playing! When (for whatever reason) I can't play the harp, I find myself getting very edgy! A professional classical musician needs to devote time to their instrument every day - it's tough to get anywhere with sporadic practice. This is especially true for the harp. The harp is a very difficult instrument to play. Recital/concert level pieces require a lot of time and preparation. I'm always working on new music for solo programs. I sometimes start working on a new piece 8+ months before I plan to perform it! I enjoy the lengthy preparation as it gives me time to fully think through a piece of music before I perform it.

Joanne:
What are your plans for the future?

Josh:
I plan to continue giving solo concerts - just more of them! Last spring I made my concert "debut" in the States with concerts for the Redding (CA) and Eugene (OR) chapters of the American Harp Society. This coming February/March, I'll be heading down to the States again to do a two week tour of some of the other American Harp Society Chapters. My second CD, An Afternoon of Harp Music continues to do well at Amazon.com and I have a couple more CD projects in the works.

The first is a Christmas CD with my brother, Robin Layne, which will be mainly harp and marimba duets of familiar Christmas songs. We plan to record it over the Christmas season this year. I also plan to make another solo harp recording featuring some of the music I'm working on right now, including some of my own transcriptions/arrangements.

Joanne:
Who are your favorite composer and musician?

Josh:
I don't have a favorite composer/musician; there are too many choices! Some composers I enjoy are J.S. Bach, Dvorak, Mahler, Smetana, Richard Strauss, Tchaikovsky, the early 20th century French composers who wrote for harp, and others. However, when I'm listening to music I tend to be more focused on the performer/s and their phrasing/interpretation than the actual music being performed. In other words - a great performance makes any piece of music worthwhile! Pianist William Kapell and soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf are two musicians whose music inspires me.