đź“… Date: Friday, October 30, 2026
đź•’ Start Time: 4:00 PM
đź“Ť Location: Harkness Chapel, Classroom
đź‘Ą Who: Free | Open to the public
About The Series
Our weekly Friday colloquia showcase current research by distinguished visiting scholars alongside our own faculty and graduate students in musicology, historical performance practice, and music education. A brief reception follows each talk to keep the conversation going. All are welcome!
About The Talk
This talk will feature two presentations by two CWRU PhD candidates.
“Supernatural Schooling: How the Harp Got Its Technique” | Ina McCormack
“The man is a wizard, and his harp is a siren … breathing forth the fascinating sounds of another world.” So declared the Mémoires of Hector Berlioz regarding the harp virtuoso Elias Parish-Alvars. This evocative characterization of both the harp and its performer as being supernatural echoed a host of similar analogies circulating throughout the nineteenth century; indeed, the formation of a predominantly French harp tradition coincided with the instrument’s solidification as a purveyor of otherworldly resonances. Harp parts written for orchestral and solo settings were typically conceived as “special effects” that signified Ossianic, celestial, fantastique, or féerique phenomena. Their idiosyncratic vocabularies expanded across the century, eventually embracing harmonics, rolled chords, trills, and gossamer arpeggiation.
Not only was the harp typecast, but, as I argue in this paper, its “marked” sonorities emerged as synonymous with its core technique. In essence, supernatural effects defined and shaped harp performance in extraordinary and pervasive ways. Such effects provided a foundation for formal pedagogies, from the seminal Nouvelle méthode of Stéphanie-Félicité de Genlis (1802), which declared the harp an instrument “of angels,” through key treatises and concert solos by François-Joseph Naderman (1825), Nicolas-Charles Bochsa (1832), Elias Parish-Alvars (ca. 1830s, unpublished), and Félix Godefroid (1891)—all of whom located otherworldly effects at the center of professional harp technique and organological discourse. This practice reached its zenith with Henriette Renié, a composer-pedagogue whose solo Légende (1901) and comprehensive Méthode complète (1946) reinforced the relationship between harp virtuosity and supernatural evocation, thereby clinching the instrument’s illustrious status.
“Musicology in the Archive” | Katie Sucha
TBD
About The Speakers
Ina McCormack, a harpist and musicologist, is an active orchestral and chamber musician based in Northeast Ohio who seeks to integrate interdisciplinary scholarship into her renderings of the classical and contemporary repertoire. She currently serves as Principal Harpist of the CityMusic Cleveland Chamber Orchestra.
A dedicated new music supporter, Ina performed the live premiere of Philip Maneval’s The Demise of the Shepard Glacier as part of the “Five Minutes for Earth” Project. She has participated on numerous recordings for the Oberlin Music Label as a member of their Contemporary Music Ensemble, and she can be heard on the world-premiere recording of Frammenti dalle lettere di Santa Caterina as part of the Akron Symphony’s Julia Perry Project. Local performance highlights include opening the “Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy” program at Blossom Music Center, presenting the world-premiere of Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate’s Ko’koom’fena with CityMusic Cleveland, and accompanying the Cleveland Chamber Choir and The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus on Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols.
Ina holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with Yolanda Kondonassis. As the first harpist admitted into the CIM Doctor of Musical Arts program, Ina presented a lecture recital entitled “Sounding Fantastique: Hearing Sonic Fantasy Through the Fin-de-siècle French Harp,” upon which she was awarded the Joycelyn Chang & Michael Leese Award for exceptional performance creativity. Other notable honors include the Alice Chalifoux Prize in Harp (CIM) and the James H. Hall Prize in Music History (Oberlin). As an alumnus of Interlochen Arts Academy, Ina graduated with honors and the Fine Arts Award in Harp.
In addition to her performance endeavors, Ina is a PhD Musicology candidate at Case Western Reserve University. Her forthcoming dissertation will research harps, supernaturalism, and timbral transformation.
Katie Sucha is a doctoral candidate in Historical Musicology at Case Western Reserve University and the program manager of the University of Michigan Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments. Her research explores issues of voice and embodiment in early modern convent music. Katie has performed nationally and internationally as both an ensemble singer and a soloist. She sings with Vox Lusciniae and Red Shift, and has sung with Quire Cleveland, Cleveland Chamber Choir, and Choral Artists of Michigan. She is a staff singer at Christ Church Grosse Pointe and sings regularly at Christ Church Cranbrook. Katie has presented her work in historical music at the Early Music America summit, the American Musicological Society annual meeting, and the Major Orchestra Librarians Association conference. When she doesn’t have her nose stuck in a book, Katie can be found throwing lopsided pottery and knitting structurally questionable garments.
Venue Information
Harkness Classroom, located inside Harkness Chapel, serves as both a lecture hall for large classes and a backstage area during events. It is also the meeting location for the CWRU Music Colloquium Series.
Health + Safety
The health and well-being of our community is important to us as we gather for campus events. University Health and Counseling Services provides up-to-date guidance and resources to help support a safe campus experience. For life-threatening emergencies, please call CWRU Public Safety immediately at 216.368.3333.