Art Hounds: Harp harmonies, Hildegard and heartfelt quartet

Art Hounds: Harp harmonies, Hildegard and heartfelt quartet

From Art Hounds by Minnesota Public Radio

February 26, 2026 · 4 min

About this episode

The episode features recommendations from members of the Minnesota arts community, focusing on harp music and upcoming performances.

From MPR News, Art Hounds are members of the Minnesota arts community who look beyond their own work to highlight what’s exciting in local art. Their recommendations are lightly edited from the audio heard in the player above. Want to be an Art Hound? Submit here . Harp takes center stage Kathy Kienzle is a retired principal harp of the Minnesota Orchestra. She’s looking forward to the upcoming Bakken Ensemble performance where the harp gets to shine. This season Bakken Ensemble celebrates 30 years . The performance is 4 p.m. Sunday, March 1, at Westminster Hall in Minneapolis. Cheryl Losey Feder is the guest harpist, and Kienzle says this is a wonderful chance to hear her perform chamber music up-close, rather than with the full Minnesota Orchestra. Kathy is particularly looking forward to hearin g André Caplet’s “ Conte Fantastique,” which she calls “extremely difficult and very, very fun to hear.” Kathy says : One of the reasons I really love this piece is people think of the heart as a very beautiful, soothing, pretty instrument. And this piece really looks at the dark side of the harp. It's based on a story by Edgar Allan Poe called “The Masque of the Red Death,” about a…

People in this episode

Guest: Kathy Kienzle

Topics covered

  • harp music
  • local arts
  • chamber music
  • performance recommendations
  • Minnesota arts community

Keywords

  • harp
  • Bakken Ensemble
  • Minnesota Orchestra
  • chamber music
  • Kathy Kienzle

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Minnesota Orchestra, Bakken Ensemble

Books & works: Conte Fantastique, The Masque of the Red Death

Places: Minneapolis

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