At Tanglewood on July 15, as part of the venue's 'Summer Sundays' program, Franziska Huhn showed everyone how she plays the harp. Photo: David Noel Edwards

‘Summer Sundays’ at Tanglewood include instrument demonstrations, lectures, performances

Franziska Huhn's harp demonstration was one of several "Summer Sundays" events taking place in various locations on the Tanglewood grounds this summer continuing through the end of August.

Lenox — Who does the Boston Symphony Orchestra call when they need a harpist to demonstrate their instrument on the Tanglewood grounds at a time when BSO principal harpist Jessica Zhou is unavailable?

Why not engage a musician who (1) has performed with the BSO and several other orchestras; (2) holds faculty positions at New England Conservatory, Boston University and other top schools; (3) has given solo recitals in the United States, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Turkey, Georgia, Russia, Syria, Pakistan and Germany; and (4) is really good with kids?

Boston Symphony Orchestra violist Rebekah Edewards chats with an aspiring young musician at Tanglewood on July 8 as part of the ‘Summer Sundays’ program. Photo: David Noel Edwards

If you’re thinking, “Fat chance! Don’t hold your breath!”, then you understand how improbable fulfillment of such a wish actually is. Yet there actually is someone who satisfies all these requirements. Her name is Franziska Huhn, and when she demonstrates her instrument, music comes out that you didn’t know was even possible from a harp, as well as sounds you knew were possible but couldn’t guess how they were made. (Hint: Much of the harp’s magic is in its pedals, which most of us have seen but don’t actually understand.) To everyone’s amazed delight, Ms. Huhn showed exactly how she produces these sounds. Even wiggly toddlers sat transfixed at her feet.

Franziska Huhn’s harp demonstration was one of several “Summer Sundays” events taking place in various locations on the Tanglewood grounds this summer. On July 8, BSO violist Rebekah Edewards demonstrated her instrument in Chamber Music Hall, and on July 22 at the same venue, the BSO’s Cynthia Meyers, Suzanne Nelsen and Rachel Childers demonstrated their instruments: flute, bassoon and French horn.

The BSO’s “Summer Sundays” offerings continue through the end of August with these guests:

July 29: Students from the Boston University Tanglewood Institute
August 5: Bonnie Bewick, fiddle; Lawrence Wolfe, bass
August 12: Tanglewood Music Center Fellows
August 19: Instrument demonstration
August 26: Instrument demonstration

The Boston Symphony Orchestra’s Cynthia Meyers, Suzanne Nelsen and Rachel Childers demonstrate the flute, bassoon and French horn July 22 as part of Tanglewood’s ‘Summer Sundays’ program. Photo: David Noel Edwards

In addition, the following adult-focused Sunday offerings include lectures, performances and musical demonstrations that take place in the Theatre from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.:

July 29: “The Art of Film Scoring,” a lecture by David Newman, movie composer and conductor of July 28’s live-to-picture performance of “West Side Story”
August 5: Piano master class with Kirill Gerstein
August 12: Harp demonstration with Tanglewood Music Center fellows
August 19: Performance by the Tanglewood Music Center Vocal Ensemble
August 26: “Bernstein and Tanglewood,” a talk by BSO archivist Bridget Carr