Composer's Note: The Aria Lyra is composed in three movements for amplified harp and orchestra. The music was inspired by my grandmother Aimee Auzerais Lennon who was an amateur harpist in the San Francisco Bay Area at the turn of 20th century. From about 1907 – 1909, she lived in Berlin, Germany and studied with one of the harpists who performed with the Berlin State Opera, possibly with Alfred Kastner who also taught students. Aimee died when I was very young. I never had the chance to hear her perform. I recall her harp standing in my grandparents’ parlor in their home on Jackson Street in San Francico. The harp was there the day of her funeral. It left an impression with me. I have scored the harp in a number of compositions I’ve written but this work is the first for a concerto. The Aria Lyra was completed in December of 2025.
