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PLUMSTED: Opportunity at his fingertips

Harpist earns full scholarship to Curtis Institute of Music

By Jennifer Bradley, Staff Writer
   PLUMSTED — The next stop for recent New Egypt High School graduate Gian Torrano-Jacobs is the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he will pursue a bachelor of music degree in harp performance.
   According to the principal of New Egypt High School Tom Farrell, the Curtis Institute accepts roughly 20 to 25 musicians a year and it is often considered the Harvard for students looking toward a career in music.
   ”I was speechless when I got the call accepting me into Curtis,” said 17-year-old Gian. “So many legends have come out of there and it’s always been my goal.”
   Gian said he even wrote a paper in middle school about how he wanted to attend the Curtis Institute of Music some day.
   ”When Gian was accepted (to Curtis) I was thrilled for him and amazed,” said Gian’s mother, Laura Torrano-Jacobs.
   Gian’s brother, Carlos Torrano-Jacobs, 19, was just as excited for him.
   ”I was extremely glad for Gian because he worked hard and he definitely deserves it,” Mr. Torrano-Jacobs said. “I’m proud of him, but it doesn’t surprise me one bit that he was accepted.”
   Gian will be attending Curtis at no cost because of a scholarship of nearly $146,000, according to Mr. Farrell.
   Gian said he would be studying under Elizabeth Hainen at Curtis. Ms. Hainen is a harpist for the Philadelphia Orchestra and has been Gian’s idol for many years.
   In order to be accepted into the Curtis Institute, Gian said he had to audition. During the audition, Gian said he had to play his typical warm-up along with scales and arpeggios, three solo harp pieces that he memorized and excerpts from orchestral music. He was also interviewed.
   ”I practiced and refined my pieces until they were as perfect as they could be,” he said. Gian said that students waiting to audition for Curtis sat in silence, while at other schools people socialized before auditions.
   ”The auditions at Curtis were a lot more formal than my others because it is a very intense conservatory,” he said.
   Gian thought several factors went into determining who will attend a conservatory, but musicality and technique seemed most important to him.
   Gian said he started to pursue harp playing when he was 10 years old. He started off with a smaller version of the harp called the folk harp, and moved to playing the concert grand harp three years ago.
   According to Gian, he became interested in the harp when he visited a friend’s house when he was a kid. His friend’s mother had a harp in the house, and Gian became entranced by it and decided to pursue playing.
   ”There are so many great things about harp playing,” said Gian. “It’s my greatest skill and a way for me to express my emotions.”
   Even though New Egypt High School does not have a string orchestra, Gian has honed his skills by playing with several different musical organizations. These include the Robert Wood Johnson harp program, the young artist harp ensemble in Philadelphia, a Temple University music program, the Youth Orchestra of Central New Jersey, and the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra.
   He has also taken private lessons and played for the community and at school events. After completing his education at Curtis, Gian said he hopes to play for the Philadelphia Orchestra one day. He said he would love to be the principal harp player in an orchestra.
   Gian also said he would like to start his own private teaching studio and teach at a conservatory as well.