Meet Magnolia and Heather: These harps are Katie Lynch’s coworkers
Katie Lynch may have one of the more unique home offices on Cape Cod. Her living room is bursting with music. A piano dominates one wall; an organ another. And two majestic harps claim its heart.
“I didn’t choose the harp, the harp chose me,” she said, with a combination of whimsy and conviction. “I woke up one morning when I was 7 years old and told my mother and father I wanted to play it. I didn’t know why at the time. They were hesitant at first, leading me to the piano and organ. But I persisted, and eventually they honored my request.” The word ‘honor’ jumps off Lynch’s tongue with pride.
Twenty years later, this lifelong Cape resident has not only mastered the regal instrument, but also crafted a diversified business as a professional harpist. Her story is that of artist and entrepreneur – and a model for the peninsula’s creative economy.
Spend some time with Lynch and you realize her five harps are part of the family: They have names.
Magnolia is a 92-year-old pedal harp. She was completed on April 14, 1914, for the original harpist for Rogers and Hammerstein. Heather, also a pedal harp, is much newer. She replaced Athena, who succumbed to broken links. Three folk harps are Lily, Faith and Sheila.
“I did not want to give up Athena. I had her for nine years, including in college,” Lynch recalled. “But I couldn’t afford to have her break in the middle of a performance. I was in tears losing her. She was part of me.”
Why names? Why female ones?
“Some performers think naming your harp is absurd. For me, it is normal,” she said. “Of course they are inanimate. They don’t have emotions. But they do have responses. They have personalities. I love them, but, no, I don’t expect them to love me like a human being.”
Lynch’s business, which includes her Web site – www.capecodharpist.com – helps her and her husband own their own home in Cotuit and build a comfortable life in the same place she grew up as a child.
In her 20s, Lynch faced a defining moment before attending the Boston Conservatory when she had to choose between musical theater and the harp as her major. “Not only did the college not permit double majors, but pursuing either was totally time consuming – six to eight hours of practice a day.”
The harp won out. "Sopranos are a dime a dozen compared to harpists. Businesswise, it was a better choice."
By the time she graduated, Lynch was first in her class and the recipient of both the Alfred P. Whitney Award for highest scholastic achievement and a master’s of music degree in harp performance and music education.
While Boston remains an important part of her life, Lynch always knew she was a “Cape Cod girl.”
She never second-guessed her ability to make a comfortable living here while pursuing her passion for music.
A harpist’s business model
Despite her credentials, Lynch has not pursued a full-time orchestra position. It’s partly an economic decision and partly a reflection of her personality. “I am extremely fortunate that I can make a good living playing the instrument I love.”
If she were to draw a chart, here’s how Lynch makes her living: Weddings, 47 percent; background and concerts, 24 percent; teaching, 5 percent; music direction, 8 percent. Other activities, such as singing, memorials and church appearances, round out her income and time.
“Weddings are my bread and butter.” This past year, she performed at 61 of them. “From June to October, I will have as many as 12 a month.” She even has a special page at her Web site, advising brides on everything from flowers to where the sun will be positioned during the ceremony.
“I have rates for weddings, background music and other performances,” she said, and the cost varies depending on the situation.
On Cape Cod, there are four pedal harpists and a handful of folk harpists; across the entire greater Boston region, there are more than 60. But there appears to be plenty of work for them all.
“We are all looking for the same jobs for our income, but there is enough demand to meet supply,” said Lynch. “More often than not, fellow harpists are always giving gigs to each other. It’s a friendly business.”
She does not have a formal business plan, but she knows precisely how much money she needs to earn and what she must spend on everything from supplies to advertising. Of course, her major expenses are the handmade harps; they cost as much as $40,000 – before depreciation and taxes, that is.
Meanwhile, Lynch has mastered software to process her own invoices.
While most of her business comes from word of mouth, her Web site has been very helpful growing volume. Lynch also makes sure to advertise at locations such as www.weddingsoncapecod.com, a portal that has her listed side-by-side with saxophonists, cellists, fiddlers and even bagpipers.
Building a profitable wedding business also requires building strong relationships with owners and managers of restaurants and catering locations across the Cape. Lynch has focused heavily on the Chatham Bars Inn, Wequassett Inn, Coonamessett Inn, Captain Linnell House and Dennis Inn. “If they like working with me, they’re far more likely to send a client my way. Some locations require people to use their own vendors,” said Lynch.
Building a family life as well
Lynch and her husband represent a huge fraction of the Cape’s young adults. They want desperately to live on Cape Cod, but face the reality that incomes and opportunities are less robust than in Boston.
That’s why Lynch continues to perform regularly in the city, including at the Museum of Fine Arts, the Four Seasons and Omni Parker House, and why her husband, Steven Koglin, leaves at 5:30 a.m. to commute to his job at a large Boston law firm.
“I grew up here and live in the home once owned by my grandmother and great-aunt, who were twins,” said Lynch. “But my husband was in the Navy, so Cape Cod is a new experience for him. He loves the water and truly enjoys being able to leave the city every night and return to this special place.”
The Cape also proves a boon to Lynch’s business. “It’s very positive. We are in a location where people come to get married from beyond the Cape. I have better demand here than elsewhere.”
Her schedule and his commute have not been kind to the newlyweds. "We were married in June 2005, right at the beginning of my busy season. I worked primarily at night and on weekends, but he has a 9-to-5 job. When he gets home, I already have left for a gig. Finally, I come back at midnight, and he is asleep."
Last fall, the couple managed to connect by appearing together in a production of “How to Succeed in Business.” “We were cast opposite each other. We saw each other on stage. Sometimes, we whispered, ‘Hi, how was your week?’”
They’ve appeared together as well in productions of “High Button Shoes” and “Into the Woods” at the Barnstable Comedy Club and Falmouth Theater Guild.
The creative economy on Cape Cod
As part of the Cape arts economy, Lynch is particularly sensitive to trends and tastes.
“The Cape always has had a strong arts community, but recently, I have seen audiences get a little smaller. It does not affect my business too much, but I am concerned about some of the visual and performing arts,” she said.
“We’re confronted with more media and technology that competes for people’s time and money. You have to stop and take time out of busy schedules to go to a concert. With the general economy of the country a little down, people want to save money more.”
She also sees audiences getting older and not being replaced with younger people. That’s why Lynch gains such personal satisfaction when she can perform for children. “I know two girls who are now taking harp lessons because they saw me perform, and I let them play my harp,” she said. “They had the same experience as I once did. It’s something about the instrument that takes over your life.”
Originally published in the March/April 2007 issue of Cape Business.
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