Caitlin Thom rocks the harp

When Caitlin Thom ¡¯18 decided to pursue the harp, she dreamed of taking the instrument in an uncommon direction: rock. Having recently shared the stage as harpist for the rock band Foreigner, Thom said, ¡°little did I know that I would actually perform with a famous rock group before finishing my undergraduate degree!¡±

The music performance graduate has accepted a full ride for a master¡¯s degree in harp performance at Baylor University in Texas this fall. She credits her studies at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø and involvement in the Quad-Cities music scene with opening doors to musical discovery, personal growth and professional networking. 

Thom was offered the gig with Foreigner by Michael Wahlmann ¡¯95, a local cellist and the orchestra specialist at Griggs Music in Davenport, where she worked part-time when she first started at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø. Looking back on the experience, she noted how it opened her eyes to the professional world of music. 

¡°In my experience, freelancing musicians are not only some of the most interesting, kind and fun people you will ever meet, but they are also well-versed in a broad variety of musical genres,¡± she said.

She said Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s Department of Music helped prepare her by broadening her musical horizons and teaching her styles of music outside the typical harp repertoire.

¡°At Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø, I not only played in the Symphonic Band and Orchestra, which are standard ensembles for harp, I was also a member of Kali Yuga, Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø¡¯s free-improvisation ensemble, which was a very different kind of playing for me,¡± she said.

¡°I really loved playing in Kali Yuga because it pushed me to think deeply about all of the possibilities of sound that I can create on the harp, and since you¡¯re spontaneously composing everything on the spot, you really have to project confidence as you perform.¡±

Looking back on her time at Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø, Thom has some advice for students: ¡°You should make connections with as many people as you can, because you never know what opportunities will come out of those relationships. 

¡°I also think it¡¯s important to strive for excellence in your work,¡± which for Thom means developing her skills to the highest level so she can rise to the occasion of any musical opportunity that comes her way. 

¡°Å·ÖÞ±­ÍøͶ_Å·ÖÞ±­ÍâΧapp-Ͷע¹ÙÍø has been a great place to continue my musical training these past four years,¡± she said. ¡°My music instructors couldn¡¯t have been more supportive. They prepared me for success as a professional musician.¡±