Hannah Finson

BRADFORD, Pa. — Lakewood native Hannah Finson will return to the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford for an encore performance Saturday. Last year, Finson wowed the audience at Marilyn Horne Hall with an hour-long performance on her 108 year-old Lyon and Healy concert harp.

In order to accommodate demand, this year’s performance will be held at the 150-seat Harriett B. Wick Chapel located in the heart of the Pitt-Bradford campus.

“I was absolutely thrilled to learn that Hannah could return again this year,” said Marilyn Horne Museum manager Matthew Hileman. “Her performance in the 2017 chamber concert series was a particular favorite with our patrons.”

Finson was still in high school when she performed for the Marilyn Horne Museum and Exhibit Center Chamber Concert Series in 2017. She is now a freshman at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., where the National Honor Society student was offered a full scholarship. Although an accomplished musician in several instruments, Finson is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and is planning a career in surgical ophthalmology.

Finson has been studying harp since she was 8 years old. Her concert harp comes from the Venus Harp Company in Chicago, Ill., which restored the gilded antique instrument. Finson received her first harp lessons from Ann Harris, a Jamestown-area resident, and later studied under the tutelage of Sonja Inglefield, a chamber musician and harp instructor at SUNY Fredonia. She began performing harp recitals at the age of 12, although her public performances have been limited due to the difficulty of moving the 75-pound antique instrument, which is sensitive to climate fluctuations and humidity.

This recital will feature an hour of traditional carols and classical music. Admission is free. The doors open at 7 p.m. and the concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit marilynhorne.org/concertseries.