Ball, Mindy

Harpist whose father was the director of the choir and organist at First Presbyterian Church in Orange, California. She became interested in the harp when she saw one at the church before a Christmas concert. Dad encouraged her to stay with her piano playing, but by the time she was in her teens, she had made the switch. She attended Chapman University and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute and studied with Leonard Bernstein, Marjorie Call-Salzedo, Sandra Dwelle and Linda Wood.

In 1979, she became principal harp of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. Other groups with whom she has worked include the American Ballet Theater, the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, the Kirov Ballet, the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, Opera Pacific, the Pacific Chorale, the Pacific Harp Ensemble, the Pacific Youth Symphony Orchestra, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Pittsburgh Opera, and the Royal Ballet.

Members of the Pacific Symphony appeared at Newport Harbor Art Museum on 12^th March 1989 in a recital that comprised Ingolf Dahl’s “Variations on a Swedish Folktune”, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Quintet in A”, Maurice Ravel’s “Introduction and Allegro” and Albert Roussel’s “Impressionist Trio, Op. 40”.

On 25^th March 1993, there was a similar chamber concert at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana, California. This one consisted of Johannes Brahms’ “Clarinet Trio” and “Horn Trio”, Claude Debussy’s “Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp” and Toru Takemitsu’s “Raintree”.

Mindy formed the Pacific Harp Ensemble in 1993 and the American Harp Society’s Orange County Chapter in 2007. It won “Chapter of the Year” in 2009.

On 2^nd March 2009, members of the PSO took the stage at Samueli Theater in the Orange County Performing Arts Center for a program entitled “Cinema to Symphony: How Movies Become Music”. The concert featured classical works by film composers, such as “Five Songs for Baritone and Piano, Op. 38” by Erich Korngold, “Minidoka for Clarinet, Viola, Harp and Percussion” by Paul Chirara, “Souvenirs de Voyage” by Bernard Herrmann and “Toccata Capricciosa for Solo Cello” by Miklos Rozsa.

Mindy directed the Pacific Harp Ensemble in a Christmas concert in Crowell Hall at Biola University on 2^nd December 2009. Highlights included “Angels We Have Heard on High” by Edward Shippen Barnes, “Carol of the Bells” by Mykola Leontyovych, “Evening Prayer” from Hansel and Gretel by Engelbert Humperdinck, “Joy to the World” by George Frideric Handel & Lowell Mason, “Silent Night” by Franz Xaver Gruber and “Trepak” from The Nutcracker by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

On 5^th December 2009, she played another Christmas concert, this one with the John Alexander Singers at St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach. This one featured “Ave Maria” by Francisco Guerrero, “Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King” by Moses Hogan, “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” by Ralph Blane & Hugh Martin, “Hodie Christus natus est” by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, “Jesu Carols” by Stephen Paulus, “Jingle a cappella” by James Clemens, “Joseph lieber, Joseph mein” by Hieronymous Praetorius, “Nowell Sing We” by Gabriel Jackson, “O magnum mysterium” by Tomas Luis de Victoria, “O viridissima virga” by Hildegard von Bingen and “Silent Night” by Franz Gruber & Joseph Mohr.

The Pacific Harp Ensemble were at the Main Salon in the Casa Romantica Cultural Center in San Clemente on 13^th December 2009 for yet another holiday entertainment, this one involving Gruber & Mohr’s “Silent Night”, Henry VIII’s “Greensleeves”, Leontovych’s “Carol of the Bells” and Tchaikovsky’s music from The Nutcracker.

On 2^nd May 2010, members of the PSO were back at the Samueli Theater in a recital entitled “Chamber Fantasy”. The self-explanatory program comprised Debussy’s “Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp”, Alexander Scriabin’s “Piano Sonata No. 2” (“Sonata-Fantasy”) and Robert Schumann’s “Piano Quintet in E flat major, Op. 44”.

Mindy joined the Pacific Chorale at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on 23^rd May 2010, for “Exsultate Deo” by Peter Hallock, “Dorchester Canticles” by Tarik O’Regan and Vespers, Op. 37 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

On 22^nd May 2011, she reunited with them in the same venue for “A Poet’s Voice”, which featured Brahms’ “Four Songs for Women’s Chorus, Harps and Horns, Op. 17” and “O susser Mai, Op. 93a, No. 3”, Anton Bruckner’s “Abendzauber”, Franz Schubert’s “Der Gondelfahrer, D. 809/Op. 28”, “Nachtgesang im Walde, D. 913/Op. 139” and “Standchen, D. 920/Op. 135b”, Randall Thompson’s “Frostiana: Seven Country Songs”, Carl Maria von Weber’s “Jagerchor” from Euryanthe and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ “Three Shakespeare Songs”.

Members of the PSO gathered at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts on 20^th December 2011 for a “Holiday Organ Spectacular” that included Adophe Adam’s “O Holy Night”, Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride”, Handel’s “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion” from Messiah, Handel & Mason’s “Joy to the World”, Conrad Susa’s “Serenade for a Christmas Night” and Mel Torme’s “The Christmas Song”.

Recordings on which Mindy appears include Christmas Time is Here with John Alexander & the Pacific Chorale, Savoir Faire by Allen Savedoff and Shenandoah: Songs of the American Spirit with the John Alexander Singers. She also performed on the soundtracks of L.A. Law, J.J. Starbuck and Samantha.

In the field of music education, she has taught at Biola University, California State University in Fullerton, Chapman University, Concordia University in Irvine and Vanguard University.

Here she is directing a performance of “Angels We Have Heard on High” with the Pacific Harp Ensemble…

Sources:

Ball, Mindy

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