Cover Girl: Ashley Jackson

If the harp makes you think of arpeggios bubbling in the background at fancy-dress balls, time to update what you know. The instrument has been at the heart of music-making around the world for over 5,000 years, lending its distinctive sound to worship services and rituals, social celebrations and dances. And in the hands of harpist Ashley Jackson, there’s nothing the instrument can’t do. At BAM, she joins resident artist and curator Helga Davis for an in-depth conversation, along with a performance featuring highlights from throughout her career.

Trained at the Juilliard School and Yale University, Jackson has the classical harp canon at her fingertips. Her scholarship has turned a spotlight on unsung pioneers like Margaret Bonds, and she has championed African American spirituals, Black composers, and the ecstatic spirit of Alice Coltrane onstage and on record. On her newest release, Cover Girl, Jackson honors some of the genre-defying artists who fired her sense of possibility, including Nina Simone, Whitney Houston, and the Cranberries.

Ensemble

Emi Ferguson, flute

Claire Chan, violin

Aundrey Mitchell, viola

Jessica Wang, cello