It’s Saturday night, and the Army, Navy & Air Force Club is packed. Across the wall, a rainbow coloured FEMINIST banner hangs against the backdrop of a painting of a battleship. A harp covered in blue light is only thing on the stage. Leslie Shapiro enters, and says, “this song is called Rain”. She begins to play, and sing - the whole room goes perfectly silent. Outside, the rain begins to pour; lightning flashes through the windows of the hall. A magical moment, but not the first for The Naked Harpist of Guelph.
Don’t be fooled, a harp is like a “naked” piano, and that’s how Leslie Shapiro dreamt up the name for the stage and budding Instagram. With her signature aesthetic, and unique style of play, it is unlikely anyone could forget a performance.
When Shapiro was five years old, she heard a harp being played on one of her fathers Mary Anderson cassette tapes; it was this moment that would change her life and lead a rebel harpist to the world.
“I didn’t know what a beast [the harp] was, but I fell in love with it,” said Shapiro.
At age 14, Shapiro took her travel-sized harp, which doubled as a suitcase, and train hopped to Kenora to protest in support of Grassy Narrows First Nation. It was as much of a protest against her parents as it was against the oppressors she traveled to confront. By the time she was 16 years old, she had hitchhiked, and train hopped all the way to Halifax to protest the proposed Atlantica free trade zone. During her travels Shapiro would often busk by playing the harp to raise money for her adventures.
Shapiro has played at dozens of personal events in the community including weddings, funerals, and memorial services. For folks who have never seen someone play a harp, Shapiro has left an impression during times of heartbreak, or joy. On the lighter side, you may have seen Shapiro play at art shows, holiday parties, conferences, at a nursing home, or recently, at a feminist variety show.
It’s just as likely you’ve heard Shapiro play a hip hop cover, or original song, as it is that you’ve heard her play classical music, or an Elvis cover. While Shapiro does hope to one day put out an album, she finds joy in playing and teaching for her career in any way.
“As far my career goes I just want to have an altruistic career that I can support myself with,” said Shapiro. “Harp just plays a part of that because it’s my passion.”
Presently, Shapiro is fiercely proud of her work teaching at the low-cost, not-for-profit, Brant Avenue Neighborhood Group Summer Camp. Shapiro brings her Harp and provides arts programming for kids who might not otherwise get the opportunity.
Between being mother, a student at U of G, a teacher and one of the most recognizable artists in the city, Leslie has her hands full, but she is there for her community, and in the spirit of rebellion against her own time, is working to making Guelph a better place.
