Photograph by Tripper Photography

Tahsa Smith Godinez: from plucking to penning.

Harpist Tasha Smith Godinez took advantage of her pandemic downtime to begin writing original music. “Before, I never really felt I had enough time,” she explains. “So I started writing these ideas down, and I ended up amassing 13 tunes, and I decided to go ahead and record them.” The result is Out of the Desert, self-released on her own Ennanga Records. “It’s a combination of some pieces for solo harp and a trio with Christopher Garcia on percussion and Domenico Hueso on viola. I didn’t try to write in a specific style, but I’ve been told by others that they hear it as a jazz-classical crossover album.”

A Professor of Harp at USD, Godinez managed to survive the last few years by concentrating on teaching rather than performing. “I actually have more students than I did before the pandemic, which is great.” (She says it’s around 30) “Now that gigs are coming back full force, I find that I’m being more selective about what I’m taking, rather than just filling up the calendar. I realized during the pandemic how wonderful it was to have more time to spend with my family and to work on writing and arranging music, which I really love.”

Godinez will be highlighting music from the new album on September 11 at Queen Bee’s Art & Cultural Center in North Park. “Christopher Garcia and Domenico Hueso will be performing with me and [dancer] Camille McPherson will be a special guest on a few of the tunes.” She expresses no misgivings about performing on what has become an infamous date. “We can honor the memory of those lost through our music as well. I’ve played a quite a few concerts on September 11, and we’ve always treated it as an opportunity to spread some beauty.”