51 Strings, harp and cello duo
Home Performances Links

Home   About   Contact   Performances   Links   Video   Support

Jake & Hannah

51 Strings, a Harp and Cello Duo, was formed in 2005 to combine musical artistry of Jake Muzzy (Cello) and Hannah Muzzy (Harp). Their first tour took them to Cordoba, Argentina for eleven concerts. The duo has since performed across the United States including a tour of the east coast. Their performances feature their own arrangements of classical repertoire with forays into sacred and popular music, as well as the tangos of Piazzolla. At their concerts Jake and Hannah speak about the lordship of Jesus Christ in their lives and in music, and encourage their audience to participate in the ministry of their sponsors, Kids Alive.

The philosophy that guides 51 Strings is taken from these instructions: Jesus said also to the man who had invited him, "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Luke 14:12-14 (ESV)  That which cannot be repaid that is most to be pursued in the performance of music. In this connection that 51 Strings partners with Kids Alive, a ministry to street children and orphans around the world.

Jake

Jake Muzzy (Cello) began the study of cello at four years of age. He has won distinction in competitions such as the Masterworks Festival Concerto Competition, the National Federation of Music Clubs Student Auditions and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. He studied with Carol Ourada in Wheaton and Hans Jorgen Jensen at Northwestern University before taking his Masters from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of Stephen Geber. He held the position of Principal Cellist of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra before moving to the Chicago area. He is on the faculty of the Wheaton College Conservatory and teaches at the Masterworks Festival during the summer.

Hannah

Hannah Muzzy (Harp) spent her childhood in Guatemala where her parents were missionaries. She studied piano from the age of six and was drawn to the harp after moving to Australia in her early teens. She felt called to play the harp to bless others. At age 19 she began studies in Australia with Alexandra Shepherd and continued at the Australian National University with Alice Giles. She spent eight months in Cordoba, Argentina studying with Dora Zenobi. Since her move to the USA and marriage she has performed with the Memphis Symphony, at Harding University, and in other venues and events. She and Jake have four sons and make their home in West Chicago, Illinois.