Jason, harp technician

We would like to thank Jason Azem for all the work he's done toward maintaining the Lyon & Healy and Salvi harps here in top condition.  Jason is a production manager at Lyon & Healy of Chicago.  This is the first time he's served as a technician at the Israel Competition.  We have been extremely lucky to have such a fine selection of instruments, as we have heard that this was not always the case in past competitions.

At a high-level competition like this one, it is of the utmost importance that all contestants have confidence in their harp's condition, because the tiniest mechanical malfunction can throw off a performance.  For the small price of a square of chocolate, Jason helpfully fixed a overly-zealous sharp disc on my Apollo on the first day.  Ever since, he has always been at hand, hanging out in his Bermuda shorts with a cup of coffee, ready to come to the aid of anybody in need.

 On behalf of all the harps, thank you Jason!