An “angel” from Georgia descended onto Interstate 85, playing glorious chords on her harp to entertain weary travelers trapped on the road one evening in late June.
Stranded motorists bemoaned the mugginess as standstill traffic had cars backed up on the highway northeast of Atlanta because of a crash further up the road. Some stepped out of their vehicles to stretch stiff legs. Others set up chairs or broke open coolers to pass the time more comfortably.
Among them was a musician.
Hailey Ann Smith, a professional harpist from Pendergrass, Georgia, was returning from a wedding at the Atlanta Country Club. Still in her concert gown, she was in a good mood and got busy befriending waylaid strangers.
Seeing the somber faces of her fellow travelers, she saw a need and filled it.
“Everyone was stressed out from the traffic, why not give them a smile?” she told The Epoch Times. “And it worked!”
Realizing a rare and novel opportunity was calling—which might never call again—she unpacked her grand harp and began plucking angelic notes for an impromptu performance amid rows of cars on the highway, arousing cheers from everyone around her.
Have a listen to Smith’s heavenly harp playing for yourself.
A crowd gathered to hear and record Smith. She interacted with the audience, took requests, and played, among other tunes, “You Raise Me Up” by Josh Groban, “Canon in D,” “Oh Shenandoah,” and “I Can’t Help Falling in Love with You.”
“It was super fun,” she said. “They loved it!”
The amusement seemed to do the trick; soon, traffic ahead of them started creeping forward, and it came time to wrap up the show.
It took time for Smith to pack up her harp but, still in good spirits, the vehicles behind her waited patiently. As she got moving again, she heard a trucker cheer her.
“That was awesome!” he said as he passed by.
It’s just what the world needs right now: people and culture converging, resonating together like a divine note plucked from above.
Smith has been playing the harp for the past 18 years, since she was 7, doing her first wedding at age 12.
“Nobody knew how young I was,” she said, laughing.
Smith believes her calling to play music was a “divine appointment.”
“God put it in my heart,” she said. “I was 4 when we went to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and I saw the harp there, and when we left I was like, ‘Mommy, I want to play that!’
“I took a year of piano first and then got into harp, and it’s been just like breathing ever since.”
Now 25, Smith is a professional musician and owner of Harpist for the King. She has her own studio and does 70 to 80 shows per year, performing at notable venues, such as Atlanta’s Capital City Club.
