Irish ears will smile for this harpist

If ever there was an Irish lass living in Algonquin, it's Lillian Reasor.

The 15-year-old Dundee-Crown High School freshman has been a student of all things Irish for as long as she can remember.

And one of those lessons, in particular, seems to have stuck.

Lillian is an accomplished Irish harpist, playing the jigs, reels and airs of her ancestors as often as -- and anywhere that -- she can.

"I just love the sound of it," she says. "It just feels right when I'm playing it."

Lillian has already been awarded a silver medal at one of Ireland's most prestigious Irish traditional music competitions, the All-Irelands. She consistently wins high honors at contests throughout the United States, and she plays with friends and fellow musicians for weddings and parties and at local Irish venues.

"If she was in any country in the world, and they had a music session and had a harp, she could play," said her mom, Meagan Reasor.

Coming from a long line of proud Irish folk, Lillian began Irish dancing lessons at age 5. She had been attending Irish School programs at Chicago's Irish American Heritage Center for several years when an Irish harpist came to perform for students.

"I just saw her playing the harp and thought it was the coolest thing," Lillian said. "I wanted to play it then and there."

So she did-- sort of.

It took a little doing for the then 9-year-old to persuade her mom that she was serious.

And then they had to find an instructor.

But once Lillian -- who had never played an instrument before -- began learning the basics, "it just started coming," she said.

She tied for first place at her very first contest the next year in St. Louis. During local Irish music competitions, she won the top prize so many times in the "miscellaneous instruments" category, that many groups began creating a class specifically for the harp -- to give other musicians a chance at a medal.

The trip to the All-Irelands competition came not long after that, while Lillian played with a group from the Irish Music School of Chicago.

She has played Milwaukee's Irish Fest, Chicago's Celtic Fest, the Bristol Renaissance Faire, weddings, art openings and more.

You can even find her many Thursdays at Molly Malone's Irish Pub in Forest Park playing music with a group of friends.

Lillian currently is working with another group of musicians on material to play at upcoming regional Irish music competitions in hopes of making it to the All-Irelands contest once more.

She also sings, and plays piano, string bass and the ukulele. At school, she is part of the orchestra, has a spot in the chorus in Dundee-Crown's upcoming rendition of "The Music Man," and is a straight-A student.

She hopes to attend music school and eventually play professionally in an orchestra. Teaching others, composing her own music and recording a CD are also on her to-do list.

Whatever the future holds, Lillian says she will stick with her Irish roots.

"I love being able to be in touch with my culture and my heritage," she said.

"I love being able to say that I'm Irish."

You can check out Lillian Reasor's music on her Web site at www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm? bandID=522775.