Mayling Garcia - Armonica Player

Bowls of crystal that are used to keep food and to warm up leftovers in the microwave, who ever imagined that people of the 18th century used them to play music?  Mayling has dedicated her life to playing this instrument perfected by Benjamin Franklin in 1761. Mozart and Beethoven who composed for it, popularized the instrument. The players fell ill due to the lead content of the bowls. After seeing a woman play a glass armonica in Boston, Mayling bought one and learned to play by telephone from the maker, whom she had never met. She is one of only twelve people in the world to play the instrument. Garcia lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is creating her first compact disc.

"My life is full and my dreams are big", says Garcia.