KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Calvin Arsenia is someone you cannot miss when you walk past him.
The talented artist is 6 feet, 6 inches tall.
And when you hear him play his harp, you'll want to stay and listen.
"The harp always plays in the movie when the magic happens," Arsenia said. "And so I feel like the harp drew me into it because I wanted to live in a magical world and a magical existence."
Arsenia started playing the harp at age 20.
"I rented a harp and I couldn't afford to take harp lessons at the time," Arsenia said. "So I used YouTube tutorials for the first year and then when I moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, I took lessons from a teacher there."
Arsenia owns six harps, including a West African harp, and plays worldwide.
"Music has been a passport to the world and the harp is primarily how I've traveled the world," Arsenia said. "I've been on tour all across the United States, from Miami to Alaska. I played all over continental Europe: a festival in Austria, to Paris, to Greece to the U.K., Finland and Scotland, and all over the place."
Arsenia has also performed several concerts in the Kansas City area.
"I get to write songs that are talking about difficult subject matter, or love, or anything, and it adds a softness that I can approach my life with," Arsenia said. "When I think about my work and who I am, I want to offer permission for people to do that same work, to be generous with our skills and to be honest and receptive in our weaknesses."
Arsenia will perform Dec. 15th at Greenwood Social Hall with Kirstie Lynn.
"She's an incredible artist, incredible vocalist, an incredible person, he said. "She knits, she sings. She's just like a Disney princess with a little bit of an edge, and we love everything about her. And when we sing together, it's just euphoric."
Their performance aims to bring the magic of music and the holidays together.
"Thinking about my earliest memories as a musician was performing Christmas music for school and at church," Arsenia said. "And it's just warm and fuzzy and familiar and nostalgic and the melodies. The music of the holidays is beautiful and so it's been an honor in my life to be able to facilitate that for people."
He says whether performing for the holidays or at any other time of the year, he hopes the audience leaves his performances energized, safe, and fearless.
"And to navigate the murky waters of our lives with joy and a sense of self," Arsenia said."There are so many places on planet Earth where we can be unsafe physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And if I'm going to put on a concert or put on a show and encourage people to attend, safety, physically, emotionally, and spiritually is one of my priorities cause that's a place where you can relax."
Arsenia's holiday concert is Sunday, Dec. 15, at 7 p.m. at Greenwood Social Hall, 1750 Belleview Ave, in Kansas City.
The performance is on the second floor.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $20.
For more information on the concert, click here.