Sarah Solomon Stern, a well-known harpist from Pittsburgh, was in for a bit of culture shock after accepting her new role as the associate principle harpist for Buenos Aires' Orchestra Teatro Colon. Used to slightly more 'luxurious' transportation methods, she described the “open-air truck and rope” meant to transport her #30,000 harp as quite a shock.

Usually before a performance, harpist Sarah Solomon Stern tries hard to relax. She focuses on her breathing, stays away from coffee and pretends she's in her living room, playing before friends.

But a few months ago, when a man arrived to transport her 100-pound, $30,000 harp in a pickup truck across town for a gig, she found herself frantic.

"The driver had an open-air truck and a rope," says Ms. Stern, 29. "Plus another guy in the back to hold on for dear life."

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