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= Myrtle Hart = Myrtle Hart (1877-1966) was a professional harpist that was known for being "the only colored harpist" at the time of her career. She went on to perform in many concerts for people all across the United States.

Early Life
1887, in Evansville, Indiana, Myrtle Hart was born. She was the second oldest of presumably five daughters. Although being known for her harp skills she first started as pianist, “I first played the piano, then learned the harp.” She first began her harp lessons with her father and then continued to practice later on,“Myrtle Hart took lessons, first with her father and then with Edmund Schuëcker, a harpist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.” She had many different venues during her career and would travel throughout the midwest. She would then marry in 1926, “Myrtle Hart married William C. MacKinlay, a widower, who lived in West Roxbury, Massachusetts and who shared her love of music.” Myrtle Hart would continue to play her harp well into the years.

Career
Myrtle Hart’s career began with playing the harp in her father’s orchestra. The Hart family were well-known in Indianapolis, “a party given in Indianapolis during the winter was no party at all without the Harts”. The family traveled and played in multiple states including Chicago where Myrtle was “only 15 when she performed on the harp at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair”. She then became an incredibly talented harpist in Chicago. As an adult, she began going by the stage name Louise Kavanaugh. Hart’s granddaughter, Judith Albritton Simmons, recalls that her grandmother lived and worked in New York because she passed for white. She states that she “had to pass in order to play in the big symphony orchestras” and in doing so, put a strain on her personal life. Hart traveled the country and performed until she developed Alzheimer’s and slowly became worse until she was committed.

Family
She was born and raised in a musically inclined family. Her mother, Sarah Hart, was a concert pianist. Her father, Henry Hart, was a well established composer, singer, and violinist. He was very involved in a music group called the "Henry Hart Minstrels" which seemed to inspire him as Myrtle grew up alongside four sisters that were also musically involved. However, it is not known exactly how many siblings Myrtle had apart from the four sisters. Eventually, the group, Hart's Orchestra, was created which was made up of Henry, Myrtle, and her four sisters. The family band became known by many as "the best-known group of colored entertainers in the state." Myrtle's more known sister, Hazel Hart, was a teacher in Indianapolis. She eventually went on to become a principal in 1928 before obtaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education from Butler University.

Awards
She was described by the Chicago Daily News as being “the only colored harpist.”  She graduated from Roosevelt University with a psychology degree. Myrtle Hart was one of the most outstanding teachers in the Chicago system and would receive all kinds of awards. She would also teach people in the summer free of charge. Not only did she play the harp but she was also a magnificent pianist.

End of Life
Her outstanding talents have led her to an outstanding point in her life, being recognized as a gifted harp player and known as one of the only colored women to perform using a harp. As she continued to play all around the Midwest inspiring many with her wonderful music, she also encapsulated the heart of her now husband, William C. MacKinlay, who also shared a passion for music. He was very talented just like his wife; “Having studied in Paris, William MacKinlay became the orchestra leader in the old City Theatre in Brockton and later, the musical director of the Colonial Theatre, a position he held for 40 years.”  Myrtle later joined him at the Colonial Theatre as the harpist.

Later down the line, her husband William C. MacKinlay passed away at the age of 76 in 1942, buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery located in Boston. “He may have held a special affection for the Cemetery as he had a great interest in horticulture, maintained lovely gardens, and won prizes for his entries in New England flower shows.” Myrtle Hart continued to play music for all to hear at the Colonial Theatres until she died on October 23, 1966. “In December, her ashes were transferred from Forest Hills Crematory in Boston to a position near the marker for her husband..” However, on her gravestone she did not appear under the name of Myrtle Hart but she appears as Louise K. MacKinlay instead.