Nov. 2, 1931-May 23, 2026
Anita was raised in the countryside near Denton, Texas. Longing for a horse of her own, she resorted to trying to ride a young bull in a neighboring pasture. Her parents got the message, and she got her first horse, Lady.
When she was 16, Anita attended North Texas State (now University of North Texas), majoring in harp performance. She studied with the legendary harpist Carlos Salzedo and was awarded four scholarships, as well as the Mu Phi Epsilon award for excellence in music. She graduated with her Master of Music degree in 1952. In May of the same year, she married Charles Gervase Titsworth III in the Little Chapel in the Woods at TWU.
Anita held principal harp posts and served as concerto soloist with the New Haven, Yale University, Berkshire, University of Massachusetts, Columbus, Macon, Amarillo and San Angelo symphonies, in addition to playing engagements with the Schubert Theater, Boston Ballet, Boston Pops, Yale Men’s Chorus, Atlanta Choral Guild and Hartford Opera. She performed under Paul Hindemith, Bruno Walter and Nadia Boulanger.
She thought for a moment her career was over when she famously shouted, “You idiot!” to Arthur Fiedler during a performance with the Boston Pops. He had forgotten to allow time for her to set the harp pedals between announcing the encore and giving the downbeat, and the piece began with a harp solo. Happily, Fiedler was gracious, even apologizing, and Anita went on to play for many more decades.
Anita recorded with the Atlanta Choral Guild. Her CD with Metropolitan Opera soprano Joyce Guyer, titled “From the Garden of My Heart,” features songs by Faure, Debussy and Ravel.
A voracious reader since childhood, Anita also wrote. Her book, “Merchant of Dreams,” was selected as one of Kirkus Review’s One Hundred Best Indie Books of 2017. Her children’s book “Hobart” received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and is available as an audio book produced by Full Cast Audio. Its sequel is “Violet.”
“A Harpist’s Odyssey,” published by Lyon and Healy, is Anita’s book of classical and romantic transcriptions for harp.
She taught choir, voice and piano in Texas, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Colorado, and many of her students went on to have careers in music.
While working as a professional harpist, church organist and piano teacher, and fulfilling the myriad responsibilities of a clergy wife, Anita made time to share her enjoyment of horseback riding, hiking, skiing, picnics and adventures of all kinds with her children and their friends. She baked wonderful bread, made elaborate birthday cakes and read countless books to her children. She sewed clothes and costumes on an old treadle machine in the basement while kids roller skated noisily around her. Her children and their friends knew to ask her when they wanted to do something because her answer was always, “Yes.”
Anita was laid to rest in the Village of Chama Cemetery, Chama, N.M.
She was preceded in death by her husbands, Charles Titsworth and Walter Briggs; and is lovingly remembered by her daughters and sons-in-law, Camilla and Karthik, and Jessica and Pete; her son, Charles; and her five grandchildren, Jackson, Jefferson, Carter, Asha and Kavi.
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