Sounds like you are okay on the issue of moving a harp around, poetlady. Keep in mind that the rest of us don't know anything about you - how old you are, what your health is, whether you are petite or robust.

Another thing to find out is how much replacement strings cost and where you will get them.

Are there any harpers near you whose harp you could try?

As for the statement, "don't expect a strictly classical harpist to teach you improvization of folk melodies," I think that's rather silly. The kind of improvisation we see in a Sylvia Woods book, for example, is based on well-known forms and can be taught by any qualified teacher. Who hasn't taken piano lessons and learned about the I, IV and V chords?