Greetings!
Member opportunities, coming in hot!
As we prepare for the 2023 Summer Institute, there are many ways you can participate in strengthening the community of the AHS: from enjoying a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts, to applying for an AHS grant to bring your next project to life, to making a video for the Summer Institute and more, there's something for every harpist in this edition of the Harpists' Bazaar!
Enjoy this issue, and as always, practice on!
With all our hearts,
The American Harp Society
|
|
Order Krispy Kreme donuts and support your Harp Society!
Did you know that membership dues only represent about 50% of what it costs to provide all of AHS' great member benefits? Surprise your honey, classmates or coworkers with a dozen (or more!) Krispy Kreme donuts for only $10/dozen, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the American Harp Society's Annual Fund! Buy online and pick up at your local store.
|
|
Summer Institute attendees are in for a treat on Friday, June 2nd, when Jacqueline Pollauf and Ashley Jackson present 'Three Suites by Women Composers and Take Me to the Water.'
Jacqueline Pollauf presents works by composers Lili Boulanger, Betty Jackson King, and Grace Becker Vamos in a lecture recital exploring these composers and their music. Ashley Jackson’s Take Me To The Water is an immersive, multimedia experience for solo harp featuring archival recordings and original transcriptions. Not to be missed!
Ready to book your trip to Los Angeles for the 2023 Summer Institute?
|
|
More member opportunities happening at the Summer Institute... |
|
Apply to the Young Composers Project by March 1st
The AHS Summer Institute welcomes back the Young Composers Project (YCP), an educational program open to national members of the AHS under the age of 25.
|
|
Summer Institute Master Class
Interested in playing for internationally renown French-Canadian harpist and composer Caroline Lizotte? Learn more and apply to be considered for her Summer Institute master class on June 4th. A variety of skill levels will be selected so as to be an engaging experience for the teacher, students, and audience. Applications are due by April 1st.
|
|
Make a Video for the Summer Institute!
You're invited to make a 15-30 second video with your phone, and compose or improvise sound tracks for it. Use this link to submit, and we'll share it like a movie premiere at the Summer Institute as part of one of our workshop sessions.
Learn more on Feb. 26 at 2 pm Central Time on AHS Live.
|
|
Composers of African Descent |
|
Looking for your next exciting piece?
In the Winter 2021 American Harp Journal, Emily Laurence and Jennifer Ellis published a list of repertoire by composers of African descent. The list includes solos, chamber works, pieces for harp ensemble, and concertos. This list is available to the general public on the AHS website. We hope that members will use these resources to inspire their creativity by engaging with new repertoire.
|
|
To show our appreciation for harp teachers everywhere, we are offering a sweet opportunity: Refer 3 new members – youth or adult – to join AHS and receive a year of membership ($60 value) on us!
For every 3 referrals, you will receive an additional year of free AHS membership!
Already a life member of AHS? To show our thanks for your 3 referrals, you’ll receive a gift certificate for a year-long membership to share with a student or friend.
To receive your free membership, each new referral must enter your name on the membership form by completing the field: “I was encouraged to join AHS by ___.” We’ll keep track of the rest!
|
|
Apply to the Collegiate Writers Award by March 1st
The AHS has established this award with the intention of identifying and fostering young writers in our harp community. In 2023, the winning article will be published in the summer issue of The American Harp Journal.
|
|
National Competition registration is open!
Are you competing in the 2023 National Competition? Registration is now open and available on the website. Please note that all applications must be received by 11:59 pm Pacific Daylight Time on April 1, 2023.
|
|
Send in a 'Harping Around' Jingle by Feb. 21st
We're looking for a jingle to open our new youth podcast, Harping Around! Send sound file (10-15 seconds with extension .wav or .mp3) via free file sharing services like WeTransfer or Dropbox link to harpingaround@harpsociety.org. In the email subject line please include “AHS jingle for Vlog” and your name.
|
|
Apply to the Grants Program by March 15th
Calling all members who have a creative project to bring to life! The American Harp Society welcomes grant applications for projects that will further the mission of the Society. We encourage proposals that support our members through new music commissions, educational initiatives, chapter programming, or other endeavors that benefit our community of harpists!
Please review the grant guidelines and submit your application for consideration.
|
|
Preparing for the 2023 AHS National Competition? |
|
Expand Your Competition Repertoire Knowledge!
In this series we share resources related to pieces on the competition’s lists, including past articles from The American Harp Journal and interviews with composers and professional harpists.
|
|
And for our final contribution to this series, we present an essay about Germaine Tailleferre, whose Sonata for Harp (1957) is required repertoire in the Advanced Division. Elizabeth Huntley, former longtime editor of The American Harp Journal, shared her essay “Germaine Tailleferre at the Paris Conservatory” in the Winter 2008 issue.
Did you know that Germaine Tailleferre was the only female member of Les Six? You might be surprised to learn that she took harp lessons at the Paris Conservatory with assistant harp professor, Caroline Tardieu. Tailleferre wrote eighteen short preludes between 1912-15 which are now available as a collection under the title Le Petit livre de harpe de Madame Tardieu. Tailleferre later wrote a Concertino for Harp and Piano (1927), or Harp and Orchestra (1926-27).
Read Elizabeth Huntley’s essay about Germaine Tailleferre below, and make sure to have a look/listen at the following links related to Tailleferre’s Sonata for Harp and Concertino for Harp and Orchestra!
|
|
Nicanor Zabaleta, harpist |
|
Gillian Benet Sella, harpist |
|
It has been a pleasure sharing these resources with you and all of us at the American Harp Society wish the young harpists who are preparing for the competition the very best!
Dr. Laura Sherman, 2/15/23.
BONUS SHARE: We could not end this series without sharing Osian Ellis’s article about Benjamin Britten shortly after the composer died. The article was originally published in the Winter 1977 issue of The American Harp Journal and is available below.
|
|
Did you know that The American Harp Journal is a terrific source of information pertaining to harp music and composers, and that many editions of the Journal are already available in PDF form online? Check it out here!
|
|
GRAMMY Spotlight: Elizabeth Steiner |
|
Congratulations to AHS member Elizabeth Steiner, who performed on Geoffrey Keezer's GRAMMY-winning album, "Playdate"! We had a chance to catch up with Elizabeth and learn a bit about the process of recording the album. She writes:
"This recording was for Geoffrey Keezer's album "Playdate" and the track "Refuge" won for best instrumental composition. We recorded it at Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, NY in March 2022.
"I played on the tracks Refuge and Bebah. Geoffrey had pre-written harp parts but asked me to ad-lib a few extra flourishes in the studio. Some of his composition and writing style were inspired by Alice Coltrane, so he asked for that to be mimicked in the glissandi in the intro of Refuge. It was so much fun because the 17-piece orchestra was made of great musicians."
Thanks, Elizabeth, and congratulations!
|
|
Have you been nominated for a 2023 GRAMMY or JUNO Award?
We love shining the spotlight on AHS members who are nominated for awards, or have worked on an album that is nominated for an award. Please share your story with Allison so we can feature you in this newsletter and on social media!
|
|
Thank you to our generous sponsors! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
