In last month's newsletter, I mentioned that I was on the Studs Terkel radio show in September 1982 because we were both part of the "Chicago's Secret Wilderness" TV documentary on Chicago's WTTW Channel. A few weeks ago, my student Douglas Beck asked whether the documentary was available to view. I am so glad he asked! I found the entire show on The Museum of Classic Chicago Television's YouTube Channel. The sound quality isn't the best, but it is still fun to watch.

This is the YouTube description of this 1982 documentary.

Here's the complete broadcast of a gentle and meditative program spotlighting the natural wildlife and various flora and fauna within the city limits, Chicago's Secret Wilderness, on WTTW Channel 11. Your narrator is legendary Chicago stage actress Roslyn Alexander, and the voice of Studs Terkel is also heard reading the poetry of Carl Sandburg in the course of this program. Original Celtic harp music is performed by Sylvia Woods. (NOTE: There are some tracking problems at various points in this recording, but it does not render it unwatchable.)

Most of the music I played on the soundtrack was adapted from sections of the Harp of Brandiswhiere suite that I composed. Earlier in 1982, my brother Don and I had recorded my Harp of Brandiswhiere LP at Gold Star Studios in Hollywood, where Don was a recording engineer. For the piece Gourenspur, we included the sound of a wind harp, which we created by placing a fan a few feet from my harp and blowing air over the strings. If any of you have played your harp outside on a windy day, you'll know what sound I'm describing. I had the engineers in Chicago create the same effect with my harp on the documentary soundtrack. You'll hear the wind harp from 14:04 to 16:04 in the video.

April 27th will be the 55th anniversary of an extremely important concert that changed my life. No, I did not play in the concert. And, no, I did not attend the concert. However, that concert changed the trajectory of my life and made me the person I am today.

As I often mention in these newsletters, my sister, Sheryl, has lived in France since she graduated from college. Last June, she emailed me to say she had been reviewing the letters she wrote home during her first year in France. She found this letter to me, dated May 2, 1971:

Tuesday night, we unexpectedly went to a concert you would have liked: Celtic harp. It was given by a guy from Brittany, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The songs were in Celtic, French, and English, accompanied by his little harp with a very sweet tone. The audience was terrible, but the concert was great.

The performer was the Breton harp player, Alan Stivell. Sheryl bought his Reflets LP that night and had him sign it for me. His signature on the back has faded over the years, but the LP is still one of my most valuable possessions. I also have two other autographed recordings by Alan, one signed to me and one signed to Sheryl.

Alan released his Renaissance of the Celtic Harp LP in 1972. That album inspired me to switch from the pedal harp to playing a Celtic harp. I learned almost all of the pieces by ear, and they became a major part of my harp repertoire. My favorite was the first track, Ys.**

That song had other influences on my harp life. When I was touring with Robin Williamson and His Merry Band in the late 1970s, I played one solo in every concert. I always played Ys. After a while, Robin said he was tired of hearing that piece, and I should write my own music. That was what motivated me to start writing my Harp of Brandiswhiere suite! My thanks go out to Alan and Robin for their inspiration.

See my July 2022 newsletter for more of my history with Alan Stivell.

**Ys was a legendary sunken Celtic city off the coast of Brittany. It is pronounced EESS, and rhymes with geese or grease. You can read more about the legend of Ys in this Wikipedia article.

The Celtic Wedding Book

including Breton Bridal March

by Aedan MacDonnell

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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Hanter Dro Suite

including two Breton dances

by Kathleen Blackwell-Plank

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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Song of the Wren: Celtic Suite

including The Wren,

a Breton An Dro dance

by Kathleen Blackwell-Plank

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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Forget Not the Angels

including Breton Lullaby

by Kim Robertson

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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Celtic Christmas, Vol. 1

including Chant de Noel 
(The Breton Carol)

by Thom Dutton

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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Celtic Christmas, Vol. 2

including five Breton carols

by Thom Dutton

PDF

15% off with Brittany code

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15% off select sale items when you use the code word Brittany

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products listed above in the monthly sale section. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Brittany.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#1. Put the items you want to purchase in your cart.

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Brittany in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

The actual price of the featured sale products on this page will then automatically change to reflect the discount. For example,

   Unit Price: $9.95 (the original price)

   Total Price: $8.46 (the discounted price)

You'll also see a note below the Promo Code box stating the name of the promo code you entered and the percentage discount amount.

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Brittany in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by April 30, 2026, to get the discount!

If you forget or have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.  

This offer expires at the end of the day on 4/30/26.

Sylvia Woods Harp Center

Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii