HANGIN' WITH THE HARP FEST: MARCH 20TH, 2021

HANGIN' WITH THE HARP FEST:

MARCH 20TH, 2021 9:30am - 3:30pm EST

Live on Zoom!

*This event has reached capacity! BUT Video Access is available! PURCHASE HERE!

 

Due to the overwhelming demand for this amazing event, we are now offering a limited time video access!

Click here for more information about video access.

 

Has the pandemic got you all strung out with nowhere to go and no gigs to play?  Are you looking to put some pluck back into your practice and playing?

 

*This event has reached capacity. Click HERE for information about March 24th - April 7th video access.

 

*Registration includes a free Hangin' with the Harp Tote Bag and two weeks of access to recordings of the day's classes. 

 

Schedule for the Day (All times in EST) 

9:30am-9:50	Morning Stretch with Mary Jane D'Arville
10:00am-10:50 Breakout #1	Working Out Your Warm-Ups with Robbin Gordon-Cartier -OR- Once Again With Feeling! Warm Up Your Musicality  with Anne Sullivan
11:00am-11:50 Breakout #2	The Art of Phrasing with Merynda Adams -OR- Change is Good! with Charles Overton
12:00pm-12:50	Lunch w/ live feeds from VHC New Jersey & Atlanta
1:00pm-1:50 Breakout #3	Finding Your New Home on a Cloud with Kristina Finch -OR- The Story Behind the Legends: Renié and Salzedo with Jaymee Haefner & Nancy Lendrim
2:00pm-2:50 Breakout #4	Therapeutic Music: A Double Blessing with Angi Bemiss -OR- From Études to Concert … Concert Études! with Lynne Aspnes
3:00pm-3:30	Wrap up party w/ faculty Ensemble presentation: Cindy Horstman *Information on participation in the ensemble is at the bottom of this page.

 

 

Class Descriptions

9:30-9:50:

Morning Stretch with Mary Jane D’Arville

Sure, we’re all attune to the necessity of warming up AT the harp, but what about your pre-practice warm up? Every serious athlete knows this is essential to a successful work-out. And yes, as musicians, we are athletes! Our instrument is physically challenging and requires strength and flexibility to play. Join Mary Jane as she guides you through a series of gentle stretches designed to get your harp muscles ready for action!

 

10:00-10:50 Breakout #1

Working Out Your Warm-Ups with Robbin Gordon-Cartier

Warming up with a purpose helps you make the most out of your practice session and/or performance that follows. This session will feature warming up on chords, scales, and accompaniment patterns. Music theory will be incorporated into the warm-ups to switch the focus from reading every note on the page to hearing every note that you play!

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF - 

    Harp Exercises for Agility & Speed - Deborah Friou 

    Thumb's Up - Kathy Bundock Moore

    Method for the Harp - Grossi

    Celebres Studies for the Harp - 25 Exercises-Studies - Bochsa

    Conditioning Exercises - Salzedo

 -OR-

Once Again With Feeling! Warm Up Your Musicality with Anne Sullivan

Your warmup doesn't have to be just about your fingers. It's the perfect time to bring your musical expression into focus. In this session, we will take basic chord patterns and use them to limber up not just our fingers, but also our musicality. You'll discover how to stretch your dynamic range, create a perfect crescendo and get a beautiful sound with techniques you can use every time you warm up.

 

11:00-11:50 Breakout #2

The Art of Phrasing with Merynda Adams

Musicality and more! What makes a piece of music sing and keeps the listener engaged? Merynda will address this question by delving into ways of creating a beautiful line and shaping phrases on the harp—an instrument where the sound fades the moment the string is plucked! Using works by J.S. Bach and French composers as well as folk songs, this session will offer insight on how to take the notes off the page and transform them into lyrical phrases for all to enjoy!

 

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF - 

   Prelude from Cello Suite #1 - Bach/Adams

    The Little Fountain - Pratt

   

 

 -OR-

Change is Good! with Charles Overton

And Charles should know! Starting out as a traditionally trained, classical harpist, he later challenged himself to explore the music beyond the page. These days, Charles is a well-respected and much sought-after performer in both the classical and jazz worlds. Utilizing two familiar repertoire pieces (Hasselmans' Petite Berceuse and Pachelbel’s Canon in D), Charles will share his insight on how to change the character, genre, and style of a piece. This is a great opportunity to look at your own repertoire and revisit some old pieces that you can play in a new way!

 

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF - 

 

       Canon in D - Pachelbell 

       Petite Berceuse - Hasselmans/Adams

 

1:00-1:50 Breakout #3

Finding Your New Home on a Cloud with Kristina Finch

So you've turned on your device ... what's next? With a wealth of resources for growth, learning, and connecting just a click away, how do you find the best application to improve your harp game? In this workshop, Kristina will offer a practical guide to navigating the multitude of online tools in the age of quarantine and beyond. Topics covered will range from social media tips and tricks to finding your newest practice motivation and interacting with the online community of harpists and musicians.

 -OR-

The Story Behind the Legends: Renié and Salzedo with Jaymee Haefner & Nancy Lendrim

 Henriette Renié (1875 – 1956) and Carlos Salzedo (1885 – 1961) both emerged out of the Paris Conservatoire harp studio of Alphonse Hasselmans (1845 – 1912), had successful careers as performers, composers, and teachers, and established legacies that continue to this day. Many of us can trace our harp ancestry to one or both of these prolific teachers, so let's take this opportunity to learn more about our “Harp Roots” and the common ground they share. Join Jaymee and Nancy as they delve into the methods, compositions, and performances of these beloved harp icons.

 

 

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF -  

 

     One Stone to the Building - Jaymee Haefner

     The Legend of Henriette Renie - Jaymee Haefner

     Crimson EP - Crimson Duo - Jaymee Haefner & Matthew Milewski

     Renderings Cd - Crimson Duo - Jaymee Haefner & Matthew Milewski

 

2:00-2:50 Breakout #4

Therapeutic Music: A Double Blessing with Angi Bemiss

Playing therapeutic music in medical settings bestows a double blessing—upon both the listener(s) and the harpist! In this session, Angi will cover basic concepts, repertoire genres, and some of the experiences she has had during her twenty years as a Certified Music Practitioner. She will discuss a few pieces to have “at the ready” that can be used while responding to questions as you play or to include as interludes. Several examples will be provided, so have your harp set in the key of C if you want to try them out during the session!

 

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF - 

      Angi Bemiss Publications

 

 

 

 -OR-

From Études to Concert … Concert Études! with Lynne Aspnes

When it comes time to combine your technique at the harp with the theoretical and musical contexts of your music, studying concert études is the musical equivalent to cooking without having to read a recipe—Just put it all together to make a truly harmonious meal! In this session, we will use a variety of pedal and lever harp repertoire listed below to explore how harpist-composers over the centuries have deftly integrated technical and musical skills into their original compositions for the harp, making it possible for all of us to let the harp sound its very best. Join in as we take a tour through some of the most iconic concert études for the harp. Available to harpists of all levels.

 

 

Reference Books to be used - Excerpts needed INCLUDED on Class PDF - 

 

    Graded Recital Pieces - Volume 1 - Mcdonald/Wood

    Pastorale - Grandjany

    Six Pieces for the Harp - Owens

    Minstrel's Adieu to His Native Land - Thomas

    Etude de Concert Au Matin - Tournier

    Variations on a Theme in Ancient Style - Salzedo

   

3:00-3:30: Post Hang Wrap Up Party

Featuring the Hangin’ with the Harp Ensemble!

Stay tuned to hear Cindy Horstman and the HH ensemble perform Wade in the Water! Anyone interested in being part of the ensemble, please check the registration for details. All parts must be submitted by Monday, March 15^th. We’ll also have a discussion on the day’s events facilitated by Alayna. We’d love hang a bit and hear how the day went for you!

 

Participating in the Hangin' with the Harp Ensemble:

To participate in the Hangin' with the Harp Ensemble, simply select that you would like to participate on the registration form. Once you have completed your registration, you should then follow this link to purchase the required ensemble music. Once purchased, you will be sent an MP3 recording and Youtube link by the ensemble director Cindy Horstman to the email provided during registration as well as instructions on sending in a recording for the final performance.

During the Wrap Up Party the day of the festival, our ensemble director will play the compiled recording of the ensembles members. *The ensemble members are encouraged to play along with the recording while muted to avoid any sound delay.

 

Meet the Faculty and staff!

 

 

Facilitators:

 

Robbin Gordon-Cartier 

In addition to co-hosting the Hangin’ with the Harp monthly series, Robbin Gordon-Cartier is a highly sought-after educator and performer. She directs the harp program at the Cicely Tyson Community School for the Performing Arts (East Orange, New Jersey), teaches students of all ages in her private studio, and presents workshops across the country. As an active freelancer in the New York metropolitan area, she has played at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. International engagements include the Pablo Casals Music Festival (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and the National Symphony Orchestra of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic). She has performed on television shows, made recordings, and appeared at events honoring Lord Guinness, Cicely Tyson, and Sir James Galway. Robbin is a Salvi Concert Artist with credits that include master classes and a concert at the French Ambassador’s residence in Bogotá, Colombia for the Salvi Harp Foundation. An active member of the American Harp Society, she has served as 2nd Vice President and Director at Large on the national level and was President of the North Jersey Chapter for eight years.

 

Mary Jane D’Arville

No stranger to the Hangin’ with the Harp Community, Mary Jane D’Arville not only co-hosts our monthly series, but also teaches, performs, and assists her husband David with the Atlanta Harp Center and Virginia Harp Center (the family business that the couple founded over twenty years ago). Her teaching credits include being on the faculty at the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, and the University of Richmond as well as serving as director of the Richmond Public Schools Harp Program. Currently, she teaches for the Harp Mastery coaching program and maintains an active private studio. While maintaining a successful freelance career, she has performed with several regional orchestras including the Richmond, Savannah, and Charlottesville Symphony Orchestras. The highlight of her performance career came in 2003 when she played with the Salzedo Ensemble at the World Harp Congress (Geneva, Switzerland).

 

 

Faculty

 

Merynda Adams

Known for her exquisite use of color and musicality in her playing, Merynda Adams is a seasoned solo and chamber musician who has played throughout the United States, Belgium, France, and the Netherlands and as soloist in events honoring Andrea Bocelli, Colin Powell, and the late Beverly Sills. Recently while on tour with “Celtic Woman”, her playing was described as “delicately accompanied” and “the highlight of the night” by The New York Times. Her musicality was praised by The Star-Ledger as “having color and great facility”. She frequently collaborates with violinist Christopher Collins Lee and has also accompanied renowned soprano Aprile Millo in recitals (New York, Delaware, Toronto, and London). Founder of Chamber Music for Charity, Merynda is thrilled to be able to combine her love of chamber music with the desire to help others acquire basic needs of food and housing. She also performs at Morristown Medical Center with a duo from the New Jersey Festival Orchestra as part of the program “Listening is Healing” and weekly at Chilton Medical Center. Currently, she is the Vice President of the North Jersey Chapter of the American Harp Society.

 

 

 

 

Lynne Aspnes

Dr. Lynne Aspnes is Professor Emerita of Harp from the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance, Ann Arbor, Michigan, and currently serves as President of the American Harp Society. Lynne established the American Harp Center in 2012, designed to promote opportunities for emerging career harpists to continue their study of the harp with outstanding teachers and performers. Her unassuming approach to harp technique and learning combined with years of experience with students of all levels has made her an in demand teacher. Her performing and teaching career has taken her around the globe, from festivals in Australia, Europe, and South American, to concerts in Southeast Asia and across the North American continent.  She can be heard in recordings on the Collins Classics, Clarion, CRI, ProArte, ProOrgano, RCA Red Seal, SoundSet and Virgin Classics labels.

 

 

 

Angi Bemiss

A musician for most of her life playing piano, flute, oboe, and guitar, Angi Bemiss added harp to the list when her husband surprised her with one for their 10th wedding anniversary. Through her harp, she discovered the opportunity to quietly serve others with the peaceful and unique sound that comes from its strings. Since becoming a Certified Music Practitioner in 1998, she has provided thousands of hours of live therapeutic music to create a healing environment. She plays at the bedside and in the medical departments of hospitals, plus in hospice, memory-care, and home settings. In addition to her therapeutic playing, she provides music for weddings, church services, and community events and is a popular workshop presenter at harp conferences across the country. Harpists may know her best for her over 500 published arrangements and series of four CDs entitled “Simply the Harp”.

 

 

 

 

Kristina Finch

Harpist Kristina Finch is a model of an independent modern musician based in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Versatile and flexible in all settings, she is constantly striving to connect with new and diverse audiences using classical training and a passion for popular music to defy expectations and expand perceptions of the harp. Kristina holds a Doctorate in Music Performance and Literature and Bachelor of Music Degree from the Eastman School of Music and a Master of Music Degree from Florida State University. She maintains an active freelance, orchestral, and chamber music career that has included engagements with the Palm Beach Symphony Orchestra, Nu Deco Ensemble, Miami Symphony Orchestra, Florida Grand Opera, Tiffany & Co., Prestige Imports, Burgees Yachts, and the Biltmore Hotel. In addition to her musical activities, Kristina is a RYT/200 Yoga Teacher, a contributor to the Harp Column magazine, and the host/creator of “Harp Column Podcast”.

 

 

 

Jaymee Haefner

Dr. Jaymee Haefner manages a full and varied career as educator, university administrator, performer, and Henriette Renié biographer. She is currently Associate Professor of Harp at the University of North Texas where she also serves as Director of Graduate Studies. An avid supporter of new compositions for harp, Jaymee has premiered new works by several composers (Patterson, da Silva, Broberg, Schocker, and Libby Larsen) and has performed internationally (Hong Kong, New York City, New Orleans, Atlanta, Mexico, Czech Republic, Russia). In 2011, she chaired the American Harp Society Institute at UNT and currently serves as the Treasurer for the World Harp Congress, as a board member of the American Harp Society, and as a member of The American Harp Journal editorial board. She regularly writes for the Harp Column and The American Harp Journal, and has published two books: The Legend of Henriette Renié and One Stone to the Building: Henriette Renié’s Life Through Her Works for Harp, and recently had her article about Henriette Renié published by the New Grove Dictionary of Music. Jaymee is a passionate teacher with a particular interest in the Renié Method and has adjudicated for competitions and presented masterclasses throughout the world.

 

 

 

 

Cindy Hortsman

Hangin’ with the Harp Ensemble director Cindy Horstman has been performing, recording, writing, and arranging  for the past four decades. Classically trained, she is the first recipient of a Master of Music degree in harp performance from the University of Texas at Austin and a prize winner in the Lyon & Healy International Jazz Harp Competition. Cindy’s  jazz theory workbook for harpists and her jazz-oriented arrangements and award winning compositions for harp ensembles are very popular with harpists both nationally and internationally, becoming best sellers on the Harp Column Music website.  Cindy is also the founder, director, composer, and arranger of The Dallas Jazz Harp Ensemble and the 13 member Brookhaven College Harp Ensemble in Dallas, Texas. In both ensembles, she emphasizes arranging and improvising within the jazz idiom.

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Lendrim

Principal Harpist with the Toledo Symphony, Nancy Lendrim brings her extensive knowledge of Carlos Salzedo’s harp technique and music to our festival. She was a student of Alice Chalifoux at the Oberlin Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, and for twelve summers at the Salzedo Harp Colony. In 2000, Nancy joined forces with harpist Jody Guinn to form the Salzedo Duo and received a Mellon Grant to research Salzedo’s harp duo compositions. With the assistance of Miss Chalifoux, the duo prepared these previously unknown works for performance culminating in recordings on the Azica label. In addition to her active performance career, Nancy is on the faculty of the University of Toledo, Toledo School for the Arts, and the Toledo Symphony School of Music. She also coordinates a public school harp program, maintains an active private studio, and directs an annual summer harp camp. For fourteen years, she was Director of Harp Ensembles at the Saratoga Harp Colony and the Elizabeth Hainen Harp Colony at the Curtis Institute of Music’s Summerfest Program. She frequently participates as clinician and adjudicator at harp conferences and competitions and is currently the Regional Director of the Mid-Central Region of the American Harp Society.

 

 

Charles Overton

Whether playing with an orchestra or in a jazz club, it is the goal of Boston-based harpist Charles Overton, regardless of the genre of music, to create a musical environment that is accessible, exciting, and can resonate deeply with any audience. Originally from Richmond, Charles moved to Boston in 2012 to attend the Berklee College of Music where he was the first harpist to be accepted to Berklee’s Global Jazz Institute. While in school, he attended summer music festivals such as the Pacific Music Festival, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Castleton Festival. Since graduating in 2016, Charles has quickly been making a name for himself. As a jazz musician he has played in festivals throughout the world while locally participating in jazz series such as Jazz at Indian Hill and Mandorla Music’s Dot Jazz Series. As a classical musician, he appears frequently with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and has performed with several Boston-based ensembles as well as at the Marlboro Music Festival. Today, Charles serves on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. He is actively writing and arranging new music for upcoming projects while taking advantage of every opportunity to collaborate with others in this new virtual space.

 

 

 

Anne Sullivan

Harpist Anne Sullivan began her concert career at age twelve when she appeared twice as soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. She is known nationally as a recitalist and chamber musician, performing regularly with SPARX flute and harp duo, Duo Parisienne violin and harp duo, and the Easterly Chamber Players.  She was a member of the music theory faculty at the Curtis Institute of Music from 1982-2002. She is founder and director of Harp in the Mountains Summer Festival. Ms. Sullivan has released two solo CDs as well as four chamber music recordings. Ms.  Sullivan is the author and arranger of numerous works for harp and presents workshops nationwide.  She is the founder and chief Harp Happiness Expert of Harpmastery.com, where she blogs, teaches and coaches harpists worldwide through her online membership coaching program. Her ebook Kaleidoscope Practice: Focus, Finish and Play the Way You’ve Always Wanted and sheet music publications are available at Harpmastery.com.

 

Technical Coordinators 

Alayna Bell

Many of you will recognize Alayna from the recent Harp Column Practice Challenge Chats as well as their summer Harp Camp. She is the wizard of all things Zoom! A native of Georgia, Alayna is currently living and working in Chicago and is an active arts administrator and horn player. After receiving her Bachelor of Music Performance, she is working towards a Masters Degree in horn performance from DePaul University and enjoying working with members of the Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera. Alayna is co-founder of the award-winning woodwind quintet, Shades Wind Quintet, LLC, which strives to promote diversity, unity, and career creativity through musical excellence. In addition to her musical goals, she is also an avid arts administrator. Before moving to Chicago, she worked as Operations Director at the Columbus Symphony Orchestra (GA).

 

 

Katherine Cook

Another familiar face to the Hangin' with the Harp community, Atlanta Harp Center Assistant Manager Katherine Cook is a graduate of Kennesaw State University where she studied clarinet performance. She has performed internationally in China and South Korea and studied abroad at Hanyang University in South Korea with clarinetist Changhee Lee from the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra. A local of Metro-Atlanta, Katherine has taught clarinet lessons in the Forsyth County area and enjoys arranging classical works for clarinet ensemble in her free time. She is excited to begin her journey on harp and to share her passion for music in all its forms.