The Harp Society of Western Australia Inc. | Organisation

The Harp Society of Western Australia Inc.

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25.01.2022 If you are planning to sign up for the Perth Harp Festival, now is is a great time to do it! Music to be played by the ensembles is now being emailed to participants to view and practise. Music for the 'Sing & Play' workshop is also being emailed out. Ensemble participants, of all levels of experience, will have the incredible opportunity to work with Alice Giles, an internationally-renowned harpist and all-round nice lady. The Concert Ensemble group will play their music for an adoring audience at the Harp Celebration concert on Sunday afternoon. The All Harps Ensemble group will work with Alice on two of the pieces for their own enjoyment and will not be playing at the concert. We'd love for you to join us at the Festival!

24.01.2022 Catherine Lyons-Nash will be playing improvised harp music for an 8:30am stretch session that will be streamed live from the Don Russell Performing Arts Centre in Thornlie tomorrow. Watch it on their Facebook page to get your Hump Day started!

24.01.2022 Next Zoom Harpy Hour - 6-7pm Sunday 11th of October! Join a friendly group of harpists and either play a piece of music (up to 3 minutes long) or have a listen. Your piece doesn't have to be perfect. This is an opportunity to talk to other harpists and to play for an audience without the pressure of being with them in person. Email [email protected] by 12pm on Sunday 11th of October to be emailed a link and password. You don't need to be a member of Zoom to participate. See you then!

24.01.2022 The Australian Therapeutic Harpist Association will have its first Annual General Meeting and Harp Day on Saturday the 30th of March 2019! Western Australian harpists are invited to join the AGM and harp workshops via Skype. Contact the Harp Society of WA via email or Facebook if you would like the agenda, related documents and Skype address to call. WA is three hours behind Melbourne, so the AGM will be at 11am WA time. See the invitation for the workshop times (Melbourne ti...mes). ATHA was created to promote and support therapeutic harp services and the development of this profession in Australia, to define standards that represent competent practice for therapeutic harp musicians and to establish educational standards for accreditation of therapeutic harp musicians. If you would like to learn more, please tune in on the 30th or contact Catherine Lyons-Nash in the Harp Society of WA or Christine Middleton and Carol Booth, whose details are listed on the invitation.

23.01.2022 Just one of the fantastic pieces Lauren Scott performed at her Beyond the Horizon concert last Friday at the start of the Perth Harp Festival. A fabulous player with a creative composition using paper clips and coils on the bass strings to create the sounds of a spinning wheel! Lapkons Spinning Wheel by Lauren Scott- tells the story of the mischievous imp Lapkon, who sits at his wheel spinning magic thread. As he spins the magic takes hold and he struggles to control the wheel as it spins faster and faster (Scott, 2018).

22.01.2022 Busselton Repertory Club presents 'Harp on the Willow', the incredible true story of Mary O'Hara, the famous Irish harpist and Singer and folk music legend. You will laugh and you will cry and you will be thrilled by the beautiful singing. See how she copes when Tyrone Kane comes into her life and turns it upside down with his unorthodox approach to life. It is a story told with songs, drama and humour. Audiences will always remember it for all of this and more! Weld Theatre ...Busselton, corner of Queen and Adelaide Streets. Buy tickets on Trybooking: www.trybooking.com/BPKJA Friday 16 April 7:30pm Saturday 17 April 7:30pm Sunday 18 April 2pm Thursday 22 April 7:30pm Friday 23 April 7:30pm Saturday 24 April 7:30pm Sunday 25 April 2pm

21.01.2022 A series of short light-hearted talks on my Youtube channel about some of my more unusual instruments - please DO have a listen!

21.01.2022 You're invited to join our Zoom Online Harp Recital! 2pm Sunday 19th of April. Pick a piece of music to share, email [email protected] to register for free and join us for a lovely afternoon of music. This isn't a competition, just an opportunity to share your music with other harp-lovers in a supportive, friendly environment. Visit the Harp Society web page for all the details http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/

20.01.2022 Performance opportunity: A cellist is looking for a harpist to play in a duo on the afternoon/evening of February 7th in Mandurah. The event is a fundraiser for Musica Viva to implement a music teaching program in disadvantaged schools. You can contact Ka Huey (cellist) directly at [email protected]

18.01.2022 Harp Music Composition Competition - Jane McCabe shares some tips about recording yourself playing your harp for our competition. Entries will be welcomed from the 1st to the 30th of June 2020. We're looking forward to hearing what you have created!

18.01.2022 For sale: Forrestworks 36 gut string harp which has hardly been played. The timber is Huon Pine with jarrah veneer. It is fully levered with Camac levers. The harp has a beautiful big sound and is lovely to play. The cost is $4950. Anyone interested can contact Helen on 0427 217 664 or email [email protected].

18.01.2022 The April edition of our Harp West newsletter is now available for your reading pleasure. You can find it on the Harp Society's website http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/harpwest-newsletter See what our harping community have been up to. Here's a picture of Rachel Fish playing at Credaro Family Estate vineyard in Yallingup.

16.01.2022 Here is the other overall winner of our Harp Music Composition Competition. Well done Christopher!

16.01.2022 Have you always wanted to play the harp? Why not start now? Many teachers are offering lessons online. Visit the Teachers page on our website http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/1153-2 Don't have a harp? Find harps for sale here http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/harpwest-noticeboard and harps to hire here http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/harps-for-hire

16.01.2022 New website! We have just launched our new website! You can find information about events, harp teachers, harps for sale, harp-related businesses and more. Check it out for everything harp in Western Australia! https://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/

15.01.2022 FOR SALE: 34 string Kempster harp. Gut and nylon strings. Good condition. Rose motif on the soundboard. Dust cover, tuning key and spare strings included. $3,000. Email [email protected] and we'll put you in touch with the seller.

13.01.2022 Strings of a different kind. This event on Sunday the 14th of April will include some wonderful stringed instruments and singers. It should be a really unique and interesting concert.

13.01.2022 Here's a great opportunity to take your harping to the streets and get yourself into the Folk Harp Journal!

12.01.2022 Our Harp Music Composition Competition is now open! Here are the details: Email [email protected] for the entry form. The form contains details about categories and how to submit your piece. Entries will be judged by Alice Giles. Alice will be looking for originality, overall musical impression and effective use of the instrument. ... 1st Place, 2nd Place and Highly Commended in each category will receive a certificate signed by Alice Giles. The overall winner will receive a CD and $50 voucher from Harporia (Catherine Ashley's WA business), a one year membership to the Harp Society of WA and a signed certificate from Alice Giles. Entry is $20 for Harp Society of WA members and $40 for non-members. Every entrant will receive written feedback from Alice about their piece. One entry per person. Submissions close 30th of June 2020. Here is a video with with tips about recording yourself playing your piece https://www.facebook.com/harpsocietywa/videos/664025614157055 Your piece only has to be up to 1 minute long or 1-3 minutes long. You can get really creative and choose any genre of music. Have a go, let's see what you can do!

11.01.2022 In the lead-up to our improvisation workshop next Saturday, here is some information from Catherine Ashley, showing you the possibilities that can open up when you learn how to improvise with your harp: Musical improvisation can be scary for many people, especially if it is new to you. For harpists whose musical journey has predominantly been learning a composed piece and aiming to get it right, the idea of dispensing with the page and having creative control can be overwhe...lming. Where do you even start? Does improvising mean you just play whatever you want? Improvising is a great tool to add to your musical toolbox. It can offer ways for people to develop creatively and find avenues to artistic freedom. It can provide pathways to other musical skills or a doorway to composition. It can also be a means to communicate with others in a way that has more immediacy than performing the music of others. Improv is an area of music that doesn’t rely on an ability to read music or to be at any particular playing level on your instrument. It is a space where the emphasis is on invention rather than accuracy, where mistakes can be accepted and even celebrated. This workshop will explore strategies and techniques for improvising to enable harpists to feel confident in a range of creative expression. Exercises and games will cover improvised rhythms, pitches, extended techniques, structured improv in various styles including basic blues and free style improv, simple embellishment of melodies and accompaniment patterns, musical impetus, and the importance of parameters in improvisation.

11.01.2022 Here is one of the amazing harpists who will be performing and teaching at the Perth Harp Festival. Lauren Scott is a freelance harpist who has performed in many leading orchestras in the UK. She has performed in the Albert Hall, West End Shows, commercial recordings and live broadcasts on radio and TV. On Friday the 4th of Oct Lauren will be giving a lever harp performance during lunch time and running a workshop titled Adventures for Lever Harp where she will demonstrate extended techniques from 3:30-5pm. Learn all about Lauren by visiting her fantastic website: https://www.lauren-scott-harp.co.uk/

09.01.2022 Here are some pics from the first day of the Perth Harp Festival!

09.01.2022 A young harpist is looking for a case that fits a Camac Mademoiselle harp. They need it to transport their harp to an audition. Does anyone have a case that they can loan or hire on the 10th and 11th of September?

08.01.2022 Hello harp-lovers, This year the Harp Society of WA will run the first ever Perth Harp Festival! It will be a busy weekend with lots of workshops taking place. The Committee is planning for this event to be a wonderful showcase of local, national and international talent and an opportunity for harpists to meet, network and learn new skills. Harpists of all ages, ranging from beginners to advanced players, are most welcome and we hope that anyone who is curious about trying th...e harp will jump in and have a go too. Details about the Festival can be found on the Societys web page. There will also be membership forms and you can sign up before booking to get the discounted rate: http://www.harpsocietywa.org.au/2019-perth-harp-festival Bookings can be made through Trybooking: https://www.trybooking.com/BECEV The Festival will end with the Harp Celebration concert, which is being headlined by one of the world's leading harp soloists, Alice Giles. During the Festival Alice will coordinate two ensembles - one that will perform in the concert and another for people who don't want to play in the concert, but who would enjoy the opportunity to learn from Alice. Music created in some of the workshops will also be played in the concert. This is an opportunity for harpists to play with each other for an adoring audience. Bookings for the concert can be made in Trybooking at this web address: https://www.trybooking.com/BECHK. If you would like to be part of the concert it may be a good idea to secure tickets for your family and friends so they can watch you play. Entry to the concert is free for Festival participants. We are very excited for this event and we hope to see you there!

08.01.2022 Here is another of our wonderful Perth Harp Festival presenters. Christine Middleton is a therapeutic harpist, performer, playwright and storyteller and the President of the newly-formed Australian Therapeutic Harpists Association (ATHA). Christine is currently wending her way towards Perth from Portarlington in Victoria. Christine has partnered with the Mt Isa School of the Air to teach the 'Rainbow of Sound' harp program to children in outback schools, which she visits as s...he travels across the country. While at the Perth Harp Festival, Christine and fellow ATHA member, Kerryn Viner, will hold an ATHA information stall on Saturday and Sunday at morning tea and lunch. They will also present an information session about Therapeutic Harp in Australia, where participants will experience their music and have the opportunity to ask questions. This session will run from 1:30pm-3pm on Saturday. This is a great opportunity to learn about the applications of therapeutic harp and the employment opportunites that arise from considering this form of harp-playing. See more

07.01.2022 Here is one of the two overall winners of our Harp Music Composition Competition. Ting's piece, 'Interruption of Coronavirus', is certainly appropriate music for these strange times times. Well done Ting!

06.01.2022 Here is another of our wonderful Perth Harp Festival workshop presenters. Eliza Bourgault is a talented harpist, pianist and singer. Eliza will draw on her experence as a teacher and performer to lead a work shop called 'Sing and Play', to be held on Saturday the 5th of October at 11am. The workshop will be great for adults and children. Music will be sent to participants when they register for the Festival. We look forward to seeing you there!

06.01.2022 Here's some lovely music and singing from the Harp Society of Western Australia's president, Eliza Bourgault. If you'd like to enjoy some more wonderful harp music, join us for our Zoom recital on the 17th of May!

06.01.2022 For sale: Forrestworks 28 string lap harp. Beautiful sound with pedal harp spacing and tension. As new, a few years old and hardly played. Asking price is $3500 negotiable. Email [email protected] and well put you in touch with the seller.

05.01.2022 Here are photos from Random Acts of Harping Day, which took place on the 1st of June. Five members of the Harp Society of Western Australia walked the stairways, ramps, bridges and balconies of Broadway Fair Shopping Centre in Nedlands with two Reverie harps, two Stoney End double-strung harps and one Rees Harps Sharpsicle. We attracted a fair bit of attention, particularly from the kids, and had a great time talking to shoppers about harping. Big thanks go to the centre manager for accepting our unusual request and to Helen and Don (our press photographer) who drove all the way from Binningup to join us!

05.01.2022 Our 'Harp Recital' has been renamed 'Harpy Hour', and we'd love you to join us for the next one! We'll meet over Zoom on Saturday 20th of June from 2-3pm. You can play a piece of music, or you are welcome to watch. Email [email protected] by the end of Friday 19th of June to let us know that you would like to join and what you will play. Your piece can be up to 3 minutes long. You will be sent a link and password for Zoom before the session starts. We look forward to seeing you soon :)

04.01.2022 New Harp CD Release Cherry Blossom After Rain Hilary de Vries composer/harpist... Cherry Blossom After Rain is the new cd from Scottish composer/harpist Hilary de Vries, bringing together influences of poetry, Scotland and Japan in one musical collection. The collection began after Hilary had received a set of unpublished poems by Canadian poet Robert MacLean. The poetry acted as a catalyst for the creation of new music, drawing on the poetrys Japanese setting and the themes that run through it and combining it with her own background in Scottish folk and bagpipe music. Its always exciting when I feel that spark and the urge to write music is there, says Hilary. I never know what will spark it and when, but poetry has been a real source of inspiration over the years, and reading Roberts poetry created that spark. Then it was a case of following that spark and seeing what music came from it. The music on the cd was composed and is played on wire-strung harp, with arrangements kept simple and unaccompanied to highlight the melodies and the qualities of the wire-strung harp. The length of the melodies varies greatly: some are very short, almost like musical haikus; other last longer and have an almost meditative quality. The music has been described by harpist Alison Kinnaird as having a lovely musical flowan Oriental minimalism about it. The track titles come from different places. Some suggested themselves as the music was written, a few come from lines in the poetry, and others reflect imagery in the music. The overall aim of the music is to create an emotional ebb and flow and a space for reflection. The picture of cherry blossom on the cd cover comes from a wild cherry tree in her garden. Hilary has previously released books of her compositions, including collections for bagpipes, harp and other instruments, but this is her first cd. I see myself primarily as a composer and never imagined recording my own music. But this has been an amazing experience that has really stretched me. Im proud of the end result and the response from others has been really positive. People say how relaxing and calming they find the music, sitting back and letting the experience wash over them. And thats a wonderful that my music can do that. So, yes, there are plans to record more! Cherry Blossom After Rain is available as a cd from Boarstone Publishing for 12 plus p&p. Also available as a digital album from Amazon, Bandcamp, iTunes and Google Play www.hilarydevries.com www.boarstonepublishing.com https://hilarydevries.bandcamp.com

04.01.2022 Next Zoom Harpy Hour - 2-3pm Saturday 25th of July! Join a friendly group of harpists to share your music. Your piece doesn't have to be perfect. This is an opportunity to talk to other harpists and to play for an audience without the pressure of being with them in person. Email [email protected] by 12pm on Saturday 25th of July to register your attendance. You will be emailed a link and password. You don't need to be a member of Zoom to participate. See you then!

02.01.2022 Exciting weekend of harping starts this Friday with the first Perth Harp Festival Theres still time to book tickets to the Harp Celebration concert this Sunday. And if you wish to be a part of this concert and other exciting workshops and ensembles happening this weekend theres still time to register at www.harpsocietywa.org.au... Another exciting concert will be by visiting UK harpist Lauren Scott, playing a solo concert on lever harp this Friday at 12:45 at WAAPA for just $10 at the door!

01.01.2022 Hello harp-lovers, We invite you to join us in taking harping to the people on Random Acts of Harping Day on the 1st of June. This is an international event that encourages harpists to play in public places so they can share their love of the harp with their community. We will be playing at Broadway Fair Shopping Centre in Nedlands. The centre is an interesting space with three levels, gardens, ramps, balconies and bridges. Our intention is to position ourselves around th...e centre and either walk around with small harps or sit down with floor-standing harps. We can also come together and have a jam. Well play for about half an hour, then people who are interested can hang around for a spot of lunch. Details Location: 88 Broadway, Nedlands. Meet outside Australia Post on the bottom floor. Time: Meet at 12pm to get ready. Play from around 12:15pm to 12:45pm. Parking: Parking in the multi-storey carpark attached to the centre is free for the first hour, then a fee is required. 1 hour street parking can be found outside the centre. 2 hour parking can be found in the surrounding streets. What to play: Play whatever you are comfortable with. Bring music if you like. When we get together for a jam we can improvise. What to bring: Harp, music if required and a chair for people with floor-standing harps. Please only bring whatever you are willing to walk around with. We wont have space to stash gear, so leave your harp case in the car. If youd like to be involved, but would like to borrow a small harp, email the Harp Society. The Folk Harp Journal will publish photographs and articles from harpists who have participated in the event. We will send a picture to them. If youd like to come along it would be great if you could let us know by email. That way well know to look out for you on the day