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Welcome
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter has about 75
member harpists located in Silicon Valley, in the South Bay Area of San
Francisco. We range from professional solo and/or orchestral
harpists to amateurs who simply enjoy playing the harp. We have
members of all ages, levels, and motivations, including pedal, lever,
and folk harpists.
Regular Chapter meetings include “Harp Live” sessions
in which chapter members are invited to bring their favorite pieces to
share or play for the group. Some sessions are dedicated to solo playing
and others to ensembles such as harp duets or chamber ensemble pieces.
We strive to present a wide variety of concert artists to inspire and educate
our members. We also sponsor workshops to help our members
increase their harp knowledge and proficiency on such topics as
arranging and improvisation, stage fright, or the healing properties of
harp music. We usually have 3-4 main events each year, plus Harp
Live sessions. Ideas are always welcome.
We are affiliated with the
American Harp Society (AHS)
which has over fifty chapters throughout the United States. Grown
from the needs of harpists - performers, teachers, and pupils - the
American Harp Society is a non profit corporation. Founded in
1962, the Society now has over 3000 members. The Society aims
to promote and educate its members and the general public about the harp
and its music. It encourages composition for the harp and aims to
showcase the finest performers on the instrument in the world today.
The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the AHS is
also a member of the
Silicon Valley Arts Coalition
(SVAC), whose mission is to increase visibility through the media and to
expand audiences for arts organizations with small budgets. The
membership includes theater companies, many musical groups and others.
Next Chapter Event
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Deborah Henson-Conant
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March 15, Sunday, An Afternoon with Deborah Henson-Conant
Tentative schedule:
2:00
Baroque Flamenco Hands on workshop for harpists (lever and pedal). Learn the basic techniques in Deborah Henson-Conant's innovative showpiece for harp. The cost is $15 for members, $20 for non-members (in advance). The sheet music for “Baroque Flamenco” can be purchased on Deborah’s website: www.hipharp.com/ccorder.html. When you RSVP, ask Janet for the discount code to purchase not only the sheet music, but also the DVD and CD that include "Baroque Flamenco". Deborah will also be posting a single sheet for the workshop that people can download (for free) from her website, but not until about a week before the workshop.
4:30 Strings of Passion
Deborah will talk about her life, her work and the
development of "HipHarp". The cost is $15 in advance, and
$20 at the door.
6:00 Open reception
RSVP to Janet Hamm at (408) 866-6438 or
jhammeez@hotmail.com by Thursday, March 12, 2009. If
you would like to attend this event but find the cost
prohibitive, please contact Linda Rollo (the major sponsor
of this event) at 408-395-4327 or
LWRollo@gmail.com as scholarships may be available.
Deborah Henson-Conant is best known for
her high-energy performances that blur the line between
concert and theatrical event. She’s a Grammy-Nominated
recording artist and star of her own Public Television
special, “Invention & Alchemy”, with 80-piece orchestra.
She sings and plays the harp, with a theatrical narrative of
storytelling and humor. She performs solo concerts and
One-Woman Shows – and also appears frequently as a featured
guest with orchestras, performing her original music. Her
symphonic performance is captured in the award-winning 2006
CD & DVD “Invention & Alchemy”.
She has been described as “the wild woman
of the harp” by bandleader Doc Severinsen and “a cross
between Leonard Bernstein, Steven Tyler and Xena, the
Warrior Princess” by the Boston Globe. Her playing ranges
from full-out bluesy to delicate ballads in a genre she
describes as
“Blues-Flamenco-Celtic-Funk-Folk-Jazz-Musical-Theatre.” Her
audiences cross generation, gender and genre. Henson-Conant
has revolutionized her instrument. She’s brought vibrant
passion and individuality to its sound – and in the process
she herself has been transformed. Her work is an
exploration of possibilities – a transformation that moves
her audience out of the ordinary and into the extraordinary. Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1710 Moorpark Avenue, corner of Moorpark and Leigh, San
Jose, CA 95128
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