HarpSong™️ Harp Podcast: A Moon Over the Trees Music and Theatre Productions® – Details, episodes & analysis

www.moonoverthetrees.com/podcast

Welcome to Season 3 of the HarpSong Podcast!  Thank you for listening and for your support.  I’m so excited to be kicking off this new season with today’s guest, Liza Jensen.  I hope you are taking time for yourself for care and for treating yourself with the same kindness that you would show a friend in need…maybe that means playing your harp in the morning or composing a song as you watch the snow falling, maybe just having a cup of tea and taking a breath help you to recharge…  Just like us, our harps need some TLC every now and again, too. So, let’s take time to help the harps that help us and also keep nurturing and being kind to ourselves while we take those opportunities that cross our paths. 

As Liza says in this interview, “We have to take the opportunities as they come and say yes to the open door.” 

So many of you have sent in questions about harp regulation and taking care of your instrument that I knew I had to have Liza on the show.  I’ve known Liza for 10 plus years and she is just fantastic, as you will hear. 

My interview with Liza was recorded in November of 2021 just before she left for her harp regulation trip to Singapore.  It was her first time back there since the COVID-19 shut down. 

Through curiosity, determination, and sometimes self doubt, we can still  welcome opportunity and the gifts that saying yes to life can bring.  Liza Jensen, is one of the most sought after harp technicians in the world. Her journey of becoming a harp technician has taken her on her own personal journey of discovery that is sure to inspire.

Liza is pleasantly surprised as to how she ended up in this career.  She grew up in the Pacific Northwest in a very musical family.  Her mother taught flute and encouraged Liza to learn harp. Liza is also an accomplished flutist  Living in a small rural town Liza appreciated how the harp got her out of the house to meet new people and discover new places.

Liza’s harp practice got her accepted into The Eastman School of Music where she studied with Kathleen Bride.  Liza recalls some of Professor Bride’s wise advice “You don’t need to practice more than three hours a day, because 1. You don’t want to injure yourself and 2., and I [Liza] really took this to heart, you need to have a life to put back into your instrument…to put back into your music. And for that, I really appreciated her.”  

Even with being accepted into one of the top music schools in the world Liza struggled a bit with Impostor Syndrome.  She thought,  “Maybe if I understood more of how the harp works, that would give me more confidence.”  

Liza has always had a mechanical brain and could be found trying to figure out how things work and how to fix them. Even when she was in high school she remembers trying to figure out how to repair the school’s harp.  At one point Pat Doogle, one of Liza’s harp tech mentors,  made her take the harp apart and reassemble it so that she could see the inside and see how each part is related to the other. It was a big “Ah ha moment” for Liza.

Her curiosity, attention to detail, and hyperfocus are some of the things that make her a great harp tech.  She is also extremely personable like a doctor with good bedside manners.  

“This is a big deal to me, one reason it does take me longer [to work on a harp] is that I like to talk to you about your harp.  I want to know if you are having specific issues, but also, I have very sensitive ears, so I may hear a buzz that you didn’t even know existed…or even if you come to me with a problem that you do know exists, I want you to understand what it was I did to make it go away.  Because a lot of times it’s just something silly.  More often than not, it’s something silly like a string end.  That’s why I give the classes to give you a checklist of what to check for that you can do easily for yourself, especially in the lever harp world. “

It is no surprise that Camac harps have made her one of their International harp techs.

Liza stresses the importance of having your harp regulated.  She suggests getting your pedal harp regulated a minimum of once every other year, but if you are a professional, every year.  Lever harps, if they don’t move much and depending on their construction they should be regulated around every three or four years. But if your harp does shift more than you will need more servicing. 

 “Not all the harp techs work on lever harps. That’s another way that I feel that they are very neglected. It’s getting better, I think. And I feel that part of that is due to Somerset [The Somerset Folk Harp Festival].”

“I feel that there is something special about the lever harp community…the pedal harp community is more formal whereas the lever harp community is more bohemian, but not less sophisticated.”

“I don’t know why, but I have this Bob Ross approach” to teaching harp maintenance…”it’s all going to be ok”

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/liza.jensen.16

https://www.camac-harps.com/en/liza-jensen/

https://www.somersetharpfest.com/index.shtml#jensen

MENTIONS:

American Harp Society https://www.harpsociety.org/

Kathleen Bride https://www.esm.rochester.edu/faculty/bride_kathleen/

Harp Island and The Harp Society of Tasmania https://www.harpsocietytasmania.org/past-events

Camac Harps https://www.camac-harps.com/en/

Katryna Tan http://www.katrynatan.com/

Emily Hopkins  https://www.emilyharpist.com/

My guest today is harpist Tiffany Schaefer. Tiffany is a harp teacher and performer based in Ohio. During our chat we discussed the Ohio Scottish Arts School, or OSAS for short, and how, “music is bringing people together and [how] it is ageless that way.” Tiffany grew up in a musical family and started playing the harp in 2007. Her involvement in OSAS and The Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA) brought her into the world of Scottish traditional music.

The first harp album she found in her local library was by Sue Richards and she became inspired by Sue’s playing. You could imagine Tiffany’s surprise when Sue was one of her adjudicators at her first OSAS’s harp competition! We talk about many of the amazing harpists who have inspired her, many of whom have been interviewed on this podcast folks like: Rachel Hair, Corrina Hewat, Kim Robertson and more...make sure to check out those episodes in our archives.

On competition: Although it can be nerve wracking,

“It’s a great way to work toward something and get some feedback from people who know what they are talking about.”

Tiffany is passionate about creating community, something that we here at HarpSong™️ and Moon Over the Trees are as well. Tiffany’s hope for her free FB group, “Mastering Celtic Music”, is that it will, “grow into a hub for Celtic music and all different kinds of instrumentalists...not just harpists.” You can also check out her Patreon page for classes, and arrangements for the harp.

On performing:

Tiffany performs as a soloist and accompanies her own singing and storytelling. Right now she has two ensembles, one plays Renaissance and Baroque repertoire and the other is an Irish Traditional group called, Creggane. Check out her youtube page for more information.

LINKS

Tiffanyharpandsong.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOUqbcWka4EgODStHBzWBUg

Mastering Celtic Music FB: https://www.facebook.com/groups/347044529772564

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/tiffanyharpandsong

Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS): https://ohioscottishartsschool.com/

The Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA): https://www.shsa.org/

Sue Richards: https://www.suerichards.net/

The first harp album she found in her local library was by Sue Richards and she became inspired by Sue’s playing.  You could imagine Tiffany’s surprise when Sue was one of her adjudicators at her first OSAS’s harp competition! We talk about many of the amazing harpists who have inspired her, many of whom have been interviewed on this podcast folks like: Rachel Hair, Corrina Hewat, Kim Robertson and more...make sure to check out those episodes in our archives.

On Competition:

Although it can be nerve wracking, “It’s a great way to work toward something and get some feedback from people who know what they are talking about.”

Celtic Music Community:

Tiffany is passionate about creating community, something that we here at HarpSong™️ and Moon Over the Trees Music and Theatre Productions® are as well.  Tiffany’s hope for her free FB group, “Mastering Celtic Music”, is that it will, “grow into a hub for Celtic music and all different kinds of instrumentalists...not just harpists.”  You can also check out her Patreon page for classes, and arrangements for the harp.  

On Performing:

Tiffany performs as a soloist and accompanies her own singing and storytelling.  Right now she has two ensembles, one plays Renaissance and Baroque repertoire and the other is an Irish Traditional group called, Creggane.  Check out her youtube page for more information. 

LINKS

Tiffany’s Website: Tiffanyharpandsong.com

Youtube:

Mastering Celtic Music FB

Patreon: www.patreon.com/tiffanyharpandsong

Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS): ohioscottishartsschool.com

The Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA):www.shsa.org

Sue Richards: www.suerichards.net

5 Pointe Cafe in Cleveland, Ohio (supporter of local musicians): www.5pointscafe.com

Hi!  Thank you for being here with me today on HarpSong™️.  Today, April 22nd 2021, marks the first official anniversary of the podcast.  That’s the date I uploaded the pilot episode.  I didn’t know where it would take me, but it’s really kept me in touch with so many artists from around the world.  Many have become good friends of mine.  Some I’ve seen more of this year, thanks to zoom and the podcast, then I’ve seen before the strange year 2020 entered our lives. 

And it’s those friendships and collaborations with these amazing folks that inspired me to start this podcast.  

I’m also sharing a list of upcoming festivals and events with you today.  

When I’m coordinating the concerts at The Somerset Folk Harp Festival, when we are in person, I start contacting the performers months in advance.  This is where my music performance background meets up with my theater directing and theater tech background.  I love helping performers feel comfortable on the festival stage, with their sound checks, lighting, and timing of their sets. (Yes, I’m the one giving the performers the five minute signal.  Believe me, most times I want them to keep playing, but after a long day of workshops a two plus hour concert needs to stay on schedule.)  After the day’s workshops are over and everyone’s had a chance to drool over the ballroom filled with harps to buy, people grab a bite to eat, get changed and head to the concert.

While all that is going on after the last workshop has ended and we have finished at the lunchtime concert stage,  the concert staff gets to work on prep for the evening festivities.  This usually starts with us trying to figure out what to eat that will be quick.  Sometimes I’ll run out and get Thai or Indian food or pizza for the concert crew.  That’s when we can start soundcheck and that’s where I get to chat with the artists and oftentimes share with them some of the local take out. 

We swap stories of songs and of performing, of tours and teachers and after the concert oftentimes an adult beverage and some snacks.  Everyone brings a little something like cheese and crackers, or fruit and we put it on a table for all of us to share.  This is where luthiers talk to artists and sound technicians about the harps and amps, etc, and exchange ideas, this is where one person picks up a guitar and another their harp or a flute or concertina and just starts playing music and sharing stories. It’s where new ideas happen and friendships are born.

What does this have to do with the podcast?  Well, I feel so fortunate to get to have conversations with these amazing people and I wanted to share some of that candidness and inspiration, laughter, and commadardarie with you.  Workshops are great, but you really don’t get a chance to ask in-depth questions of the artist, and concerts are amazing, but, as I mentioned before, there’s really not enough time for telling stories on stage if you want to have time to play some songs.

Originally I wanted this podcast to cover harp, jazz, rock and roll, education, and theater...basically all of the things that got me to create my company Moon Over the Trees. But, when Kathy DeAngelo, the head of the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, decided to put the festival online in 2020, I thought it was the perfect time to start the podcast by interviewing the harpist and harp makers at the festival.  So, HarpSong™️ was born. I have met so many wonderful people through this podcast and I continually make more and more connections in a never ending stream of sharing and discovery.

I would love it if you could subscribe to the podcast.  When you write a review be sure to email me at info@moonoverthetrees.com so I can send you some thank you merch.  Also, head on over to my youtube channel where I’ve started to put videos of interviews, concerts, and songs.  Please subscribe to the youtube page.  As soon as we reach 100 subscribers I’ll be able to customize the YouTube url for the page. 

I’m also starting a Choose Your Harp Adventure set of lessons.  I loved those choose your own adventure books when I was a kid, so I’m developing a series of classes where you will be able to choose your own harp journey of learning.  Be sure to sign up for more info on the lessons page on the website. 

Join me over on Patreon where you’ll be able to listen to uncut interviews, get access to lessons, and interact with the Moon Over the Trees Community.

Check out the HarpSong™️ Facebook Podcast group and the Moon Over the Trees Music and Theatre Productions® FB page. 

I also created another podcast called, Beat Your Heart Out™️, where I interview rockabilly, jazz, rock, and punk artists from around the world.  Later this year I will also be launching a Theater podcast. 

Whew!  That’s been a busy year!  And thanks to all of you I’ve been able to make it grow even more.

Speaking of a lot going on,

Hi! I’ve put together a list of upcoming harp festivals.  Please include any that you'd like me to list for others to know about. Send me an email at info@moonoverthetrees.com or find me over on Instagram @harpsongmoonoverthetrees or pinterest.  I’ll have all of these listed in the show notes. 

Here's what I have so far:

The St. Louis Tionol (tin-awl) “Gathering for the purpose of sharing” is going virtual this year!

Join us April 22-25

https://www.tionol.org/

Gulf Coast Cruinniú

June 18-20

https://gulfcoastirish.org/

Ailie Robertson's Summer Harp Festival 18-20 June Ailie, Maeve Gilchrist, Erik Ask-Upmark, and Michael Rooney

https://www.ailierobertson.com/summe.../summer-harp-festival

The Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS) June 28-July 2, 2021

https://ohioscottishartsschool.com/

The Somerset Folk Harp Festival July 22-25, 2021

https://www.somersetharpfest.com/

July 25-29

The Festival of Early Irish Harp

https://festival.irishharp.org/

Common Ground on the Hill June 28th - July 2nd | July 5th - 9th | July 12th - 16th

https://www.commongroundonthehill.org/class-category/harp

Festival Interceltique de Lorient August 2021

https://www.brittanytourism.com/.../festival.../

Colmcille 1500 events

https://colmcille1500.com/english/

Colmcille1500, of which Ruth will be participating in,  celebrates the life and legacy of Colmcille or Columba,1500 years from his birth. It promotes the heritage of the saint whose abbey of Iona linked Ireland and Scotland and beyond. You can find information here about the events,heritage, educational resources, and suggested themes.

https://colmcille.net/colmcille-1500/

The music you are listening to in the background is Nancy Hurrell playing Carolan’s Concerto on her Egan Irish Harp.  Check out my recent interview with Nancy.  Before that I was performing Blessed Be that Maid Marie, The Butterfly, and my friend Tom Clark’s composition entitled, “Jimmy Stewart”. 

So, again, thank you so much for listening and all of your positivity and support this past year.  My upcoming guests include: Ann Heymann, Siobhan Armstrong, Karen Loomis, Eileen Gannon, Sharon Thormahlen  of Thormahlen Harps,  and more… I’d love to hear from you, so please stay in touch. 

In this episode I have a lovely chat with Scottish harpist, Rachel Hair, and Manx singer Ruth Keggin.  Rachel and Ruth are planning on recording an album of Manx songs later this year.  Their crowdfunder is still up if you would like to be a part of making their new album.  Some of the gifts to supporters include: early access to the album or you can pledge for harp lessons or Manx language singing lessons.  Rachel has even offered to make Scottish Tablet to send to folks in the UK for a pledge. Scottish Tablet is a bit like fudge.  We discuss this tasty sweet in the interview and how making it is its own workout.  Ruth is also offering to do calligraphy artwork in Manx lyrics for anyone interested in pledging at that level.  

At the time this episode is airing the Edinburgh International Harp Festival will have just ended, but there are still some videos up on their website and a harp themed merchandise page. So, if you’d like to support the festival, head on over and pick up a harp tea towel, jewelry, music books, or harp stained glass.

There is so much wonderful information in this episode for you to explore.  Head on over to Rachel and Ruth’s websites and consider purchasing some of their music. Pop by their crowdfunder page and support them and other artists.

Other events going on:

Colmcille1500, of which Ruth will be participating in,  celebrates the life and legacy of Colmcille or Columba,1500 years from his birth. It promotes the heritage of the saint whose abbey of Iona linked Ireland and Scotland and beyond. You can find information here about the events,heritage, educational resources, and suggested themes.

https://colmcille.net/colmcille-1500/

The Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS) June 28-July 2, 2021

https://ohioscottishartsschool.com/

The Somerset Folk Harp Festival July 22-25, 2021

https://www.somersetharpfest.com/

Common Ground on the Hill June 28th - July 2nd | July 5th - 9th | July 12th - 16th

https://www.commongroundonthehill.org/class-category/harp

Festival Interceltique de Lorient August 2021

https://www.brittanytourism.com/matching-what-i-want/culture-and-heritage/brittanys-main-events/festival-interceltique-de-lorient/

LINKS

Rachel and Ruth’s album Crowdfunder:

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/rachelandruth

Rachel Hair’s Website:

https://www.rachelhair.com/

The Edinburgh International Harp Festival:

https://www.harpfestival.co.uk/

Ruth Keggin’s Website 

https://www.ruthkeggin.com/

Culture Vannin Information on The Isle of Man:

https://www.culturevannin.im/

Learn Manx for free on Zoom

https://learnmanx.com/

The North American Manx Association

https://namanx.org/

Colmcille1500, of which Ruth will be participating in,  celebrates the life and legacy of Colmcille or Columba,1500 years from his birth. It promotes the heritage of the saint whose abbey of Iona linked Ireland and Scotland and beyond. You can find information here about the events,heritage, educational resources, and suggested themes.

https://colmcille.net/colmcille-1500/

Creative Scotland

https://www.creativescotland.com/

The Isle of Man Arts Council

https://www.iomarts.com/

The Apex Singers

https://www.theapexsingers.com/

Music Festivals mentioned:

Festival Interceltique de Lorient August 2021

https://www.brittanytourism.com/matching-what-i-want/culture-and-heritage/brittanys-main-events/festival-interceltique-de-lorient/

The Somerset Folk Harp Festival

https://www.somersetharpfest.com/

The Ohio Scottish Arts School (OSAS)

https://ohioscottishartsschool.com/

Common Ground on the Hill June 28th - July 2nd | July 5th - 9th | July 12th - 16th

https://www.commongroundonthehill.org/class-category/harp

https://hurrellharp.com
My guest this week on HarpSong™️ is harpist and self described “Harp Detective” Nancy Hurrell. We had such a fun time talking about the harp, inspiration, and bringing history to life. 

Nancy is the author of the definitive biography on nineteenth-century Irish harp maker John Egan, The Egan Irish Harps: Tradition, patrons and players.  She has taught early harp classes at the Boston Conservatory, Brandeis University, Benslow Music (England), and workshops at The Somerset Folk Harp Festival,  the Historical Harp Society and the American Harp Society.   With academic degrees in harp performance and fine art, Nancy presents lecture-demonstrations on rare harps in museum collections. 

Join me over on Patreon for an extended interview with Nancy as we talk about inspiring student harpists and the next book she has in the works among other fun harp related topics.

My guest today is harper/singer dominique dodge.  Dominique has a deep love of the music and song traditions of Cape Breton, Ireland, and Scotland and has a passion for melody-driven dance music and responsive, rhythmic accompaniment, as well as for songs, airs, and 18th century harp music. A former Fulbright Scholar, Dominique has an MA from the University of Limerick in Irish Music Performance and a BA Honours in Scottish Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow. She is also a dedicated learner of Scottish Gaelic.  Dominique has extensive experience in traditional arts education and maintains a busy and vibrant teaching practice. She has been performing, recording and teaching traditional music on both sides of the Atlantic She has a new CD this year all in Scottish Gaelic called Canan nan Teud, The Language of the Strings. This year also marks Dominique’s fifth year directing the Somerset Folk Harp Festival’s, Youth Harp Program.  

While Dominique was living in Cape Breton she lived on a farm and during the pandemic while she can’t tour she is engaging with the land and spending more time farming and out in the wild and working with the land and singing Gaelic songs in the garden. It’s also allowed her to pick up another instrument, the concertina.  In our chat we discuss her love of traditional music, community, teaching, and sharing her knowledge to keep the tradition alive.  The selections of music in this episode are from Dominique’s newest album which is available for purchase and download on her website. 

Website: www.dominiquedodge.com

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfss38PuHrxQ9pX8m1MnTA

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DominiqueDodgeMusic/

Online Concert: https://www.cabotarts.org/upcoming-events (March 19th, 2021)

Archival Cape Breton Sources:

Gaelstream: https://stfx.cairnrepo.org/islandora/object/stfx%3Agaidheal

The Beaton Institute: https://beatoninstitute.com/

An Drochaid Eadarainn: https://www.androchaid.ca/

MacEdward Leach: https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/

Language in Lyrics: https://languageinlyrics.com/about/

Somerset Folk Harp Festival: https://www.somersetharpfest.com/index.shtmlwww.somersetharpfest.com/index.shtml

Hi and welcome to this week’s episode of HarpSong™️ Presented by Moon Over the Trees Music and Theatre Productions®.  This month marks the first anniversary of my founding of Moon Over the Trees and as a thank you to all of my listeners and folks who have supported me along the way, this week’s episode is all about you. If you are enjoying the podcast please let me know by writing a review.  For the first 20 people who post a review I’ll send you some fun Moon Over the Trees merch.  Just send me an email along with your iTunes name.

It feels like this year is flying by. 

March brings us the Spring Equinox and warmer sunnier days ahead and of course, St. Patrick’s Day. But, first, this week’s episode of HarpSong™️, is all about you!  In this week’s episode I’m giving you 7 tips for things that will help you be kinder to yourself. 

Let me know: 

What are your biggest challenges musically?

Are you new to the harp and don’t know where to start?

Do you need some concrete advice on how to get started recording yourself?

Would you like a step by step guide on how to use audio and video editing software?

Do you want to hear more about getting started on the harp/piano/voice lessons?

Are you looking for inspiration?

Ways to relax and unwind?

Are you interested in meeting up with folks in the Moon Over the Trees community to share music and theater ideas and inspiration?

Did you know that Ireland is the only country that has a musical instrument as its national emblem? What better way to celebrate the harp and Ireland than to discuss the history of the Ancient Irish Harp,  its origins, and its music.

My upcoming guests on HarpSong™️ will include:

The revival of the Clarsach (The harp of The Gaels in Ireland and Scotland)

Ann Heymann - Ann is one of the world’s foremost performers and researchers of The wire-strung harp, or Clarsach, which was the harp of the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland.  Ann is central to the revival of the Clarsach.  This year she is receiving two lifetime achievement awards.  One from The Somerset Folk Harp Festival and one from The Historical Harp Society of Ireland. There is so much to cover of Ann’s 50 year career that I will break my interview with Ann into two parts. And be on the lookout for an article on Ann in the Folk Harp Journal. 

Speaking of  

The Historical Harp Society of Ireland: Siobhán Armstrong will also be a guest on the podcast this month.

Siobhán founded The Historical Harp Society of Ireland and is passionate about encouraging the revival of The Ancient Irish Harp.  She is also director of Scoil na gCláirseach—Festival of Early Irish Harp, which takes place each August in Ireland.

The Ancient Irish Harp in Museums: Nancy Hurrell

Nancy Hurrell is a performer and harp historian. She is the author of the definitive biography on nineteenth-century Irish harp maker John Egan, The Egan Irish Harps: Tradition, patrons and players.She has taught early harp classes at the Boston Conservatory, Brandeis University, Benslow Music (England), and workshops at Somerset Harp Festival (NJ), UK Harp Festival and for the Historical Harp Society and the American Harp Society.   With academic degrees in harp performance and fine art, Hurrell presents lecture-demonstrations of rare harps in museum collections.

Speaking of rare and ancient harps STEAM and The Ancient Irish Harp: Karen Loomis Consultant Organologist

In the New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, organology is defined as “The systematic investigation of the history, design, technology, and functions (musical, social, symbolic, etc.) of musical instruments of all times and places.”

Karen conducts construction and craftsmanship analysis of historical musical instruments using her expertise in non-invasive techniques.  Karen provides technical information for musical instrument makers, musicians, museums, collectors, and other researchers.

She has led groundbreaking work studying the historical harps of Ireland and Scotland, and recently led a project funded by the Arts Council of Ireland to undertake analysis of the Hollybrook harp at the National Museum of Ireland for the Historical Harp Society of Ireland.

Previous work includes scientific analysis of the Lamont and Queen Mary harps. This research is now being used by musical instrument makers to produce informed replicas of these historical harps.

Harper Dominique Dodge will also be a guest as well as my friend Missy Graff-Ballone of Wellness for Makers.  Missy works with textile artists, silversmiths, and musicians to help them find mindful movement and avoid repetitive strain injuries.  We will be focusing on healthy hands and different techniques to increase blood flow, circulation, and flexibility, and energy.  Missy has a “Hands of the Maker” bundle on her website complete with tools to help you stretch and maintain good hand and forearm health. 

March Music: Music for Beginners and Beyond

I'm working on pre-recorded online harp lessons where you can learn new tunes, learn how to tune your harp, get more comfortable with improvisation, learn how to improvise for meditation, basics of recording, and more.  Workshops for beginners and beyond. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to work on.

New Recordings!

I have new recordings coming out with music for meditation and relaxation and have teamed up with some local artists who have made some goodies to add to your listening moments of “ahhh”. 

Hudson Valley potter, Muddy Rib is making custom limited edition harp themed mugs for you to enjoy the special tea blends that my friends at Tea & Absinthe  are putting together for you in this musical box set of relaxation.

For more information on the 7 Things that have helped me be kinder to myself and help others head on over to my blog. www.moonoverthetrees.com/blog/7-things-that-have-helped-me-be-kinder-to-myself-and-help-others

Welcome to this week’s episode of HarpSong™️

Shveta Thakrar, is a writer and lover of the harp.  The heroine in her new novel, “Star Daughter”, plays the music of the stars on her harp, after all, she is half star and half human.  In this, Shveta’s first novel, she spins a story of magic, of stars, of a young woman’s strength,  her friendships and family. The world in this novel moves between New Jersey and the stars and Vedic Nakshatras, or constellations.  Music is the heartbeat of this book and the harp makes a prominent role in the story.

Shveta is a proponent of  the We Need Diverse Books movement and is passionate about portraying positive representations of women of Indian descent. She also plays the harp and has taken lessons from my friend, Kathy DeAngelo , who runs The Somerset Folk Harp Festival which will take place online this July 22nd-25th 2021. I’m so glad that Kathy suggested I interview Shveta.  I hope you enjoy our chat and get inspired. 

“Star Daughter”, ended up in at least nine subscription boxes in 2020.  Boxes like Owl Crate are where young readers get exciting boxes filled with inspiring books and fun items that go along with them.  Shveta spent a good portion of 2020 singing over 30,000 books for the subscription boxes!

I got to catch up with Shveta just after she finished a draft of her next novel, “The Dream Runners”.  She has certinally had a busy year.  This February 17th she will be doing a reading at the KGB bar in New York City.  More information can be found on their website.  www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/upcoming-readers/

If you are interested in learning more about Indian Literature, Folklore, and Fables here is the link to the comic books that Shveta recommended www.amarchitrakatha.com

LINKS

Shveta’s Website: www.shvetathakrar.com

We Need Diverse Books: diversebooks.org

The Somerset Folk Harp Festival: www.somersetharpfest.com/index.shtml

Owl Crate Book Subscription Boxes: www.owlcrate.com/blogs/owlcrate

KGB Bar NYC Fantasy Fiction Readings: www.kgbfantasticfiction.org/upcoming-readers/

Amarchitrakatha Comics: www.amarchitrakatha.com

YA Author Laini Taylor: www.lainitaylor.com

Land, landscape, history, and music…

Janet Harbison is one of the most well respected celebrators of the Irish Harp and Traditional Irish Music.  She has had a profound influence on the harp and trad community teaching some of the most well known harp players in the tradition like Grainne Hambly, Michael Rooney, and Laoise Kelly.

Her new solo album, “By Strangford Water” is a collection of Janet’s compositions.  There is also a companion book of the compositions on this album available on Janet’s website. We discuss her relationship with Camac harps and the story behind the making of the Camac “Janet” harp, how to interpret slow airs on the harp, and other interesting topics.

Janet likes to remind players that when playing a slow air, knowing the text and how you can tell the story of that song through the music is so integral to your musical interpretation.

”We have detached the music from the story. It’s turning the meaningful music that connects us as a community into something totally superficial and sugary.”

-Janet Harbison (on interpreting a song)

Janet is so proud of her many students who have gone on to teach and perform. “To be their teacher was a privilege.” Performers and educators like Gráinne Hambly, Laoise Kelly, and Michael Rooney continue to share the tradition with a new generation of harp players.

What does it mean to learn music in the tradition?

“The way people are learning now, mostly is in workshops by rote.  It’s learning by ear, but it’s not traditional.  To be traditional is to start with the basics and then to evolve the arrangement yourself using a free form of ornamentation and variation and accompaniment.  None of that should be present.”

-Janet Harbison

Janet believes that a musician should be able to converse with and, “be in community with the [other] players otherwise “You’re limiting yourself”.

“It’s a natural thing for a student to emulate their teachers, but it shouldn’t be that they only can play what they’ve been formally taught, by ear or by any other means.  It’s about teaching somebody a language so they can speak it. And that they feel confident to commune with it with the other tradition makers. For me that’s the purpose behind teaching.”

-Janet Harbison

Playing Harp in Irish Traditional Music Sessions

“Harp players have a unique opportunity to do the traditional stuff in a traditional way that is still also ahead of the fashion, if you like.”

-Janet Harbison 

On Accompanying:

“It’s all about dressing up and dressing down any piece of music…The tune is the story and the accompaniment is the fluff. “

-Janet Harbison

Session Etiquette

Janet encourages harpists to play with the best musicians you can find, not to play in slow sessions, but go and try to stretch yourself. You don’t have to play every note, but let your playing breathe and get into the feel of the music. Janet reminds us to “Watch how the musicians look at each other and the unspoken communication”.

 Harpists and Poets

“The harpists had a partnership with the poets.  The poets composed the epic verse.  [The verse] would never be performed without the harper providing the emotional impact in the music of the suantraí, geantraí and goltraí.”

-Janet Harbison

According to tradition, there are three types of Irish melody – suantraí, geantraí and goltraí. Suantraí (lullaby) was a tune that put you to sleep, geantraí caused laughter or merriment, whereas goltraí brought the listener to tears.

www.livinglanguage.com/blog/

Janet is passionate about training and teaching traditional Irish Harp and believes that, “Irish harp music should have a much higher profile in harp music worldwide.” 

LINKS

Janet’s Website: www.janetharbisonharp.com

The History of The Belfast Harp Orchestra:  www.irishharporchestra.com/history/short-history-of-the-belfast-harp-orchestra/

Janet and Grainne Hambly performing, “Bright New Morning” at The Somerset Folk Harp Festival in 2019:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSc7qcqg1KA

The Camac “Janet” Harp: www.camac-harps.com/en/harps-en/lever/janet/ 

moonoverthetrees.com

https://www.janetharbisonharp.com/

Janet Harbison is one of the most well respected celebrators of the Irish Harp and Traditional Irish Music. She has had a profound influence on the harp and trad community teaching some of the most well known harp players in the tradition like Grainne Hambly, Michael Rooney, and Laoise Kelly.

Her new solo album, “By Strangford Water” is a collection of Janet’s compositions. The one you are hearing in the background is the title track from the album. A meditation on the country and landscape of Northern Ireland. There is also a companion book of the compositions on this album available on Janet’s website.

Janet and I covered quite a bit of information in our chat so I decided to break this interview into two parts. In this episode we discuss her new album, her development of courses to train teachers of traditional Irish music, Northern Ireland during Brexit and COVID, the history of the Belfast harp Orchestra as well as her involvement in the peace process in Northern Ireland. In Part 2 of this interview we’ll get into her relationship with Camac harps and the story behind the making of the Camac “Janet” harp and other interesting topics.