Tuesday, October 27, 2009
The Harpers of the Opera will be a 3 day event to be held in June 2010 (18th-20th)
The idea behind Harpers of the Opera is to bring together harpists,aspiring harpists and those who appreciate the ethereal sound of the harp together in one place.
Harpers of the Opera will be held at the Prince of Wales Opera House located in the small historical town of Gulgong, NSW.
This event will combine concerts and harp workshops for those interested in learning the harp, workshops from Beginners to Advanced.
There will be two concerts held at the venue, Saturday night 8pm performed by professional harpists and those who participate in the workshops will be held on Sunday at 1pm.
Workshops are not just for those who own and play harp but, to encourage more people who wish to learn or even to gather a wealth of information on purchasing a harp for themselves, later on.
Weekend will kick off on Friday 18th June at 4pm with Registration at venue followed by a supper, meeting wonderful and interesting people from all over the state and beyond.
Hugh Jones harp maker who has designed more harps than any other in the world will start, on the Saturday 19th June at 9am exhibiting his latest creations - pedal and non pedal harps and will be open to discussion on care and purchase.
Meriel Owen from Harp Centre Australia will also be exhibiting at the venue along with sales of
music, strings and accessories. She will provide information on harps and about the Harp Centre in general.
Formal workshop sessions will start after morning tea at 11.30 am, allowing distant travellers
attending workshops, some free time to sight see the local area and soak up the atmosphere.
Workshops will continue until 5.30pm; followed by discussion on the days' events.
Concert will be opened by a local MC and musician Bob Campbell, at 8pm introducing professional harpists to perform.There will be an intermission for CD sales. Concert will close at approx. 10.00pm
Workshop continues Sunday 20th June at 9.00am and will finish around 12.45pm.
Concert will will be opened by local MC and musician Bob Campbell at 1pm, introducing all level workshop /soloists and for the finale the workshop ensemble will play. Concert will close at approx. 3.00pm.
A printed program will be available for concert ticket purchasers.
Prince of Wales Opera House where Dame Nellie Melba once sang. Built in 1871, is the oldest in the southern hemisphere that remains, still in use today.
(Schedule of events is still under construction along with more information on workshops, concerts and Harpers of the Opera event & will be posted soon)
I will also be posting information to readers about the town of Gulgong, the Opera House and important information about Harpers of the Opera event, accommodation, places to eat and how to get here.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Cliona was classically trained in Dublin at the Royal Irish Academy of Music where she studied both the Irish and Concert Harp. During this time she won several competitions such as the Feis Ceoil and the Adare Harp Competition. As well as solo performances she also worked with two Dublin orchestras. Cliona produced and played the harp for several theatrical productions.
Outside of Ireland Cliona performed in Scotland, Luxembourg, Brussels, Dallas, New York and Sydney. In New York she played the harp live on PBS radio for part of a 16 hour reading of James Joyce’s ULYSSES on Bloomsday.
Since settling here in Australia, Cliona played the harp in the Aida orchestra in 1989 and performed solo in the Opera House at a concert of the Brendan Voyage.
More than anything Cliona loves to play the harp with other musicians. She enjoys formal and informal sessions of traditional and contemporary music. Cliona has been playing mainly irish music with a singer and flute player Chris Wheeler performing at the Sydney Opera House Utzon Room in 2007 as Cliona and Chris
More recently has also been performing with Venezuelan cuatro player Ivan Vivas They have played together as the Latin String Ensemble at the South American Festival in Bondi as well as Cafe Carnivale. Playing with a wonderful musician like Iván has given her playing so much energy. She is also indebted to mexican harpist Victor Valdes for teaching her so much about harp music from South America.
As a soloist, some of Jayne’s highlights include playing at a cocktail party for Elle McPherson, being the guest soloist of Victor Borge at the Opera House, playing at receptions for Prince Edward and the Crown Prince of Thailand at Government House in Perth, and at the wedding ceremony of Bec Cartwright and Lleyton Hewitt in the Opera House.
As a freelance orchestral harpist, Jayne has had the opportunity of playing in the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra, and the Sydney, West Australian and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestras.
She has also performed in the musicals, Evita, 42nd Street, The King and I, South Pacific, Me and My Girl, My Fair Lady and The Producers. Other orchestral career highlights include playing in two Hollywood film scores (recorded in Perth), and playing with the Electric Light Orchestra in Perth in 1995.
In 1997, Jayne recorded a CD, with flautist Naomi Halls. Titled Moon over the Ruined Castle, it is a relaxing collection of well-known classical and Japanese melodies.
Jayne’s second CD, Thyme & Roses was released in December 1999. Featuring harp and voice, with soprano Taryn Fiebig, it also has a touch of mandolin and cello. Irish, Scottish, and English love songs are interspersed with several instrumentals.
Jayne is a graduate of the NSW Conservatorium of Music (Bachelor of music with a major in harp performance). She has also studied in the USA and participated in the world harp congress in Copenhagen in 1995.
Jayne’s concert harp, built in 1929 by the Wurlitzer Company in Chicago, is an exquisite instrument. Beautifully decorated in gold leaf, it produces a magnificent sound.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Involved in production shows, the Seltic Sirens and her solo cabaret show, she regularly works with all kinds of bands and genres.
She has starred in Irving Berlin cabarets in London, hit musicals overseas and has recently returned from another tour of Asia, performing for the prince of Malaysia at the Cartier Launch.
She is a regular soloist with the Princess Cruise lines.
Shannon trained at London Royal Academy and Indiana Uni USA in opera, ballet,classical guitar and violin.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Jan is both a harp teacher and a solo/ensemble performer in and around Sydney. Having brought the Fellowship of the Strings together for many years, Jan has now created the Seltic Sirens , based on the unique blend of traditional and contemporary.
Jan also has considerable experience teaching dance and theatre at tertiary level and has studied dance, music, social ecology and psychotherapy.
With a masters degree from UWS, she has attended and taught at London University, Macquarie Uni and Sydney College of the Arts.
Drawing on her extensive background in Australian traditional music and many other genres, Jan's rhythmic harp accompaniments give a rare contemporary edge to the music.
Her delicate playing and Celtic instrumental solos bring a special beauty to the unique Sirens sound.