Director, Dusty Strings Music School
At Dusty Strings we’re gearing up for our biggest event of the year – Harp Seattle! This year, from October 7th – 9th, we’ve invited four of the world’s most renowned harpists: Park Stickney, Maeve Gilchrist, Kim Robertson, and Nicolas Carter. We chose them not just for their virtuosity as performers, but for their diverse contributions to the field.
Known the world over for his ability to play two harps at once, Park Stickney has performed and taught at nearly every harp festival from Adelaide to Zaragoza. His latest album, ‘Who Is The Lion, The Wolf, and The Donkey?’, features original songs, and arrangements of songs by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk and The Eagles.
Maeve Gilchrist has taken Celtic harp to new levels of performance with her folk-jazz-fusion approach that stretches its harmonic limits and improvisational possibilities. She continues to record and perform solo even while touring with such luminaries as Tony Trischka, Esperanza Spalding, and Alasdair Fraser.
A pioneer of the American folk harp movement, Kim Robertson combines an improvisational spirit with a passionate sense of tradition, bringing a contemporary touch to a centuries-old instrument. The Los Angeles Times wrote of Robertson, “…her Celtic harp held within its strings and wood the diverse offerings of the human race.”
Paraguayan harpist Nicolas Carter weaves storytelling, reflections on culture, and humor to create unforgettable experiences for audiences. A trained theatre director, he’s performed concerts throughout the United States and Europe, either accompanying Paraguay’s Lizza Bogado or with his trio, Son Del Sur, that features harp, woodwinds, and guitarrón.
These four performers will take the stage at Dusty Strings over two-nights in an intimate concert setting that’s open to the public. Kim Robertson & Nicolas Carter will perform Friday, October 7th at 7:30p, and Park Stickney & Maeve Gilchrist will perform Saturday, October 8th at 7:30p. Individual tickets may be purchased for each concert, at dustystrings.com, and one need not register for the entire weekend of events to attend a concert.
Lastly, we’ve invited several leading regional harpists to present workshops on topics ranging from chord calisthenics to harp therapy, to the Alexander Technique. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re a veteran harper or just starting out; and, as in previous years, memories of workshops, concerts, and connections made will last forever. We at Dusty Strings want to share harp with the world, and with you, and we hope to see you here!
Harp Seattle 2016 runs October 7th – 9th at Dusty Strings Music Store & School. For more information, and to register, visit dustystrings.com or call 866-634-1662.