Somerset Folk Harp Festival

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Presenters

William Jackson

Simply listing William Jackson’s achievements, as musician, performer and composer can’t come close to capturing the brilliant spirit, musical intelligence, dry wit, and sympathy that he brings to every instrument he plays, piece he composes and class he teaches. Although the harp is his primary instrument, Billy’s knowledge and experience allows him to move comfortably from the bouzouki to the tin whistle. In 1976 he was a founding member of Ossian, a breakthrough Scottish band. His richly woven and bold compositions, The Wellpark Suite, St. Mungo, Inchcolm, and A Scottish Island, reveal him as a master of orchestration with a sensitivity to contemporary tastes and the traditional idiom. In 1999 his composition 'Corryvreckan' from the album Inchcolm was included on Fiona Ritchie's favourites collection, "The Best of The Thistle & Shamrock, Volume 1." More recently he composed “Fantasia on Scottish Themes” for the Asheville Symphony Orchestra” in North Carolina. He is now living in Ireland. His 2009 CD with Grainne Hambly debuted at Somerset. Besides many CDs he also has one book, Scottish Traditional Music, complementary to the CD The Ancient Harp of Scotland. In 2008 he joined the staff at You Gotta Have Harp's Harpers' Escape Weekend.

Presenter website: William Jackson

Arranging the songs of Robert Burns
Level: Int Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Arranging Pipe & Fiddle Tunes for Harp
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sun. 9am More Info

Kathy Kasley

Kathy Kasley is a certified U.S. Water Fitness Association instructor, and has been teaching water exercise in the Williamsburg VA area. She plays Celtic harp and has become a certified music practitioner with MHTP and plays harp in hospitals and hospice in her area. As a harpist with arthritis, she has found that exercise can profoundly help hand articulation and the ability to continue to play with ease. This is Kathy's third year at Somerset leading this morning workshop at the pool for the early risers at the festival.

Presenter website: Kathy Kasley

Water Workout
Level: Any. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. & Sat. 7:30am More Info

Lynne Lapidus

“A harp wrapped in a Tallis” is planned for the cover of Lynne Lapidus’ first CD, which will be harp arrangements of liturgical Jewish music, including a melody she says ‘I literally learned at the left knee’ of Elie Wiesel. Descended from a long line of professional women musicians (her grandmother sang for the Tzar!) Lynne played piano from a young age, studied guitar in college and has been singing semi-professionally most of her life, including musical theatre and program music. Later, discovering the folk harp, Lynne studied with Odarka Stockert and immediately began using it in synagogue services. She is planning three CD’s, one liturgical, one Yiddish and one modern Hebrew. It's our pleasure at the festival to give loyal festival-goers the opportunity to present a music topic in which they have deep roots and feel very passionate about.

Presenter website: Lynne Lapidus

Jewish Music for harp & voice
Level: Beg-Int. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 9:30am More Info

Louis Lynch

Versatility characterizes the musical career of Louis Lynch of Camp Hill, Pa. Over the course of his musical life he has been open to a variety of experiences and challenges ranging from celtic to jazz harp, to founding and directing a Harp Orchestra, composing for musical theatre, playing in a “Harp Rock” ensemble and Renaissance Faires and ‘in the pit’ in musical theater and even singing as a cowboy in a Wild West Show all of which has made him a well-known presence in his region. In addition he plays piano, teaches lively workshops and has recorded a number of CD’s in different genres as well as publishing books of his arrangements and compositions. He's at the festival directing the Harrisburg Harp Orchestra, which is performing in the Friday lunchtime concert.

Presenter website: Louis Lynch

Publish & Protect Your Work
Level: Any. Type: Lecture When: Sat. 3:30pm More Info

Sabine Meijers (International Jazz Harp Foundation)

Sabine Meijers appears courtesy of the International Jazz Harp Foundation and Camac Harps.
Sabine trained in classical harp at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and earned her Bachelor degree at the Codarts/Classical music academy in Rotterdam. She discovered the joys of jazz in the early 2000’s and began studying with Park Stickney, Deborah Henson-Conant, Jonah Clement and others. In June 2006 Sabine Meijers and Brenda Dor-Groot founded the Dutch Jazz Harp Foundation and then the International Jazz Harp Foundation in 2007. Through the IJHF, she and Brenda have a common goal to inspire students, teachers, amateurs and professionals to play creatively and freely. . Brenda and Sabine have taught and played at harp festivals in the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Italy and the USA. She and Brenda did Somerset's first full-day jazz harp workshop last year. Besides jazz, Sabine has performed with classical orchestras and choirs. She plays and performs with Brenda Dor-Groot in the lively 94 Strings duo. Sabine is a harp teacher at the music schools in Leiden and Capelle a/d IJssel. In addition, she teaches in her private practice in Rotterdam. When she's not teaching this weekend, you can find her in the International Jazz Harp booth in the Exhibit Hall.

Presenter website: International Jazz Harp Foundation

Harping from Lead Sheets
Level: Int.-Adv. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 9:30am More Info

Jam Together!
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Theoretically Speaking
Level: Int.-Adv. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Sam Milligan

kathy kasley Describing himself as a "harp addict, Sam Milligan is convinced that "no home should be without one." Since retiring as a harp technician, Sam has pursued his love of Spanish Renaissance, Baroque and New World harp music , traveling, playing and writing music and articles. Sam has been a member of the American Harp Society since its inception, was the first editor of the American Harp Journal, and is the AHS liaison to the Historical Harp Society. Growing up in Missouri in a musical family that especially loved to sing, Sam’s first harp was a Clark. He began musical studies on the harp at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi and finished at North Texas State (now U. of Texas) where he received his BA in harp performance. Moving to NYC, Sam worked for Lyon & Healy, studied with diverse teachers as Helen Hewitt and Laura Newell and along the way discovered and promoted the lever harp, by developing the first (and famous!) method books for the instrument. Of his life he says, the harp has made his life beautiful.

Presenter website: Sam Milligan

Spanish Medieval Music: Special Listening Room with guest musicians
Level: Any. Type: Concert When: Sat. 3:30pm More Info

Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

ortiz Cuban born Alfredo Ortiz is one the leading Paraguayan harpists and has a multi-cultural repertoire which covers the folk, classical and popular music of many countries, in addition to his own compositions. He began playing the Venezuelan folk harp at 15, four years after his family emigrated there, and he eventually used music to support his medical studies. Dr. Ortiz also has a background in music therapy and sensory motor integration, which he draws on in his body/harp workshops. His compositions and publications are used in many schools and by many harp ensembles around the world. In 2008, he was commissioned by the Tenth World Harp Congress to compose a piece, which was then performed by 232 harpists at the Congress, breaking a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. When not performing with symphonies and orchestras, doing concerts or recording, Dr. Ortiz is traveling and doing lectures and master classes. In 2011, in honor of his 50 years of contributions to the harp community, Alfredo was awarded the very first Lifetime Achievement Award by the Somerset Folk Harp Festival.

Presenter website: Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

Paraguayan Harp I, II and III
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Fri. & Sat. 1:30pm Sun. 9am More Info

Prevent Injury & Play Better and Faster
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 3:30pm More Info

Kim Robertson

As one of the pioneers of the American folk harp, Kim Robertson’s style and approach to the instrument is uniquely personal and original. Trained classically on piano and orchestral harp, she brings a contemporary touch to both her original compositions and her arrangements of Celtic music. Her skill and stage presence as a performer has brought her a loyal following and she is an experienced and sensitive teacher as well. She has many CD’s, among them Highland Heart, Shady Grove and Shall We Gather as well as numerous volumes of harp arrangements and several instructional videos.

Presenter website: Kim Robertson

Contemporary Carolan
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Playing Backup
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Slow Airs
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Technique Tune up for the Lazy Harpist
Level: Adv Type: Hands-on When: Sun. 9am More Info

Gerry Serviente

Gerry Serviente has been a church musician since the age of 10. She has served as organist, choir director, cantor, choir member, pianist, guitarist, and now harpist in several Roman Catholic churches in Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania. She also has experience as an organist and choir director in two Evangelical Lutheran churches. If one area of music can be said to be her focal point, it is church music. Gerry came late to the harp, celebrating her 50th birthday by buying her first harp. Combining her new love with the old, she uses her harp to enhance worship, playing both solo and ensemble music for Sunday Masses and for weddings, funerals, vesper services, and other para-liturgical events. She has developed techniques for harp accompaniment along with the organ during congregational song. Gerry is the founder and former director of this festival. She has now retired to spend more time with her harps and with the Cumberland Valley Harpers, a harp club she began years ago. It's her experience with harp circles that led to her presentation this year.

I Always Wanted to Play the Harp
Level: Any Type: Discussion/Chat group When: Fri. & Sat. 10am More Info

The Care & Feeding of Harp Circles
Level: Any Type: Discussion/Chat group When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info