Somerset Folk Harp Festival

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Presenters

Pioneer of the double-strung harp since its appearance in the US in the early ‘90’s, Cynthia Shelhart was ready to fall in love with the instrument, having already achieved a BA in music, and having studied pedal, historical, and lever harps in the 1980’s. In 2005 Cindy released her first double-strung harp solo CD; that same year, she also won the US National Scottish Harp Championship. A respected judge at Highland Games around the US, she also performs, teaches and is in national demand as a festival clinician. Recognized as a leading authority in double-strung harp performance and pedagogy, Cindy is the author of the first method book for double-strung harp Make Mine a Double (book/CD, 2008). Her repertoire collection, Tunes to Go: 400 Tunes in Lead Sheet Format for the Harp (2003), has become a standard among harpers and harp ensembles of all levels. We hope that double-strung harpers from around the US will join Cindy for her special in-depth 2-day class.

Presenter website: Cynthia Shelhart

Gather Round: Rounds and Canons for Harp Ensemble
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Lead Sheet Success: Patterns to Go
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Make Mine a Double I: Beginning Strategies
Level: Beg. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 3:30pm More Info

Make Mine a Double II: Arranging Tips and Tricks
Level: Beg. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 3:30pm More Info

Maureena Spadaro

Maureena integrates every aspect of her background in body work with shiatsu, reflexology and tai chi into her approach to harp, which she has been playing for 16 years. She is presenting workshops at Somerset this year sans harp but still needing a hands-on approach. As a graduate of Meridian Shiatsu Institute in Wayne, Pennsylvania and a Shiatsu practitioner for over 21 years, she is a registered JinShinDo® practitioner and reflexologist, and is certified in Lymphasizing from the International Academy of Lymphology. These interests have led her to many avenues of healing, including membership in the International Harp Therapy Program. She is founder of Harps of Mercy® serving Eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware regions.

Presenter website: Harps of Mercy

Self Acupressure Basics
Level: Any Type: Lecture/Demo When: Sat. 11:30am-12:30pm More Info

Tai Chi Morning Exercise
Level: Any Type: Activity When: Fri. & Sat. at 8am More Info

Tension Relief Using Jin Shin Do
Level: Any Type: Activity When: Fri. 11:30am-12:30pm More Info

Healing with Sounds
Level: Any Type: :Lecture/Demo When: Fri. 3:30pm More Info

Sunita Staneslow

sunita Versatility and a willingness to explore—different musical genres, different types of harps and different settings in which to play, characterize Sunita’s career. At eight Sunita was already deeply interested in music, playing flute, harp and piano. The next twenty years were spent studying mostly classical music, with such eminent harpists as Lucile Lawrence, Lily Laskin, and Judith Liber. While living in Jerusalem during the mid-'80's, Sunita began arranging various styles of Jewish music for the harp. More recently she has been working as a therapeutic musician in a children's hospital near Tel Aviv. She has participated in two studies to measure the effect of music on premature babies. Sunita has played under the baton of conductors such as Phillipe Brunelle and Claudio Abbado but her passion is traditional music. With more than a dozen recordings to choose from and many books of arrangements from classical, sacred, Celtic and Jewish music, Sunita has something to offer to every aspiring harper.

Presenter website: Sunita Staneslow

Art of Arpeggios and More!
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Fingering Tips & Tricks
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Make the Most of Mistakes
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Sunita Says: Helpful Hints for Playing Professionally
Level: Any Type: Lecture/Hands-on When: Sun. 9am More Info

Andrea Stoeger

sunita Click this photo to view video

From an early age, Andrea Stoeger, who grew up in the mountains near Salzburg, was accustomed to singing and playing the folk harp for guests at her parents’ inn. Her love of music led her to study harp and dulcimer at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, and into a career in teaching and performing the folk music, songs and dancing of Austria. For the last 25 years Andrea has been teaching classical and lever-harp, playing in Salzburg orchestras and chamber music groups, and is recognized as a leader in the folk music life of the city. Tyrolean dance music, among them waltzes and polkas, are a specialty and the harp has long been a part of the traditional Austrian chamber music ensemble of dulcimer, zither, guitar and double bass.

Presenter website: Duo Harpolino

Andrea's appearance is sponsored in part through the generosity of harpist Dr. Jennifer Flam.

Traditional folk dances from Salzburg
Level: Any Type: Hands-on & feet When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Tyrolean Dance Music: Bayrisch-Polka
Level: Any Type: Hands-on & feet When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Tyrolean Waltzes
Level: Any. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 9:30am More Info

Tyrol to Salzburg and Bavaria: harp in traditional folk music
Level: Any Type: Lecture When: Sun. 9am More Info

Carol Thompson

Carol Thompson began playing classical harp at age 13, but other genres soon spoke to her. Although better known for playing Irish music, a lifelong interest in medieval and renaissance history also led her to Early Music. She has been a long time performer with the Moravian College Collegium Musicum, and a guest artist with the Baltimore Consort. She taught Irish harp at the Augusta Heritage Workshops for many years and has five solo CDs to her credit. Active as a side musician, she played with Paul Winter on his Grammy-winning CD “Celtic Solstice.” Carol teaches privately in her Frenchtown NJ studio. In addition to teaching her workshops at Somerset this year, she also has a table from which she’ll sell her handcrafted jewelry.
Jack Vickrey: was a professor of English Literature at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., where his academic specialties were Old English (Anglo-Saxon) and History of the English language. He has published about thirty essays on Beowulf and other Old English poems and on Dante's Inferno. He and Carol Thompson have been doing performances of harp and poetry for more than 10 years and at this year's festival they will present a special program on the poetry of the Civil War.

Presenter website: Carol Thompson

Early Music Harp Ensemble
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Poems & Music from the American Civil War
Level: Any Type: Listening Room When: Fri. 3:30pm More Info

Renaissance Music for Beginners
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Thurs. 3pm More Info

Angel Tolosa

angel Venezuelan, Angel Tolosa began playing the harp in his native city, Caracas, at 14, studying first with Solomon Villegas, and next with Carlos ‘Metralleta’ Orozco, who became his foremost mentor. Angel combines technical and composition skills with strong rhythmic ability, enabling him to freely cross over into several genres, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Bluegrass, and World Music among others. Angel is in demand to accompany many prominent Venezuelan singers with his back-up compositions in the Creole style. With his brother, Jose,who plays the Cuatro (a small guitar), and two others, he formed the group Ensamble A Contratiempo where they play in a variety of Venezuelan styles, including pieces strictly for harp. They presently have one album Katuketi and are preparing another. As well as touring, both brothers represent and promote their craft as members of Musical Foundations and as teachers in Central and South America.

Presenter website: Ensamble Contratiempo

Venezuelan Caribbean Music
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Venezuelan Joropo
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Venezuelan Merengue
Level: Int. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Venezuelan Waltzes
Level: Beg-Int Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 3:30pm More Info

Louise Trotter

Equally at ease playing solo on the stage or in an ensemble, on a concert harp or a lever harp, Louise Trotter brings her enthusiasm and sense of fun wherever she goes. She has traveled around the world, performing and leading workshops, and has won a Life Achievement Award from the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen – most appropriately as her first harp was one she made herself. Her impressive repertoire includes Classical, Broadway, Country & Western, Latin, swing, rag, jazz and folk. Louise has many CDs available, among them, Ain’t Misbehavin, The Two Harp Moods, and Harp Texas Style. She also offers books on improvisation and folk harp, among others. We welcome Louise back to the festival.

Presenter website: Louise Trotter

Adapting Piano Music for the Harp
Level: Beg-Int. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 9:30am More Info

Performance Enhancing Tips & Tricks
Level: Int-Adv Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 9:30am More Info

Playing Fancy
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Thurs. 1pm More Info

Playing Hymns
Level: Beg-Int. Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info

Special Effects Bag of Tricks
Level: Int.-Adv. Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Sarajane Williams

Sarajane Williams life is totally immersed in the world of harp. Williams is a founding member of The National Standards Board for Therapeutic Musicians. It's no wonder she is deeply involved in harp therapy, with over 35 years of experience in various roles in the healing arts as a nurse, cardiopulmonary technologist, director of a cardiac catheterization laboratory and biofeedback therapist in a chronic pain center. She is a lecturer and author of The Mythic Harp and Good Vibrations: Principles of Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy, editor of The Harp Therapy Journal, and producer of the Therapeutic Harp: ancient legacy, sound science, clinical applications 3-DVD set. As a professional harpist and teacher, she also performs with her classical guitarist husband Ted Williams. We welcome her back to the festival as a presenter this year after a long absence from our roster. She and Ted can also be found at the harptherapy.com booth in the Exhibit Hall. If you are interested in a private Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy session with Sarajane at the festival, please contact Sarajane directly by email to inquire about fees and schedule or chat at their booth to schedule.

Presenter website: Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy

Vibroacoustic Harp Therapy
Level: Any Type: Lecture When: Fri. 9:30am More Info

Janet Witman

janetwitman From the Curtis Institute to the Fair Hill Scottish Games, Janet Jackson Witman has gracefully moved back and forth between the realms of classical and celtic harp music. After years of enjoying Scottish and Irish Music, Janet made the leap to playing. In the past 10 years Janet has won the U.S. National Scottish Harp Championship, the All Eastern Scottish Harp Championship. In her private studio Janet works with over 30 harp students, many of whom have won scholarships and awards. She has also been on the faculty of the Ohio Scottish Arts School and “Beginning in the Middle” as well as heading a harp program at the Wilmington Music School. Janet can offer numerous arrangements for harp ensembles and her recordings.include Christmas Crossings and Celtic Journeys with Brandywine Harps, which she arranged and produced. She led her Brandywine Harps to the Edinburgh Harp Festival in 2009 to perform her arrangements and her Somerset harp ensemble's performance at the 2010 festival was one of the festival highlights.

Performer website: Brandywine Harps

De-mystifying Music Theory
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Sat. 1:30pm More Info

Here, Play This!
Level: Any Type: Hands-on When: Fri. 1:30pm More Info