Dinner Party Harpist - Strongbow Inn Valparaiso, Indiana

Recently, I got the chance to play background music for a dinner reception at the Strongbow Inn, located in Valpariso, Indiana. While I have played at Strongbow Inn many times before, and have played dinner or reception music for several events, this one was a first for me in a unique way!

It was a first for me in the fact that I've never played for an 8th grade girls' and boys' basketball team dinner. The teams were visiting the Valparaiso area to participate in a tournament at Valparaiso University. I may have been hired by the adults at the dinner, but it was the kids who had the most questions for me about the harp.

During the event I played many popular selections that some of the members of the boys team that happened to be sitting by me were able to recognize and name the pieces that I played. What made this event truly great was that they were able to put the whole thing together in a matter of days, including hiring me the day before!

If you are ever in need of a last minute harpist or musician for your event, just contact us!

Valentine's Day ~ Romantic Harp Music (Middlebury & Valparaiso IN)

There is nothing more elegant and romantic than listening to harp music on Valentine's Day!  It is always a busy day for us, and this year was no exception. 

The day began with a solo performance that I gave for a tour group that was on a Valentine's Day Mystery Tour.  They enjoyed a family style meal at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury, Indiana, and after dessert was served, they got to hear a harp concert of familiar love songs! 

There were love songs from movies and musicals, as well as a French Romantic piece and other popular songs from the 1920's through the 1970's.  The program for the afternoon was:

Of course, I ended with "My Funny Valentine"!  The guests said that they appreciated the variety of selections, and had lots of questions to ask about the harp when the concert was over.  Everyone asks about the pedals - they are for changing the strings to sharps and flats (like the black keys on a piano).  There are seven of them, and yes - I do have to move them while I play!

I loaded up my harp and drove back to South Bend, where Jeff was waiting to add his harp to the back of the van.  We headed to the Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso, where we were providing harp duet music for the dinner crowd.  We played for the holiday last year as well, and were thrilled to come back again! 

Harps aren't just for weddings!  Visit our website (http://www.theclassicharpist.com/) for more information about having a private harp concert or background music for any event.

Harp Duets for Valentine's Day

This Valentine's Day, Jeff & I will return to Valparaiso's Strongbow Inn to play romantic harp duet music for the holiday.  We will be playing on Monday night from 5:00-9:00 (Central time), and reservations are strongly recommended.

Call (219) 462-5121 to reserve your table.  This is a wonderful time to come and hear the harps in person, especially if you are considering hiring us for a wedding or other event.  Hope to see you there!

Valparaiso Wedding Musician

February Events

February was a busier month than usual, and started off with an exciting evening on Valentine's Day.  We spent the night playing harp duets at Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso, Indiana.  It's not often that you get to see and hear two harps together, and it's even better when it is a husband and wife duet playing love songs!

We played a variety of romantic selections from many eras of popular music, including:

• The Anniversary Waltz
• Speak Softly Love from "The Godfather"
• Love Me Tender
• You Belong With Me
• Tammy
• The Nearness of You
• Misty
• I Swear

One of the benefits of hiring more than one musician for your event is the opportunity to alternate breaks.  We would take our breaks at different times, allowing the guests to enjoy continuous music.

On February 19th, I returned to Portofino's Grill in LaPorte to play for a church sweetheart dinner.  This was my second year working with them, and it is always such a wonderful group and a very appreciative audience!  

The weekend of February 26th through 28th I spent driving back and forth to Fort Wayne to play for the Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show.  I played in the lobby of the Allen County Memorial Coliseum while people arrived and for those waiting in line to purchase tickets or enter the exhibits.

The music of the harp is so soothing, it can help keep people in stressful situations calm!  Once the lines died down, I moved inside so that attendees could hear the music while going through the exhibits.

On Saturday the 27th, I played in Fort Wayne in the morning, and then headed to Granger to play for a wedding ceremony in the wine cellar at Villa Macri.

It was a warm and intimate setting - with a perfect light snow falling outside creating a winter wonderland!

Harp Duets for Valentine's Day

On Sunday, February 14th, we be playing love songs for harp duet at the Strongbow Inn in Valparaiso, Indiana.  This is the perfect opportunity to hear both harps together and get ideas for your wedding music!  We'll be playing from 4:30 - 8:30 PM, and they will be serving a turkey and prime rib buffet (menu, too).

Reservation are strongly recommended, so call Strongbow Inn to book your table today!  1-800-462-5121

Spring Weddings

I've been fortunate so far this summer - nearly all of my weddings have been outdoor, and not a single rain-out! It's been a great start to the "season". A few pictures:

The beautiful flowers at my wedding on June 15th were done by the Flower Cart in Chesterton, Indiana. Although it was definitely on the warm side, Aberdeen Manor has a nice spot in the shade for the harp. The monogram made out of rose petals in the aisle was a theme that the couple carried throughout their wedding, from the programs that served as fans to the personalized hand towels in the restrooms!

A new wedding location for me: the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park in Angola, Indiana. Another hot day! I also learned that I shouldn't wear high heels when playing on a slatted wood surface - it makes pedaling even more difficult! It was hard to keep the harp in tune due to the high temperatures, but we were able to stay inside until just before the wedding began. Makes for a short prelude!

The two weddings for which I played on June 9th were at a couple of my favorite locations - South Bend's Center for History Gardens and Valparaiso's Aberdeen Manor. The couple that got married at Aberdeen are also musicians, and picked some great pieces! They started with a prelude of all classical music, and then switched to popular and jazz for the processionals and ceremony. The recessional was a quartet singing "All You Need is Love", which I followed up with "Grow Old Along with Me."

I returned to Foster Park's Bridal Glen on June 2nd. The rain held off just long enough for the beautiful ceremony! That night, I got to play my Celtic harp for a birthday party in Valparaiso. It was a lot of time on the road! Fortunately, my wonderful husband and "harp roadie" was able to come along and keep me company - and of course, move the harps!

Memorial Day weekend was another busy one - four weddings! I played at Swan Lake in Plymouth, Indiana for the first time, and had the pleasure of working with a wonderful violinist. It was a bit drizzly, but the gazebo there provided plenty of shelter to keep the harp and violin dry. That night was a reception at Strongbow Inn where I got what I think was a compliment - I had just started, and a guest walked by and said "Oh, you're actually playing!" Perhaps I sound like a CD? I guess that's pretty good!

On the following Sunday, I had a ceremony and then a reception - both in Valparaiso. It was a busy weekend, but extremely enjoyable. Good thing I had my trusty roadie!

Wedding Reception (Harp & Violin)

For a September weekend, this one was rather light! The only wedding I had was a one-hour reception on Saturday night. It was a harp and violin duet with a new violinist, and it went extremely well! The bride was a violinist herself, and she picked some unique and beautiful music for her cocktail hour, including:

Air from "Water Music" (Handel)
Arioso from "Cantata 156" (Bach)
Juliet's Waltz Song from "Romeo & Juliet" (Gounod)
Hornpipe from "Water Music" (Handel)
Nocturne from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (Mendelssohn)
Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod)
Fur Elise (Beethoven)
Fantasie-Impromptu in C# minor (Chopin)
Air on G from "Suite #3 in D Major" (Bach)
Minuet from "Quintet in E Major" (Boccherini)
Jupiter Theme from "The Planets" (Holst)

Despite a missing tuning key (the fear of every gigging harpist!) - my husband managed to tune the harp with a pair of vise grips he bought that night at Menards - the reception went off perfectly. The colors were rich autumn browns and golds, and they had a pair of live doves in the lobby of the banquet center. While the manager was briefing the staff before the guests arrived, she was sure to caution them not to release the birds or torment them! The favors were a toothbrush and toothpaste - the groom is a dentist. When it was time to cut the cake, the bride and groom went first, followed by their parents. It was a wonderful way to start off the reception by honoring the parents and their marriages. The couple and their families really made this an event to remember, and I was thrilled to be a part of it!