Today we launched our completely redesigned website. We are thrilled with the results, and think you will be, too! It should make navigation easier, and enables you to get an instant quote for your event without having to wait for an email response.
Please stop by and let us know what you think: http://www.theclassicharpist.com
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Book now to lock in current pricing!
On February 3rd, we will be changing our pricing structure for weddings, receptions, and all other events.
If you are interested in booking, you can beat the price increase by contacting us to request a contract by midnight (Eastern time) on February 2nd. All contracts sent out by email that day or earlier will be booked at current pricing.
New pricing will apply to all events booked on or after February 3rd.
This ties in with our website redesign, which will be launched on February 3rd, so be sure to stop by after that date (The Classic Harpist) to check it out and let us know what you think!
If you are interested in booking, you can beat the price increase by contacting us to request a contract by midnight (Eastern time) on February 2nd. All contracts sent out by email that day or earlier will be booked at current pricing.
New pricing will apply to all events booked on or after February 3rd.
This ties in with our website redesign, which will be launched on February 3rd, so be sure to stop by after that date (The Classic Harpist) to check it out and let us know what you think!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Christmas Harp Concerts
The final two performances of 2009 were back-to-back library concerts of Christmas music. In spite of the cold weather, both were very well attended. The afternoon performance was at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City, Indiana. This photo is from the evening concert at the Carnegie Public Library in Angola, Indiana. 
It is never too early to book harp music for the 2010 holiday season! December is a very busy time for harpists, and even weeknights fill up on my calendar months in advance. Please contact me if you are looking to add a touch of elegance to your corporate or family holiday festivities!
Harp Music for a Christmas Open House
Another picture from the December 2009 holiday season. This is an open house that the Valparaiso Chamber of Commerce hosts ever year. This is my third year providing harp music for the occasion, and I finally got a picture!
Saturday, December 12, 2009
November Weddings
They used rose petals to line the aisle, and also to create a monogram in the center:
If you do this, just be sure to seat your guests from the side aisles! Many churches require that you use their in-house musicians for your wedding ceremony. That does not, however, mean that you cannot include the harp in addition to the pianist or organist. I love collaborating with other musicians, and for this wedding, the organist provided music as well. She played for the postlude, recessional, and congregational hymn singing, while I provided harp music for the earlier parts of the service. The prelude music included "Hymne" by Vangelis, "Largo" by Handel, "Ave Maria" by Schubert, and "Canon in D" by Pachelbel. Other selections were:
- Hornpipe in G by Purcell for the seating of the families
- All I Ask of You for the bridal party processional
- Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring for the bride's processional
The next day, Saturday the 7th, I got to stay a little closer to home, and played for a wedding right in South Bend at the Zion United Church of Christ. The bride and groom spent a lot of time coming up with just the right musical ambiance for their ceremony. They chose softer music for the processionals, and then really cranked up the excitement level for the conclusion of the service!
The prelude music included light classics, which segued into "Hymne" by Vangelis for the bridal party processional. For the entrance of the flower girl, I composed a lighter and faster variation of this piece. Glissandos announced the arrival of the bride, and she came down the aisle to a Czech folk song, "I See You, My Beloved". These two pieces work extremely well as a pair, because they are in the same key and have a similiar style.
Their officiant was extremely flexible, and allowed them to have some light music played while they said their vows. They also requested that I fill in with "moving music" any time people had to walk to the front and return to their seats. That worked extremely well, and made the transition time between ceremony elements less awkward.
When they were selecting the music, we got a bit stuck trying to come up with a recessional. They didn't want something traditional - just something fast! Once I played the first few lines of "Sonata in Re" by Albeniz, that was it! The postlude music stayed uptempo and set the mood for the party!
On the 28th, I returned to St. Adalbert's for another wedding Mass. This time, it wasn't all in Spanish! I also had the opportunity to work with a wonderful vocalist, who had been a teacher of the bride. The father of the bride sang "The Wedding Song" as the families were seated.
We had a couple of snags with the music for the Mass - we had been given different pieces than were listed in the program! - but everything worked out with some help from the priest and mother of the groom. The church had copies of what we needed, and we were both there in plenty of time to get everything put together and still get a rehearsal in before the guests started to arrive.
In addition to the music for the Mass we played and sang:
- When There is Love
- Canon in D
- Bridal Chorus (Here Comes the Bride)
- How Beautiful
- Ave Maria
- Wedding March
Tis the Season!
Even though there are fewer weddings as the weather gets colder, December is always whirlwind of corporate parties and other Christmas celebrations.So far this year, I have played for two law office open house events, one chamber of commerce party, and two mini-concerts at a shopping mall. This picture is from an open house held at the Midwest Museum of Art in Elkhart, Indiana. I've been the harpist for this even for the past four years, and love sitting in front of the giant head!
On Monday, December 14th, I will be presenting two more concerts of Christmas music on the harp:
1:00-2:00 pm at the Peabody Public Library in Columbia City, Indiana
6:30-7:30 pm at the Carnegie Public Library in Angola, Indiana
That wraps up the Christmas season performances, and things will slow down the first few months of the year. This is prime time for bookings for weddings taking place in 2010 and 2011, so reserve your date now!
Monday, November 09, 2009
Student Accomplishments
On November 7th, the local chapter of the Music Teachers National Association held the annual Achievement in Music piano festival. This is a non-competitive event, and tests students on performance, keyboard skills, ear training, theory, and sight reading. I had six students participate, and all received the top rating of "excellent" in performance, keyboard skills, and sight reading.
Camille A.
Claire C.
Joseph D.
Sydney G.
Zoe G.
Hannah M.
All six students also received a score of 90% or higher on their ear training and theory exams. Three students received a perfect score:
Joseph D.
Zoe G.
Hannah M.
Congratulations, and you get a week off from playing scales!
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