Modern Music on the Harp

One of the things I enjoy most about the harp is surprising my audiences with the repertoire that can be played on the instrument.  Recently, The Harp Column, a national magazine for harpists, published an article on modernizing our performance repertoire.  I was interviewed for the article about the music I have adapted for the harp:

"Love Story" and "You Belong With Me", by country music sweetheart Taylor Swift, are recent additions by Devon Haupt.  "Every couple of months, I'll go over the Billboard charts and see what has had some staying power and has been on the top 10 for over a month or two," says the South Bend, IN, harpist.  "If a piece seems like it might work on the harp, I buy a piano arrangement from musicnotes.com, and just play from that with a few changes to make it work better on the harp."

In the last few months Haupt has also added "Clocks" by Coldplay, "Irreplaceable" by Beyonce, "So What" by Pink, "You Want to Make a Memory" by Bon Jovi, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.  Most of the songs Haupt picked herself, rather than waiting for a client to ask for them, but has been happy to discover that "I'm Yours" (a 2009 Grammy Best Song nominee) is a popular request for Spring 2010 weddings.

In addition to the pieces listed in the article excerpt, other recent additions to my repertoire include:

• Already Gone by Kelly Clarkson
• Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something
• Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift

Check my website for a list of other popular and jazz songs I can perform for your event.  If you have a special request, I'm always happy to do my best to make it sound beautiful on the harp!

2010 Studio Recital

On Friday, March 19th, we held our annual formal studio recital.  Students of all ages from beginners to advanced performed on the piano and harp.  The program included:

• Merrily We Roll Along (Traditional)
• Down by the Station (Traditional)
• I'm a Little Teapot (Traditional)
• Grandfather's Clock (Noona)
• Pirate's Life (Leaf)
• Chanson de la petite gardeuse d'oies (Traditional)
• Wooly Mammoth (Leaf)
• Miniature Sonatina (Kuffner)
• Jazzy Saints (Faber)
• Concert Etude (McDonald)
• Blue-zy Blues (Mrozinski)
• Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven)
• Little Song & Polka (Kabalevsky)
• The Green Dog (Kingsley)
• The Syncopated Clock (Anderson)
• House of the Rising Sun (arr. Faber)
• Romance (Naderman)
• Ghost Waltz (McLean)
• Scherzetto (Hudelson)
• Gavotte from Petite Suite Classique (Grandjany)
• Clown Rag (Costley)
• Sonatina in C (Clementi)

 Congratulations to all of the students who performed an excellent recital!

Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show

This weekend, I will be playing harp in the Allen County Memorial Colisseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for the Fort Wayne Home & Garden Show.  I will be set up in the lobby to make your wait to get in more enjoyable!  Dates and times are:

Friday, February 26th, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Saturday, February 27th, 9:30 - 11:30 AM
Sunday, February 28th, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

This is another great opportunity to see and hear the harp in person, and to get ready for Spring!  Visit the show's website at http://www.home-gardenshow.com/ for admission and ticket information.

Looking for a harpist in Fort Wayne?  Visit The Classic Harpist for more information!

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

New Website Launched

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

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!

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!