Thanks for your comments on my new little harp. I played it most of the day yesterday, tuning it a LOT and it sounds remarkably well in tune today. 🙂

My favorite workshop was the assessment by the DMC physical therapist who observed me play and worked on some improvements to my back while sitting and some other tension points I didn’t need, because it is something I can apply.

The meditation/yoga…..because I need both and will pursue both.

I also liked the panel discussion on performance medicine as applied to harp playing. It was interesting. Elizabeth Volpe-Bligh was on the panel, as well as Erzbieta Gaal, 2 p.t.s and a D.O., and it was moderated by Kerstin Allvin (my teacher).

Briggsie

Carl, she plays with such freedom and beauty of tone and such marvelous musicality. She played the Faure Impromptu at the very end. She said she meant to put it on the program but there was some sort of misunderstanding on the phone when they were asking about her pieces.

The Farkas…..I’m not sure how many she played. I didn’t count them because I was so entranced with her music. I want to say maybe 8 or 9 of them? They are really nice, too. She is a very brave woman……..she goes all the way in creating music….no holding back. She just lets it rip. I admire that. It was really very warm in there that day too….and there was a terrible thunderstorm raging which at one point made the lights go off and then on again. She did not miss a beat.

I could’ve listened to her play for hours longer. She takes you into the music with her.

Briggsie

Hi Elizabeth! It was so good to finally meet you after reading a lot of what you have written over the past couple of years. I learned a lot about playing harmonics from just reading some of what you have written here. You are a really nice lady.

I DID enjoy the panel discussion, but unfortunately I had to take off early and missed about 20 minutes at the end. I was helping Kerstin for the entire conference, and just had to go here and there. Most of the workshops I was able to stay, but that was a really busy morning. If you could email the handout, I would really appreciate it.

YES on Park Stickney. Wasn’t that amazing? I loved it all too. I’m wondering if that great big Salzedo harp Judy Loman played was the same one that was in the L&H display. I assume she had her own harp, but I just wonder. I also liked all the kids playing in ensemble. That was trés cool! It was also fun to hear the harp I take lessons on occasionally playing in the chamber music recital. You know, when Calvin Stokes’ group played “Contusion” I almost felt like I was just a part of the music….in the music itself. The same thing happened on a couple of the Moretti pieces. That’s really good stuff.

Briggsie

It surely did sound wonderful.

I really don’t know Jerusha. Everything seemed to have been video’d, but whether they are going to make a general dvd of it, I don’t know.

I was really lucky that it was local to me this year. And the fact that it was really about healthy harping made it all the better for me.

Briggsie