Any other UK harpers out there?

[lyn-boundy]

Now, if I could get to Yorkshire, I just might join in – sounds like a wonderful excuse for the trip. And if I could do your MP some (preferably long-term) bodily harm at the same time it’d be well-worth it. I hope everyone who does participate has a fantastic day.

[keziah-thomas]

Hi Lyn
I just saw that you are thinking of coming on this year’s Retreat to the Harp. Please do, it will be fun! Last year, none of the participants knew each other, arrived terrified and left with 13 new adult harpy friends! I would be very happy to put you in contact with a couple of participants who came last year and have signed up to come again this year.

[lyn-boundy]

Hello Keziah, what a pleasure to ‘speak’ to you! The retreat looks like my idea of heaven and it’s something I’m definitely aiming for. Sadly, for all sorts of reasons, I don’t think I will be able to make it this year after all but I’m starting up a ‘retreat fund’ in the hopes thast I can make it in 2014. I’ll be keeping an eye on the website for news of how this year’s event goes and details of the next. Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful time and looking forward to meeting you eventually!

[Louis Venus]

Hi there lyn and you thought you were all on your own! My daughter is a pedal harpist but started on the lever, we are from Dorset so not far from you, did you get to go to the DPAF? We know both Emma and Keziah they are lovely!
May i ask who tutors you? I know lots of “harpy” people Dorset and Devon please do get in touch Id love to chat to you
Ps…..hi Emma !
Lou x

[lyn-boundy]

Hello Emily (or is it Lou?), it’s good to ‘meet’ you, thank you for getting in touch! No, because of a death in the family I had to scrap plans for the DPAF but it’s something else on my ‘must do’ list for the future, along with the Retreat which sound absolute bliss! How interesting that your daughter is progressing from pedals to levers when it so often seems to go the other way around. How old is she? I am so envious of those who started young.

My tutor’s name in Fionnuala (I probably shouldn’t give more details that that without asking her first but it’s a sufficiently unusual name that I’m sure it will narrow the possibilities if the two of you know one another!) and she is a real marvel – I don’t think my playing would have ever got off the ground without her. My husband has just taken up the saxophone and experienced that awful phenomenon of a tutor who can play well but can’t teach (he has changed now) and there are a lot of those around in every field so I am more grateful than ever to have found someone who can not only teach well, but with whom I ‘click’ mentally.

Do you also play, or is your job just supporting, encouraging and (I suspect) taxiing your daughter?

[emma-graham]

Hi Lou!
Lyn you should DEFINATELY go on the Retreat. Keziah is an amazing tutor and incredible harpist. Keep an eye on the Two Moors festival website because she often takes part with 4girls 4harps as well as solo harp. x

[lyn-boundy]

Oh I really do plan to! It looks wonderful and it’s at the top of my list of things I simply have to do. This year is definitely out – the new harp is accounting for most of my spare cash, plus my husband will be away for part of the dates, leaving me with a dog-sitting problem. Hopefully by next year I’ll also have come to know all you other UK harpists and harpers a bit better so that will make it even more appealing, if that’s possible.

Meanwhile, can I just say that if anyone a bit nearer to Plymouth has ever thought about setting up something of this kind themselves but not done so due to the horror of all the work involved, while my harp playing isn’t yet good enough to be of any use, I’m definitely up for helping out in any other way (clerical, checking out venues, general organisation etc) as long as it doesn’t involve lugging about concert harps (major back problems) or heavy furniture. Just a shot in the dark in my desperate attempts to get more harpy-stuff of the ground that I don’t have far to travel to!

Btw, I assume that some of you will be going to this year’s retreat? I’d love to hear how it all goes and what went on.

[daniele-di]

Hi Lyn.
I`m from Cambridge and I play the lever harp! I`m a beginner but at some point I would love to play with someone else (even with another instrument).
May I ask you who`s making you the custom made 34string lever harp?

I`m selftaught and after a year and an half even if I`m improving I really feel the need of some direction/advice so I was also planning to go on a retreat. I would have gone to the Edinburgh Harp festival which is amazing but unfortunately I`m on holiday on those days 🙁

Good luck for your playing and looking forward to see your custom made harp.

Daniele

[lyn-boundy]

Hi Daniele, it’s lovely to meet another beginner! My new harp (now expected in around a week’s time, all being well!) is being made by local luthier Tim Hampson (http://www.harpmaker.eu/) – it’s really wonderful to have found someone within driving distance because I’ve been able to visit a few times to see the work in progress.

I do think you’ve done well to keep going without a tutor for all this time – I do find I need someone to keep moving me on or I can get stuck on the same piece for months at a time. I’m sure we’ll meet up one day at one of these retreats because I swear I’ll make it some day. Meanwhile, if you ever feel the need for a good moan (or just a chat) with another relative newcomer, it’d be great to hear from you.

[Allison Stevick]

I don’t live in the UK yet, but will be moving to St. Andrews, Scotland from Iowa, USA in the fall! I’m very excited about this, and so is my family. We will only be living there for a year, but I’m looking forward to a new adventure, and to playing the celtic harp in its “homeland.” 😉

[lyn-boundy]

Well, it sounds as if you’ve picked the right part of the UK to move to – you’ll certainly be in the heart of things and relatively conveniently placed for the Edinburgh Harp Festival! It can only be good news for the UK as well, to be getting another harper to swell the ranks, even if it is only temporary. I’m only sorry to hear you will be moving over at a time of year that means you probably won’t see the sun for another 6 months or more, I do hope you’re prepared for that!

[lyn-boundy]

Emma – I didn’t thank you for passing on info about the Two Moors Festival – another one I didn’t know existed!

Phill – Apologies for only just having responded to your ‘friend’ request – it’s taken me this long to find out how to access it!

[Allison Stevick]

Lyn,
Yeah… I know we’ll be getting there for the long dark of winter. But, hopefully we can cope with that, and be all right! (I figure with the use of our sun lamps–we call them ‘happy-lights’ –and trying to be active during the couple lighter hours of the day we can make it through. Iowa winters are BITTER cold, and pretty dark for about 3-4 months, so we’re maybe halfway there?) I’m very excited for the Edinburgh harp festival–it will be the first harp festival I get to attend, which makes it that much cooler to me! And, I think it’s funny that, though I’ve wanted to attend several festivals/conferences in the States, I have to go across an ocean to make it work to finally get to one… 🙂

[lyn-boundy]

Ah well, if Iowa winters are that bad perhaps you’ll be prepared. I don’t see me ever making it to Edinburgh – it’s the opposite end of the country from me and, thanks to disability, probably just too far to travel (not to mention expensive – I would need a convenient fortune to visit all the harp events I’d like to go to). I do hope someone who is going this year will report back and tell us all what it was like.

[phill-w]

@Lyn – apologies for being so slow in responding!!! Thanks for agreing to be my friend!

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