Angel Lyre Ornament

One of my favorite ornaments is one that I earned in gradeschool for selling Christmas cards. The angel strums the lyre while baby Jesus is nestled in a birdnest on a holly branch. 

Decorator Tissue Box

As my sister pulled various embroidered images from a bag that she planned to put on the front of decorator tissue boxes she was creating, I said, "You need to find one that has a harp on the front." 


"Now that you mention it," she said and dug into the bag and pulled out the harp image that she later added to this gift she made for me.

Traveling Trophy

The cool thing about the Traveling Trophy is that it has the name of each National Scottish Harp Champion of America engraved on it since the inception of the competition in 1984.

Mark Examines the Awards

This photo needs a caption. Any suggestions?

Clan Currie President

Clan Currie is the proud sponsor of the National Scottish Harp Competition. I am pictured here with Robert Currie, President of the Clan Currie Society. Thanks to Clan Currie whose bardic heritage extends into their legacy of supporting pipers, harpers, and Tartan Day celebrations on Ellis Island.                                        

And yes, this still feels like a dream from which I have yet to awaken. Hmmm... or maybe my thinking is just hazy. Seeing "Clan Currie" in print suddenly reminds me that Kathleen Currie Hall is the name of my Highland Dancer friend who visited earlier in the day.

www.clancurrie.com 

www.tartandayonellisisland.com 

www.pipesofchristmas.com

Male Harpers

There were six male harpers at this year's National Scottish Harp Competiton!

Judges

Sue Richards and Jen Narkevicius were the judges for the competition. Sue is a four time National Scottish Harp Champion and internationally recognized recording artist, performer, and teacher. Jen is the current president of the Scottish Harp Society of America. What an honor to be in the company of two people who give so much to the harp community. 

There are two trophies pictured here. The golden cup is a traveling trophy which has the engraved names of each National Scottish Harp Champion since the inception of the competition. As the recipient, the award resides with me until the following year when it is passed on to the next National Scottish Harp Champion. The Crystal Trophy is the one which resides with me permanently. Yay!

Special Categories

There are also four special categories: Historical Harp, Harp and Vocal, Harp in an Ensemble, and New and Emerging Forms.

I competed in the Harp and Vocal Category and was awarded 1st place.

Pictured here is the Dunham Harp Ensemble. They are from Columbus, Ohio and are directed by Candyce Dunham. She is the harp teacher for all of the harpers here. Her students continue to climb through the ranks with their stunning and solid performances. Two of her own children are now competing. Candyce's husband is the builder of all five harps on stage. He is playing boudhran with their daughter on the right. The Dunham Harp Ensemble was awarded 1st place in the Harp in an Ensemble category.

Master Level Competition

After registering at 8:30 in the morning, tuning-up my harp, warming up and running through my pieces, I listened as the competitors in the Beginner and Novice categories played their pieces. Then at noon, the competition stopped for lunch.

After lunch, the remaining competitors re-tuned their harps for the hall had warmed up considerably since the morning. The Apprentice and Journeyman competitors played their airs, strathspeys, jigs, and reels.

Late into the afternoon, it was finally the time for those in the Master category to compete. After all points were tallied, I was fortunate enough to be awarded 1st place in the Master's Category at the National Scottish Harp Competition. This means that I am the 2010 National Scottish Harp Champion!

Mark

Mark plays his competition pieces as the judges watch and listen. They take copious notes and mark scores on the scoring sheet. This grueling task lasted for over six hours as the judges focused their full attention on the playing of each competitor.

After the tallying of the scores, Mark was awarded 1st place in the Journeyman category and was awarded "Best Strathspey".

Mike

Mike introduces the pieces he will be playing for the Journeyman Solo Harp Competition. I especially liked his air which had some stunning chords which heightened the emotional impact of the piece.

Mike was awarded the Herbert P. MacNeil Travel Scholarship. Congratulations Mike! I'm looking forward to reading your blog of your travel adventure. After all, being awarded that scholarship is what initiated this blog.

Highland Dancer

What a surprise. Kathleen was at the Meadow Highland Games to compete in the Highland Dance Competition. Between Kathleen and me is her mother from North Carolina.

Kathleen is a Highland Dancer whom I know from the Scottish Country Dance group in Columbus. When Kathleen finished her doctorate from The Ohio State University, she moved to teach at a university in New York City on Staten Island. Kathleen is a warm, friendly, gracious dancer. All of us in the Scottish Country Dance group miss her. Kathleen's gracefulness from the Highland Dance crosses over into the social dance of Scottish Country Dance. She is the best dance partner for quick time jigs and reels to the more stately strathspeys. I am especially appreciative of the embellishment Kathleen taught me circling eight hands round and back during a strathspey. Whenever I dance this move, I'm reminded of how much we miss her! I wonder how she did in her competition?

Waiting

The stage for the competition was set up in the corner of a large vendor hall of the Meadow Highland Games. There were four large 3-tier bleachers which provided a nice enclave for the stage. Dennis on the left has already competed. Mark waits for his competition category.

Mark was not planning on attending the competition, but on a whim I emailed Mark mentioning that I already had a room reserved. I suggested that he had already prepared a competition set that he could use again during the current competition year. If he changed his mind, we could ride together from Columbus. A few days later, Mark texted me saying, "Look at your darn email!" He had responded right away, quickly agreeing to go. I had not checked my email, but when I did I was glad for the opportunity to catch up with a good friend.

Multi Media Presentation

Last night at the Mid Ohio Scottish Heritage Association meeting (MOSHA), I presented a slide show of my trip to Scotland and played several tunes associated with various people and places that I visited. During the day, I had checked out all of the equipment to make sure the LCD projector and computer and cords were working. But last night, of course, the projector kept saying "no signal"! It took several minutes to trouble shoot. The thing that finally worked was to unplug the cords and start over. Thank goodness for arriving early.

You need to pack a lot of stuff when you are playing the harp somewhere: harp, stool, strings, tuner and clip, set list, as well as other emergency equipment. Doing this multimedia presentation meant having even more equipment: computer, LCD projector, AVG connection cords, extension cords, stool for projector, screen, etc.

I sang "Both Sides The Tweed" while showing the Tweed River flowing through the city of Peebles. Corrina Hewat sang this song several years ago at the Ohio Scottish Arts School. Then, I played "Jolly Band of Shearers" as an example of a Bothy Ballad. I learned this tune from Sharon Knowles. I sang "Will Ye Go Tae Flanders" while talking about my lesson with Corrina Hewat and showing a photo of her neighbor Karine Polwart who sings this song on one of her albums. Next, I played the pipe march "High Road To Gairloch" while showing photos of the town of Gairloch that I passed through on my way from Skye to Ullapool to catch a ferry. This catchy tune was taught to me by Jo Morrison at the Ligonier Highland Games. I showed photos of the white sandy beaches of Harris and played "Harris Dance" which I learned from the Captain Simon Fraser Collection. I played Corrina Hewats arrangement of "Isle of Aigas" as a precursor for my insistent pursuit of finding the Isle of Aigas. Finally, I played the strathspey "Cawdor Castle" I learned from Dominique Dodge and relayed the legend of the Hawthorne Tree which remains still in the keep of the castle.

iPhone iMage

Linda McNair is amused at Sue Richards, me, and Arthur McNair all trundling out our iPhones. Thanks for the photo, Linda.

Into the Zone

This was one of the first times that I have very little memory of my actual playing. Did I get into that magical zone where you become the music. How did this happen? As Doug and I talked that evening and the following day, my euphoric bliss was still evident. Doug wondered if my trip to Scotland had allowed me to tap into those visual images and energy that is unleashed in the music. That made sense, and was one of my goals from my travels to Scotland.

I was also wondering if the significance of 9-11 played a role. As I was leaving my hotel in Somerset, other hotel guests were leaving to attend memorial services only a short distance away where United Airlines Flight 93 had crashed. As I gave my introduction for the song “Will Ye Go Tae Flanders?”, I was amazed at the intensity of emotion that swept over me. This song from the 1700‘s explores the grand dream of going off to war and the reality that ensues. This felt very close to the events that unfolded after 9-11 and continue still. 

The risk in talking about all of this- is that it was, somehow, a fluke. And I don’t want it to be a fluke. I want that heightened emotional impact that I felt to happen again and again. I think people in the audience felt it too. I want this experience to get repeated. Lots.

Melanie Sandrock

Melanie Sandrock is one of the organizers of this Scottish Harp Society of America sanctioned harp competition at the Ligonier Highland Games. June Sechrist provided lots of help on this day also. I got to see both of these friends and many, many others who I see regularly at The Ohio Scottish Arts School, The Harp Gathering, The Washington Area Folk Harp Society Fall Getaway, and other highland games.

Melanie brought an ensemble of young harpers that she teachers to compete in the Harp in Ensemble Category.

Ligonier Highland Games

Today, I attended the Ligonier Highland Games in Pennsylvania. I was awarded 1st place in the Solo Harp Category at the Master Level and 1st place in the Harp and Vocal Category. Sue Richards was the judge. Sue also taught a workshop in the morning and lead a harp circle in the afternoon. Observers to the harp circle were very enthusiastic and appreciative.

Gate Pass

Melanie sent my ticket for the Ligonier Highland Games. I've been setting the timer and metronome and working on pieces in my competition set. I'm trying to be methodical in my practice, and something great is happening. As I slow the pieces down, I'm finding some places where my fingering doesn't let me stay connected to the strings to flow more smoothly to the next phrase of a melody. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some of these new fingerings engrained through short, focused practice sessions.

Mom Playing Harp

Music is something I can continue to share with Mom even as her memory fades. Although apprehensive about playing the harp, Mom is eager to try. She gently strums across the strings. Sometimes she picks out a few notes. Mom is mesmerized, and her trance is only occasionally broken by a smile that beams across her face.

Unexpected Benefits

As I reflect back over my summer, I think of the unexpected benefits that my trip to Scotland has brought into my life. It is rather ironic that the harp, an ancient acoustic instrument, has propelled me into using technology. I have friends who are still amazed. They ask, “Is this the same Steve who didn’t even want to use a cell phone?” Now I’m making and editing digital recordings, writing a blog, taking digital photos and uploading them, texting, and FaceBooking.

As people learn that I have been an elementary school teacher for 23 years in public schools, they are often curious about students keeping in touch with me. The reality of teaching in an inner-city school is that I don’t have many students keeping in touch. Many of them have moved, or I have moved to a different school in my system. However, due to my FaceBook account, a few former students have contacted me. I have no personal details on my main page, so I was pretty surprised to be contacted. One former student from Jordan recently sent a message asking if I had taught at a particular school. He wasn’t sure if it was me, because I used to sport a mustache. Since he is an adult and in college, I felt I could respond. Another star pupil “just wanted to say hi”, and was smart enough to know that I would have to quietly ignore her message because she is not an adult yet. So, this new medium will help me to explore the possibilities it offers, but will also challenge me to be aware of times I need to be cautious.

 I’m looking forward to the benefits of this trip that I will reap in the future. When I hear the background of a song or tune, I’ll have a much larger frame of reference for contextualizing the piece. I’ll be able to visualize a setting or understand the social structures in place. I’ll be able to understand the historical situation or geography. But, all of that is yet to be discovered. For now, I’ve got lots of digital recordings and CD’s to listen to and decisions about some new songs to learn.

I'm thankful that the Scottish Harp Society of America provided the Herbert P. MacNeil Travel Scholarship which completely covered my roundtrip airfare. Consequently, it provided the impetus for my travel to Scotland. The Mid Ohio Scottish Heritage Association provided additional funds through the Dr. Andrew Turner Memorial Scholarship. These funds helped defray the costs of private harp lessons, purchase of CD's, and the Ed Miller Tour.  I'm thankful for Edna Turner's continued generosity and support of the legacy of the harp. 

Dublin Irish Festival

Mark and Mike drove in from Detroit for the Irish Festival in Dublin, OH. This festival is HUGE. Our first temptation (after refreshments) were the harps of Candyce and Ben Dunham, Burke Whistles, and Copley & Boegli Flutes. It is so cool to be at a festival where you can purchase high quality musical instruments. After getting more refreshments, the music of The Kells Band soon lured us into the audience. Brian McCoy is the Pied Piper of the group and he plays jigs and reels with such clarity and speed that it takes your breath away. While Mark went to a bouzouki workshop taught by the masterful Randy Clepper, Mike and I went to a border collie sheep herding demonstration. The only time I remembered to take my phone out of my pocket and snap a photo was when the collie was herding six ducks through the obstacles created by the many children attending the festival. Ducks are the animals that are used when border collies are first being trained. After some Jeni's Spendid Ice Cream, the all-female group Girsa caught our attention with the driving fiddles in their group. I was delighted when they sang "The Rolling Hills of the Borders". That is a song I need to learn! As we strolled further I said, "I hear a harp!" But it wasn't just one harp. There were two harps on the Dublin (Main) Stage where Moya Brennan sang her dreamy New Age versions of many well-known Irish songs. Later, from a shaded distance we listened to the tight sonorous sound of Lunasa until we could battle the heat and our exhaustion no longer. We left just as newcomers were arriving for the evening when they'd be able to hear Solas, Natalie MacMaster, Scythian, Changeling, and many others. The website for this festival is www.dublinirishfestival.org/

Steve Invites Himself To Dinner

The first time I went to the Somerset Folk Harp Festival, I met up with my friend Misha O'Hanlan. He was already friends with Timothy Habinski, so he was planning on eating dinner with Timothy and several other harp vendors. I got to tag along, and I've had a blast each time. So this year, as soon as I said proper hellos, I asked Timothy if I could join him for dinner. Timothy always scouts up some great Indian food, and he did so again this year. He is sitting beside Liza, who is a harpist, flutist, and harp technician who is certified to regulate and service Camac, Lyon and Healy, Salvi, and other prominent orchestral pedal harps and lever harps..

Mike Playing His Sligo Harp

Mike is sooooo lucky. His wife really understands him. She brought this harp home to him. Surprise! It is a beauty and it is exactly what he wanted. It plays great and sounds great. Mike's a lucky guy.

Sligo Harps at the Somerset Folk Harp Festival

Rick Kemper is the builder of Sligo Harps. In just about 10 years he has gone from novice harp builder to master harp luthier. There was a time when Larry Fisher was having Rick construct the shells for the body of his harps because of some specialized equipment Rick has. Rick's daughter Carolyn has been winning several prominent Irish Harp competitions!

Harp Stands for Mike's Harp Program

Last year I met Mike at the National Scottish Harp Competition held at the Ohio Scottish Games. He is a master guitarist who has developed a guitar program in a public school system in North Carolina. Because of Mike's developing reputation as a harp player and media publicity he garnered, his administrator asked him to develop a harp program. He purchased several small harps called "harpsicles" from Wm Rees Harps. Mike was deliberating how he would have the students hold the harps, since keeping a small lap harp stable while playing can be tricky. I showed him this stand that Timothy Habinski of Timothy Harps designed. It can attach and detach from a small lap hap allowing the harp to be self supporting rather than precariously balanced on the players' knees or between their crossed legs or balanced with "knee bones" or resting on a board the player also sits upon or suspended in a vulgar looking harp stirrup which looks like a bra or jockstrap. Mike liked the solution, and Timothy readily offered for Mike to use his design.

Timothy Harps

The reason I stayed a few more nights in New Jersey was so that I could go to the Somerset Folk Harp Festival. This year, the festival was held in Parsipanny. So it only took me 1/2 hour to drive there. Since I was only there for the one day, I decided to just purchase a vendor hall pass for $15 rather than attend workshops and concerts. This would allow me to see various people I've met over the years. I ran into June and Maia from The Ohio Scottish Arts School. Candyce Dunham was there with her star student. When I saw Sharon Knowles, she said, "I want to hear all about your trip to Scotland." I also saw Kathy Chanick and we played some tunes together. I hope she bought that harp that she fell in love with. It was a beauty. My favorite harp builder, Timothy Habinski, was there. The harp he is standing behind is for my friend Carol. It is a 40-string Storm King that Carol will use in her vibro-acoustic harp therapy. This is one of the healing modalities she incorporates into her healing practice. 

Gone

After the movers took everything else, the only things left were my Lionwood harp, two paintings, and the small pile of important documents in the corner. Oh, and the white pallet constructed of four pillows for me to sleep on while I stayed a few more nights. 

Moving

Doug's new job is taking him to the Boston area. Since he has started his new job already, I got to get his old place ready for the movers. I also wanted to make sure that my Lionwood harp got transported in a car, rather than by movers. I spent three days organizing things, throwing out trash, and boxing some items. The thought of having the movers pack everything up, trash and all, full of dust, just wasn't very appealing. The movers called at 10:00 a.m. to say that they would arrive shortly. They arrived after noon. They worked loading a shuttle truck until 8:50 p.m. The shuttle truck was the size "Two Men and a Truck" would use. Then they'll transfer everything to a semi for the four hour trip, intermingled with other people's belongings, to Westhampton (not Northampton or Easthampton).

Harp Body

This finished body awaits it’s harmonic curve and pillar. Will it be a Thormahlen Swan or a Ceili Mor? It could be either, since both of these models use the same body structure.

Harmonic Curve

Several laminated pin blocks are ready to be sandwiched between the outer layers that will match the rest of the harp to which they are applied.

Templates

 These templates hanging on the wall chronicle the models through the years.

Form and Clamp

Next to this form are hanging bicycle tire inner tubes. After the wood is fitted and glued around this form, everything is “clamped” into place with the inner tubes to be positioned securely until dry. This seems to be a preferred method for many harp builders.

The Shop

Next, I got a chance to see the birthplace of these magnificent harps. Quite a shop!

Sharon Thormahlen

One of the wonderful parts of this visit was listening to Sharon Thormahlen play some of her compositions. It gives you the chance to hear the harp from the audience perspective. It is important to hear how a harp sounds from the audience vantage point as well as the “driver’s seat”. 

Listening to Sharon Thormahlen Play

Sharon Thormahlen Playing Gut Strung Koa Swan

Thormahlen Swan

Pictured here is the Thormahlen Swan made of Koa and strung in folk gut. I loved the feel of this harp and the warm tone. I’m also pleased with Thormahlen’s new Ceili model harp strung in carbon fiber. I first played one these when Kathy Chanick brought hers to Harper’s Ferry last fall.

Thormahlen Harps

The next day, we drove 3 hours to Thormahlen Harps. This was a great time to visit, because they have 5 harps available that they are showing Harp Con in St. Louis in August.

Cottage Stream

Outside the back door of our cottage runs a small stream “where the wild birds do whistle, and their notes do increase”. This has been an enchanting space to play the harp each morning as the songbirds add their melodies to the harp tunes I play.

Vancouver, Canada

We stayed with our friends John and Jim at their 16th floor condo in Vancouver, Canada. My travel harp is traveling with us.

Home Again

I'm home and I had a glorious time in Scotland. I just visited the website for Skyewalker Youth Hostel. They have posted videos to YouTube and here is the link for one of me playing at the hostel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcHSjQwjUOY

The Auld Wives Lift

As we trekked out of the pine forest and across the moor, Cheyenne relayed the folklore of these three massive stones. The story goes that three witches were in an argument about which of them was the strongest. Each of them carried one of these stones in their apron and hurled them in the air and they landed in their current resting positions. All of the sisters were equally strong. These stones rest in their own natural amphitheater. The stones have Pictish carvings, and through the years have aquired more carving from the peoples of various ages that have come into contact with the stones. Pretty cool, huh?

And so ended the last exciting event on my last day before flying back to the U.S.

Cheyenne the Explorer

Cheyenne is great at looking at survey maps, and then exploring to find the notations of interesting sites that she can explore in areas she visits. This is her friend, Steph, in the photos.