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.