Grand Opening

Our local aviation and space museum complex has been purchased by the Falls Event Centers, and I will be playing a selection of harp music for the Grand Opening of this new business Wed. March 29.

Rowan Luchair

My offering will be a blend of traditional Celtic and original music, both my own and from favorite NW Harpers including Sharon Thormahlen, Harper Tasche, and Beth Kolle.

On Spring Equinox I was invited into the gradeschool my

With Tuille at my IC art class

grandkids attended to play harp as a background for their painting project! I love seeing the kids' response to live music, and finding out how many of them play an instrument. Art and music are a natural combo! 

And if you'd like to hear me play, but aren't local, you might enjoy this interview with Howie Harkema for our local cable channel 

Happy Harping!

St Pat's at Bistro Maison

Last weekend I played a 'wallpaper gig' for a fundraiser; & have been invited back to Bistro Maison, a lovely French restaurant in McMinnville, to play harp (or, as the Wiki entry states: The precise Gaelic term for the' harp of the Gael' is clàrsach Ghàidhealach (Sc.)/cláirseach Ghaelach (Ir.), meaning Gaelic harp) for Saint Patrick's Day lunch, Wed. March 17. This will be the third time I've played cláirseach for St Pat's at the Bistro - always a popular event. This is a lovely setting with great food, & harp - what's not to like?

So if you're thinking of going to lunch, & would like to hear some Celtic music, played on an Irish style Celtic harp, Bistro Maison is the place!

Most of the tunes will be Irish, with a smattering of other Celtic pieces. & my harp, Rowan Luchair, is modeled on a lowhead Irish harp , in her luthier Rick Kemper's words: "Top players from Ireland & Scotland seem to prefer small harps with lighter tension that can respond to the blazing ornamentation they put into their music. Luchair (Gaelic for 'joy' or 'delight') incorporates the best features of these harps."

A young dancing friend is working on learing the Gaelic, & asks me 'how are you' - Conas tá; tú? (co-nas tah tu) . . . . to which I can reply 'Tá mé go hiontach" (tah-may go hee-un-tachk) - I'm wonderful! or "Tá mé go maith" (tah may go mah) - I'm well!

Over the last few weeks I've received several calls from brides & grooms, interested in booking a harp 'or other stringed instrument' for weddings. A few have requested sound clips on my website- so I'm looking into recording a bit of my harping! This evening I played a bit 'on speaker-phone' for one couple!

So - Ar mhaith leat lón? (air why lyat lahn) - 'would you like lunch?' Come to Bistro Maison!

Sonas ort! (Happiness be on you)

Lovely Wedding!

Sunday afternoon Rowan & I graced a wedding at a B & B in Lafayette, one of the small towns just N of McMinnville. The house itself was built in 1872, & is on the National Register of Historic Places. We were outside, under sunny skies.

The bride & I made all our arrangements thru e-mails, including the recent decision to have me play for the reception in addition to the ceremony. It was a small, simple wedding, & harp was a wonderful choice for the venue & style.

Since the Kelty House is on Lafayette's main street, & there was pretty steady traffic, it was a plesant surprise to find the tall hedges combined with the harp music masked the traffic sounds! The weather was perfect, warmer than yesterday, but still quite pleasant, & the tall trees provided plenty of shade.

One of the nicest things about playing for a reception or other 'wallpaper' (background music) event is the sense of peace the harp brings to the participants. The most common comment today (in addition to the general 'I love harp music!') was that the music kept the conversations quieter, masked the traffic sounds, & fit the event perfectly!

Each 'garden room' was beautifully set up, & the event was seamless. Colours were green & brown, my dress matched the Mother of the Bride's in colour! 

I wore the wreath during the reception, & had a nice chat (after the cake cutting) about some of the delightful plants now available to Oregon gardeners - Tea Camellias & Olive trees, with a friend & a fellow involved in the Nursery business. 

Several local wineries have planted olive trees, & Red Ridge Farms has even put in an olive press, both for their use & for other growers.
Camellias grow well in our area, olives are just being tried here. I have a couple of each, such beautiful plants.