All Students are expected to bring their own instrument. Please note that class sizes are LIMITED.
The Scottish Harp classes will focus on:
• Basic harp technique for beginners and intermediates.
• Repertoire at all levels, including tunes for competition sets.
• Scottish style, including ornaments, lilt, and dance types.
The nylon/gut harp classes will study Scottish dance music, airs, and songs, focusing on ornamentation, Scottish style, accompaniment, and learning by ear. Afternoons will include lectures, practice time, and playing in sessions. Classes will be available for beginners who have played for a few months, intermediates, and advanced players.
About our 2024 Harp Instructors
Please Note: Instructors are subject to change based on enrollment. Instructor(s) for 2025 to be determined
Wendy Stewart is a leading Scottish harper, a world class performer and inspirational teacher whose style and repertoire encompasses both traditional music and her own compositions. She has produced 4 solo recordings, several music books and teaches all level of student, from beginner to graduate. These days, much of Wendy`s musical life and inspiration stems from her home range and community in bonny Glencairn in South West Scotland. She continues to explore musical connections with the natural world, the spoken word, dance and science with several commissions on the go! Wendy is also a member of local group The Galloway Agreement, who, with writer Tom Pow, are currently working on a theatre production of their show The Village and the Road. www.cairnwatermusic.com
Kelly Stewart is a harpist who continues to find herself in new and unusual musical endeavors. She is an avid and enthusiastic educator in the fields of classical and traditional music and has performed throughout Europe and the United States. Fortunate enough to be raised between traditions, she has a lifetime of experience in both Celtic and classical music. Kelly performs regularly in chamber ensembles on the renaissance harp, triple harp, lever harp, and modern pedal harp, with repertoire ranging from medieval to 21st century compositions. She maintains a large teaching studio in her home in Atlanta, GA, and coaches students for competitions throughout the country. Kelly tours regularly with the Celtic/Appalachian duo, The Reel Sisters, and has performed in venues from New Mexico to New York. She received a Masters Diploma from the University of North Wales in performance and traditional musicology and is a US National Scottish Harp Champion.
Tiffany Schaefer is a singing harper, arranger, and educator based in Northeast Ohio. Aided by a background in classical voice studies and many summers studying at the Ohio Scottish Arts School, she performs regularly as a solo artist and with several musical colleagues, including the Cleveland Celtic Ensemble, a touring Celtic chamber music quartet. Tiffany has been involved as either a volunteer or competitor in Scottish harp competitions since 2009, and in 2022 was awarded the US National Scottish Harp Championship and the Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA) Travel Scholarship to Scotland. She is an active participant in the folk music world, hosting a local beginner-friendly session open to all folk instruments and playing regularly at Cleveland Irish sessions; serving as Harp Chair of the Scottish American Cultural Society of Ohio, and as Editor in Chief of the Kilt & Harp, the newsletter of SHSA. In addition to her work as a performer, Tiffany has been providing private lessons and workshops for students of all levels and ages since 2016, and has developed a reputation as a patient, knowledgeable teacher and advocate for adults learning the folk harp; amassing a loyal online following of students on her Patreon website, the Mastering Celtic Music Club. She is excited to be teaching at OSAS for the first time, as the organization has been such a positive influence on her career. www.tiffanyharpandsong.com
Haley Hewitt is a New England-based harp player, educator, and multi-media artist. Steeped in music from North America, Scotland and Ireland, her music has a distinctly traditional flavor. With a Bachelor’s Degree from the Hartt School of Music in pedal harp performance and a Master’s Degree from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Scottish Traditional Music, she founded Celtic Harp departments at Quinnipiac University and the Neighborhood Music School. Passionate about new music, she has also worked closely with composers including Michael O’Sullivan, Ken Steen, Robert Carl, and Dan Lis, to produce new literature for the harp. Her harp playing has taken her to Carnegie Hall, Benaroya Hall, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and won her the New England Open Scottish Harp Competition in 2006 and the US National Scottish Harp Championship in 2013.
Perpetually surprised by what comes out of her mouth, Jen Narkevicius prefers to let her harp do the talking – sometimes. From the Washington DC area, where talk is cheap, she leverages wit to bridge the gaps between the two. Jen enjoys teaching and performing. She also is taken with traveling through Scotland with others, pairing the music with the places, people and events that inspired it. She is Co-Director of Harp Camp in SE Pennsylvania and is beyond delighted to be invited to OSAS. Currently Competition Committee Chair of the Scottish Harp Society of America, Jen is a credentialed SHSA judge. She has been privileged to play for “important people” and to be part of the Harpa tours, but she will be even more fortunate to share some tunes with you! She blogs weekly on topics that range from touring Scotland with a harp to staying healthy and fit as a musician, on to fulfilling your promise as a harper on http://www.jeniuscreations.com/blog/ and she especially enjoys writing about herself in the third person.