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 Harp Instructors
Please Note: Instructors are subject to change based on enrollment.
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.
Martha Geouge Hill grew up in a musical family, and earned her BM and MM degrees in applied piano and music education at UNC-Greeensboro. She was a teacher, curriculum specialist, principal, and assistant superintendent, while maintaining a significant music career as an accompanist, organist, and vocalist. She discovered the Celtic harp when her husband was an athletic competitor in the Scottish Highland Games. Martha has won the Princess Margaret of the Isles award from the Clan Donald Trust, and first place awards at the Scotland County and Grandfather Mountain Highland Games. She plays with the Celtic trio, Stone’s Throw, and has performed and presented at festivals and workshops. Martha has toured in the US and Scotland with the ensemble, Harpa, and is a founding member of the ensemble, Banrìgh. Martha regularly composes and arranges for the Celtic harp, and is a judge for Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA) sanctioned competitions.
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.