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	AMERICAN HARP SOCIETY
	WORLD HARP CONGRESS

Welcome to the official website of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society. Our local Pittsburgh Harp Chapter is part of the National American Harp Society and is comprised of about sixty local members, including professional, amateur and student harpists, as well as non-harpists and friends of the harp. We have events all year long and welcome new members at any time.

The aim of our Chapter is to promote and foster the appreciation of the harp as a musical instrument, to encourage the composition of music for the harp and to improve the quality of performance of harpists. The Pittsburgh Harp Chapter has added to the cultural life of Pittsburgh by bringing the harp closer to the public at large by presenting local, national and international harpists in performance and or educational classes to a wide audience. Our chapter has helped to sponsor young harpists just beginning their performing career. We promote the education of our own student members and provide frequent performance experience as well as classes and lectures to our own membership and to the general public.

The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society publishes a newsletter several times per year, which is sent to the membership and includes information about upcoming events, a listing of news by our members and information about various National or International Harp events. The newsletters are accessible on this website. Click on "Chapter Newsletters" to view our past newsletters.

To add yourself to our email list, complete the "Join Our Email List" section at the bottom of this webpage. To join our chapter, click on "Join us!" to download a membership form.

Hope to see you at Pittsburgh Harp Chapter upcoming events!

Sincerely,
Gretchen Van Hoesen
President, Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society

Start polishing your pieces - our chapter's yearly business meeting and fourth annual recital is slated for April 17, 2010 at the Third Presbyterian Church, 5701 Fifth Ave (at Negley), Pittsburgh PA 15232. We will start with the business meeting at 1pm, followed by the distribution of the Music Education Audition certificates and the chapter recital. We have invited the congregation of the church to come and hear our recital, so let's have as many chapter members participating as possible! All chapter emembers are invited to perform. Come share your talent and listen to your fellow chapter members perform their favorite piece of music. A light reception will follow the recital.

Nancy Hurrell

Bring your harps and put on your dancing shoes - Nancy Hurrell is coming to Pittsburgh on May 1! She is a well-known harpist, harp historian and consultant for the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Alongside a display of her six antique harps, Nancy will present “History of the Harp,” a lecture chronicling the harp from ancient times to the present, and a workshop entitled “Renaissance Dance Music for Harp,” in which participants not only will learn to play the 16th century music but also to dance the steps! The workshop will be followed by a recital on some of Nancy’s historic harps. Don’t miss this chance to learn some new music and have fun. Nancy’s workshop, harp display and recital will take place in the Alumni Concert Hall at Carnegie Mellon University. Tickets to the events, available at the door, are $10 per event or $25 for the entire day for non-chapter members. For chapter members the first two events are free and $10 for the recital.

Here is the schedule for the day:

9:30 - 11:30 am - HISTORY OF THE HARP: This presentation tells the exciting story of the harp from ancient times to the present. We'll explore the history, surviving instruments, and the people who played them. Musical examples show the fascinating variety of harps from different periods and countries.

1:00 - 3:00 pm - RENAISSANCE DANCE MUSIC WORKSHOP: Play Renaissance dances from the 16th century and dance the steps! Improvise in the renaissance style. We'll discuss sources for Renaissance music. Participants are strongly urged to bring their own harps.

5:00 - 6:00 pm - HARP TAPESTRY CONCERT: Historical harps include Medieval Gothic bray, Renaissance double harp, Spanish Baroque cross-strung, John Egan Irish Portable (c.1815), and single-action pedal harp. A reception will follow the concert.