Mid Atlantic

Mid Central

Mid Western

NEW:
Recruitment Tools

THE AMERICAN HARP SOCIETY
WESTERN REGION

Elaine Coombs, Director
230 Waverley #1, Menlo Park CA 94025
650-322-1485 E-mail: ecoombs@juno.com

SANTA CLARA VALLEY
www.scvharp.org
Lynne Rovin
17211 Wedgewood Avenue, Los Gatos, CA 95032
408-370-7728
rovinhse@sbcglobal.net

SIERRA FOOTHILLS
tba

CHAPTER NEWS

Central Valley

A chapter organizing meeting is planned for April 11.

Adult Playing Circle is scheduled for April 16 and May 21, 10:30 am at Laura Porter’s.

Fresno Philharmonic, Saroyan Theatre, Fresno, May 14, 1 pm, May 15, 2:30 pm.  Prokofiev, Borodin & Stravinsky, Laura Porter, harpist

Moment Musical, St. James Episcopal Cathedral, Fresno, June 12, 4:30 pm, Concertino, Damase, Laura Porter.

New Harp Summer Camp, Laura Porter, director, all ages, adult and youth master classes, joint harp ensemble chamber music coaching, Grass Valley, Yuba River Charter School, June 27 to July 1 or 2.  For more information, Laura Porter, Harpporter2@aol.com/1.888.477.1487

Harpists Laura Porter, Ronda Henry, Beverly Hyatt Arnold, Desi Noel, Megan Okerlund and Dotty Warkentine are performing and working at various social and corporate functions throughout Fresno/Clovis and surrounding areas, including the Sierra.  
 

Reno

Erin Wood will perform with women’s choir, Bella Voce, May 13 & 14. The program includes Four Songs, Brahms, Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda, Holst, and two newly commissioned works.
 

Pleasanton

Dominique Piana performed for a number of local groups including the Contra Costa Performing Arts Society and the Livermore-Amador Symphony Guild this winter. She played with the Pleasanton Concert Band, La Rougette , David Bennet, at the Valley Community Church, 3 pm on April 10.  

On June 5, the Pleasanton Chamber Players, time and place TBA, will include Dominique with ensemble in Adagio and Rondo , Mozart and pieces by Daniel Gregory Mason for flute, harp and string quartet.  The group presented An Afternoon of Song and Musical Delights on Jan 23 at the Lynnwood United Methodist Church.


Santa Clara Valley

January 22, the chapter went with a South of the Border Build-your-own Taco Dinner at the home of Bev Herz in San Jose.  Stephanie Janowski presented a lively and informative program Covering Your Mistakes.

One of  the most beloved and best known members of the AHS is Louise Trotter.  On March 11, she donated her services for a fundraising concert for the 2006 Conference, with music for pedal and lever harp at the Union Presbyterian Church in Los Altos.  Louise also did a workshop on March 12. The Conference Committee wants to acknowledge the hard work of Bev Herz and Nardia Beyer for this very successful event and a heart felt thank you for the donation.

The Conference Committee also wants to announce the gift of $500 from the SCV chapter to the 2006 Conference.  The chapter is well represented in Conference committee work underway as well as getting the word out in chapter publications.  We can’t thank you enough for the hours and hours of work you have given and the expertise that is invaluable to the success of the Conference.

The Peninsula Symphony with harpist Celeste Misfeldt performed a program Shakespeare & Love March 18 at the Fox Theater in Redwood City and March 19 at Flint Center at De Anza College in Cupertino.


Sierra Foothills

The chapter will greatly miss President Laura Hoffman who was the founder of this vibrant new group whose family has relocated in Maryland. But Concert Coordinator/Treasurer Joan Nylund has stepped in to keep the chapter going  with the help of Vice President Carole Chantal.

A new president will be selected soon.  

The concert by Varvara Ivanova on April 27 at 7:30 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Oroville is the principal spring event. Volunteers are helping to sell tickets and contribute food and beverages to the reception afterwards.

The Mother’s Day concert of the Sierra Harp Ensemble has been postponed until fall with Joan Nylund as Acting Director.  Rehearsals continue on April 24 at 3 pm at Trinity Presbyterian Church.  Joan sends a welcome to all who are interested at jjnylun@msn.com or 530.589.2434
 

Greater Redding

The Conference Committee wants to acknowledge the generous gift of $500 that the chapter donated to the 2006 Conference.  Thank you so much all of you for supporting the Conference in this way.  

Donna Youngblood will contribute to an exhibit at the 2006 Conference, about Italian harpist Angelo Yeago who lived in Northern California and was involved in the late l8th century practice of purchasing or indenturing Italian children to perform on their instruments including harps, on the streets of New York and other metropolitan cities of the era.  

Varvara Ivanova will perform on April 26 at All Saints Episcopal Church, Redding at 7 pm.
 
Jeremy Keppelman
As a member of both the Santa Clara Valley and Bay Area Chapters and a resident of Reno, Jeremy represents more than one part of our Western Region.  He recently has made the news with his appearance on national television on “America’s Most Talented Kids.” Competing against eight other young artists, Jeremy played harp and won First Prize. Congratulations to you  and your teacher Linda Wood Rollo.
 

Stanford

A recital of students of Marjorie Chauvel and assisting artists will be May 4 at 8 pm in Campbell Theatre in Braun Music Building at Stanford.  Jessica McLaughlin, Mincko Mauri, Francisco Rodriquez amd Jenna Boller will play works by Handel, Hindemith, Pierne  and others. Guest artist Diana DeKeet will read Greek poetry accompanied by harp. She  read at a 2000 celebration in Turkey and the 2004 Olympics in Greece.

Judy Loman joins Stanford’s St. Lawrence String Quartet in Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro and Schafer’s Theseus for Harp and String Quartet April 26 in Dinkelspiel Aud at 2:30 pm  $20/10
 

Bay Area

The post-holiday potluck dinner was held on February 13 at the home of Beverley Gaines in Hillsborough.  The program was performance and discussion of works and arrangements by Ellis Schuman.  Performers were Vivian and Wesley Hsu, Douglas Rioth and Janice Ortega.  

November, 2004, Ellis reflected on his long career in music in an article in Harpa, the Int’l Internet Magazine by Liliana Osses Adams.

Anna Maria Mendieta’s performances in February, 2005 included “Madama Butterfly” with Sacramento Opera and the re-launching of the Tuesday San Francisco Noontime Concert Series performing the Debussy Trio and Ravel’s Sonatine en Trio.

In March Anna Maria joined forces with harpist Jennifer Cass of New Music Works in the San Jose Chamber Orchestra program honoring Lou Harrison. She played William Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast with the San Jose Symphonic Choir and the Mission Chamber Orchestra with harpist Karen Thielen.

April 2 & 3 she will join the Sacramento Philharmonic for Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun and Bloch’s Schelomo with harpist Wendy Tamis.  More performances of Belshazzar’s Feast are with choirs in Berkeley and San Francisco.  May 1 & 3 she will join Dan Levitan in Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique with the Marin Symphony.

The Inez Stafford Student Harp competition will be May 15, 2005 at CA St University, Hayward, Music Bldg, 12 noon to 6 pm.  For information contact Janice Ortega, 172 Del Vale Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127-1835/415.584.4277.  The Honors Recital for Prize Winners will be May 22, 2005, CA State University, Hayward, Music Bldg., 2 pm.

Douglas Rioth expects to spend time with his long time teacher, 97 year-old Alice Chalifoux again this summer working on a new piece by John Thow. Doug continues as principal harp of the San Francisco Symphony and will also be soloist next season in the Debussy Danses Sacred et Profane .

Lynn Taffin teams up with violinist David Abel in performances with the LINES Ballet at Yerba Buena Ctr, SF April 14, 15 and 16th at 8 pm.  
With artist support from the Victor Salvi Foundation, the Bay Area chapter presents  prize winning Russian harpist Varvara Ivanova  in concert at Old First Church in SF April 24 at 4 pm  The program will include a collage of Romantic and Impressionistic keyboard transcriptions.

A reception at Karen Gottlieb’s is planned for after the performance which will include the presence of Judy Loman from her performance at Stanford.  

A Special Note
A Mini-Recital and Master Class by Anna Levina, the illustrious principal harp of the Bolshoi Ballet Orchestra, took place on November 7, 2004 at the Crowden School in Berkeley. Seika Dong, Noel and Joy Wan and Jeremy Keppelmann played for her.

Ms. Levina also gave a brief lecture on harp cadenzas in the Tchaikovsky repertoire. A reception followed, provided by Jessica Siegel-Tonti’s Harps, Etc.  

Michael Steadman joined the Winifred Baker Chamber Singers in St. Saens Oratorio de Noel Jan 5 in Ross, CA.  March 20 he performed at the Berkeley Opera fundraiser, playing solos and opera arrangements with violinist Candace Sanderson.  May 1 he performs Walton’s Belshazzar’s Feast at First Unitarian Church,  San Francisco, with combined choral groups from UC Berkeley.

Josephine Lee has been chosen to be the harpist of the Oakland Youth Symphony.

Jeremy Keppelmann and Noel Wan were chosen to perform on the “Focus on Youth” Concerts at the World Harp Congress in Dublin in July.
 

Las Vegas

The newest addition in our Western Region is the Southern Nevada Chapter with Karen Gott, president, Michelle Gott, vice president, secretary, treasurer.  Congratulations and welcome to our first chapter in Nevada.

Michelle performed Two Pieces for Michelle by Virko Baley  in program at Alice Tully Hall in New York on April 13.  She also joined a Juilliard jazz ensemble with Victor Gione on the same program.
 

Eureka

Judy Phillips continues private teaching at Humboldt State University Academy at Arcata.  

12-year Jean Sack performed Britten’s Ceremony of Carols at Christ Episcopal Church in Eureka Dec 24, 2004  

For further information, or for details on starred (*) items, please contact
Kathleen Moon, Executive Secretary
PO Box 38334
Los Angeles CA 90038-0334.
Phone: 323-469-3050.
Email: kmoon@UCLAlumni.net