Monday, July 14, 2014

Brief Update...

As I understand it, St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Tucson Arizona is the only church in the world with a children's Harp Choir. Some of the girls are as young as six! Enjoy this all too brief video.

The song they are playing is an original and was "world premiered" for our new pastor. It was entitled Grace. The Harp Choir members are encouraged to be creative and write their own music.

Here is a bit about Dr. Carrol McLaughlin of the University of Arizona, who established our Children's Harp Choir:

CARROL MCLAUGHLIN
  • Professor, Music
Dr. McLaughlin has toured extensively as a soloist throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The Canadian-born harpist holds the degrees of M.M. from the Juilliard School and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Arizona, where she was Teaching Assistant to Susann McDonald. She also studied extensively in England with Russian harpist Maria Korchinska. Dr. McLaughlin became the head of the harp department at the University of Arizona in 1982, and in 1994 was the recipient of the UA Five Star Faculty Teaching Award for Excellence. She has performed highly successful debut recitals in Carnegie Hall, New York, and Wigmore Hall, London, and has performed extensively as concerto soloist with orchestras throughout the US, Japan, Russia, Canada and South America. Carrol is on the Board of Directors of the World Harp Congress and recently was awarded a Fulbright Senior Specialist Award which allowed her to teach at the Cairo Conservatory for a month and give recitals in the Cairo Opera House and the Library at Alexandria. Her new book, Power Performance has received international acclaim, as it helps performers to overcome stage fright and perform without stress. She is the Director of Harp Fusion, the U. of A. harp ensemble who have performed in Japan, Russia, Switzerland ,Puerto Rico, Korea, China, Brazil, Mexico and the Czech Republic.
Click on this link: Children's Harp Choir

5 comments:

  1. Tamara, that's incredible it is the only one! And I'm so sorry but I couldn't obtain any sound from the vid! :(
    Lots of love
    R.

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  2. OK... I took the video out and downloaded it to Google Drive, then put a link to it on the page! You should now be able to "hear" the harps!

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  3. A friend of mine at our church plays the harp. It is a beautiful instrument. I can only imagine watching a choir of harpists. Beautiful!!

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  4. -chuckle- Success! we got through the 'permission process' and it was extraordinary Tamara. The Choir players are as beautifully talented as the exquisite instruments on which they play.
    It was worth persevering. :)
    x

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    1. We have the most generous persons in our church. If a child wants to play the harp but cannot afford the lessons, people "give" funds for scholarships. Also, the harps are owned by the church and have been either purchased by persons for this use or were donated.
      XOXO

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