December 2004
Bambi Fischer
Newsletter Editor
fischarper@yahoo.co
After 10 years without an increase, we need to up the anti...
Dues increase to $10, January 1st, 2005.
So, join NOW to avoid higher membership fees!
It all started as a dream. We had just retired when I told my husband,
“Someday, I would like to play the harp.”
Being the sweetie he is, he promised that if we ever found out how, where and
when we could, he would be happy to get one for me. He sealed his promise with
a golden harp charm.
Years passed without any luck of finding a harp, let alone a harp
teacher UNTIL . . .
One day we saw an advertisement for a harp concert. It was the Florida Harpers
and Friends 2000 closing concert in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Our whole life changed after that. Little did my Sweetie know what he was in for. After the concert, Melody Long Anglin invited us to view harps that were for sale and we bought one that same night. The harp was delivered the next day and I had my first harp lesson two days later. It was a whirlwind!
FIRST, there was the lever harp. THEN the travel harp. FOLLOWED by the pedal harp. PLUS lessons twice a week. Oh yes, AND the harp carrier, the bench, music accessories, a tuner, etc. This was all expected and fine. BUT THEN we had some other needs. Since we lived in a stilt house, it was necessary to move the harp up and down the stairs and into our high back truck for engagements. Well, at age 70, it became quite a task! SO . . . We had to find a car that had a lower back and which I could load and unload the harp myself. NOW we found a little bright red Vibe which filled the bill.
I was thrilled, but little did my Sweetie know, he had to give up his old comfortable Cadillac. He is such a Sweetie!
NEXT, there was this stair problem. We HAD to build a large addition to our home with a music room. We had downsized our home six years earlier and had no debt—UNTIL NOW. So, once again, we had a mortgage. He is such a Sweetie!
Having said all of the above, my Sweetie looks back and says to me,
“Whatever got into your mind to play the harp?
We are supposed to be retired. The harps. The car. The house. What next?”
I smiled sweetly and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Next year we are
going to Ireland for the World Harp Congress.”
Little did my Sweetie know . . . when he promised me a harp . . .
Submitted by Elaine Schumacher
The Ireland Trip to the Irish Harp Center located in in Castleconnell, Co. Limerick, Ireland and is only about a 2 hour drive from Dublin where following our visit you may wish to attend the World Harp Congress.
Our Dates at the Centre are
July 13- 16 2005: www.irishharpcentre.com
July 13, 2005, Wednesday:
-- Arriving with a visit to an Irish Pub where Janet Harbison is performingJuly 14 through the 16th, 2005:
-- Classes and historical jaunts begin.
The Center has 10 harps available at the center but we encourage those with travel harps to bring them so that they might also play in the International Irish Harp Orchestra for the World Harp Congress.July 16, 2005 (Saturday):
-- We will be heading from Castleconnell to Dublin for the World Harp Congress.
Our Dates for World Harp Congress
July 17-24, 2005: www.worldharpcongress.org/
July 17, 2005 (Sunday):
-- World Harp Congress Begins in Dublin
July 24, 2005 (Sunday):
-- World Harp Congress Closes in DublinThe entry fee for the event is very reasonable.
The concerts are ongoing from morning to night.
You can just listen to music or take classes.
SPECIAL NOTE:
For those interested in Certification as a Therapeutic Harp Practitioner
Christina Tourin will be using the Irish Harp Center in Castleconnell for a
training module after our event and the world harp congress.
You can just stay in Ireland and get it all done! www.harprealm.com
The fees for the Irish Harp Center
Arriving July 13 & Departing 16 are $462 Euros
Include classes, all meals and housing in dorms.
The dorm location is geared up with student bunk beds (8 in 1 room), 4 in the other, and they have one other room with single bed provision.
The rate for a spouse has been established at $250 Euros
Meals and housing only.
These fees will not include the historical jaunts, however, we will get group rates for those.
All persons are responsible for their own plane reservations and transportation
to Castleconnell.
We are shuttling (as a group) to Dublin after our workshop event.
While at World Harp Congress, if you are intending to go,
you will be responsible for your hotel and meals.
This is a WHC event and you should register under their directors,
but we encourage those going with FHF to the Irish Harp Center in Castleconnell
to all go together from there to Dublin.
There is a shuttle that will take us to Dublin on the 16th.
Reservations for FHF's time at the Irish Harp Center July 13 -16,
2005
should be made through Melody Anglin, at 386-767-7862 or Anglinhous@aol.com
Melody Anglin