American Harp Society

Last updated

The American Harp Society, Inc. (AHS) is a non-profit organization. Founded in 1962, the AHS is an organization of harpists with more than 3,000 members from all 50 states and 20 countries. The organization is currently led by President Lynne Aspnes, Chairman of the Board Elaine Litster, and Executive Director Kathryn McManus.

Contents

The Library of Congress is home to the AHS Repository and the Harold B. Lee Library at Brigham Young University is home to the International Harp Archives [1] which contains the AHS Archives, AHS Lending Library [2] and Interview Series.

National Events

Every summer the American Harp Society hosts national gatherings. [3] The National Conference, held in even-numbered years, features concerts by artists from around the world, workshops on wide-ranging topics, master classes with teachers, and scholarly lectures, as well as an exhibit hall with an array of harps and related items. The Summer Institute, held in odd-numbered years, focuses on the student harpist with workshops, master classes, and concerts by performers and pedagogues. The Summer Institute is held in conjunction with AHS National Competition, [4] where young harpists compete for awards and scholarships in five divisions: Junior, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, Advanced, and Young Professional.

Publications

The AHS publishes The American Harp Journal bi-annually. Articles in the journal include such topics as biographies of major past and present harpists, bibliographies, harp construction and maintenance, historical studies, listings and reviews of publications and recordings, educational content for students and teachers, and coverage of AHS news and events. The AHS formerly published the AHS Teachers Forum, an annual journal dedicated to harp pedagogy from 1997-2004, and Unkle Knuckles’ Knews, a magazine for young harpists from 1994-2007.

Founding Committee

Past Presidents

Past Chairmen of the Board

Related Research Articles

Marcel Georges Lucien Grandjany was a French-American harpist and composer.

Edward Hoagland is an American author best known for his nature and travel writing.

National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame Hall of Fame for Cowgirls

The National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame is located in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Established in 1975, it is dedicated to honoring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educational resource with exhibits, a research library, and rare photography collection. It adds Honorees to its Hall of Fame annually.

Carlos Salzedo

Carlos Salzedo was a French harpist, pianist, composer and conductor. His compositions made the harp into a virtuoso instrument. He influenced many composers with his new ideas for the harp's sounds through his work with the International Composers' Guild. His many harp students performed in prominent orchestras.

Walter Dean Myers American childrens book author

Walter Dean Myers was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childhood led him to writing and his school teachers would encourage him in this habit as a way to express himself. He wrote more than one hundred books including picture books and nonfiction. He won the Coretta Scott King Award for African-American authors five times. His 1988 novel Fallen Angels is one of the books most frequently challenged in the U.S. because of its adult language and its realistic depiction of the Vietnam War.

Lillian Elaine Summers was an American choreographer, experimental filmmaker, and intermedia pioneer. She was a founding member of the original workshop-group that would form the Judson Dance Theater and she significantly contributed to the interaction of film and dance, as well as the expansion of dance into other related disciplines, such as visual art, film, and theater. She fostered the expansion of performing dance in new, often outdoor locations. Her movement approach Kinetic Awareness offers a comprehensive perspective on human movement and dance.

Lisa Lynne is a Celtic harpist, a composer and new-age recording artist. She is a self-proclaimed multi-instrumentalist who has "spent the last eighteen years pursuing her passion for the Celtic harp."

Ann Hobson Pilot is an American musician and the former principal harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops. She has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and as a soloist with many orchestras in the United States. She was one of four African American musicians who were the first to play in United States symphony orchestras during the 1960s.

Leigh Michaels is the pseudonym used by LeAnn Lemberger, a popular United States writer of over 80 romance novels. She published her novels in Harlequin Enterprises Ltd since 1984 to 2006. She also teaches romance writing for Gothan Writers' Workshop among other places.

Alice Chalifoux Musical artist

Alice Chalifoux was Principal Harpist with the Cleveland Orchestra from 1931 to 1974 and, for twelve years, was its only female member.

Lucile Lawrence was a leader among American harpists. At the end of her life, she was actively teaching as a faculty member of Boston University and the Manhattan School of Music as well as teaching privately.

Edna Phillips, later Edna Phillips Rosenbaum, was an American harpist long associated with the Philadelphia Orchestra and a teacher at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music. Her most lasting contribution to the instrument was a body of works she commissioned as a soloist, including the concertos of Alberto Ginastera, Nicolai Berezowsky, Ernst Krenek, and Ernst von Dohnányi.

<i>Lush Life</i> (Nancy Wilson album) 1967 studio album by Nancy Wilson

Lush Life is a 1967 album by Nancy Wilson, arranged by Billy May, Sid Feller, and Oliver Nelson.

Elaine Christy

Elaine Christy is an American harpist. She has performed at high-profile concert halls including Steinway Hall, Carnegie's Weill Hall, and with the CBS Orchestra on the television show Late Show with David Letterman. In 2012, she is an instructor of harp at Princeton University.

Susan Allen (musician) Musical artist

Susan Allen was an American harpist and music educator. She was particularly known for her world premieres of music for both the classical and electric harp by contemporary composers. She performed in a variety genres—classical, experimental music, jazz, and world music. For many years Allen was also Associate Dean of the Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts.

International Harp Archives

The International Harp Archives (IHA) is a collection of archives from the World Harp Congress, American Harp Society, and individual harpists. It is located at the Harold B. Lee Library in Brigham Young University (BYU). The archives began as a collection established by Samuel and Rosalie Pratt, and it may be the largest collection of harp materials in the world.

Valerie Vonpechy Whitcup is an American composer, harpist, and educator.

Annie Louise David American harpist

Annie Louise Berry David was an American harpist.

References

  1. "International Harp Archives".
  2. "International Harp Archives » AHS Lending Library".
  3. "Conference / Summer Institute | American Harp Society". www.harpsociety.org. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07.
  4. "Competitions & Awards | American Harp Society". www.harpsociety.org. Archived from the original on 2009-12-07.