American Harp Academy featured by WXII 12 News!

The American Harp Academy (AHA) was held June 23-29, 2024, at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) in Winston-Salem, NC. The AHA believes in nurturing the artist within the harpist and is a 1-week summer program led by Jacquelyn Bartlett, UNCSA Artist Faculty and Artistic Director of the North Carolina Harp Ensemble. Harpists of all skill levels, ages 12 to adult are welcome to participate in this intensive week of study every summer. This year, we were thrilled to share our passion for harp and music education with Star Connor of WXII 12 News! Enjoy her news feature below!

News Feature by Star Connor, Weekend Morning Anchor/Reporter at WXII 12 News

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —

Inspiring musicians and helping them achieve artistic excellence.

That’s what this week is all about for a group of students participating in the American Harp Academy in Winston-Salem at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

The American Harp Academy includes lessons from instructors from around the world.

One student who traveled from Charlotte said she hoped to learn more from this week-long program.

Tessa Jackson said she's been playing the harp since she was 3 years old.

"I love the sound. When you play this instrument, you can do so many different things with it. I love how it brings other people joy when I play it," Jackson said.

The 17-year-old is participating in the American Harp Academy for the first time.

"I learned a lot about technique. I knew it was important just didn't realize how important it was to at certain cords, it was a lot easier to play," she said. "I also learned the importance of being able to listen. Because on ensembles, you have to be able to listen to other players."

Harp professor and academy director Jacquelyn Bartlett said the weeklong program offers intensive study, as well as preparation for upcoming competitions, auditions, and performances.

"Harpists seem to be a little bit more isolated with their instrument. There aren't as many harpists around," Bartlett said. "So, this really gives them opportunities for harpists to gather together."

Bartlett said the harp can produce a wide range of sounds, from delicate notes to powerful chords.

"It's a beautiful instrument. You sit and play it. Your arms are wrapped around it. The instrument vibrates, so your body feels that and to me, it has the most glorious sound and abilities of any other instrument," Bartlett said.

"I feel like the harp, or just music in general, just brings joy and a certain peace. It definitely brings beauty, and more beauty to the world," Jackson said.

Full article here.

23/24 Season in Review!

This season the NC Harp Ensemble conducted by Jacquelyn Bartlett (UNCSA Artist Faculty) presented their Holiday Concert on November 18, 2023 at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and Spring Concert on April 13, 2024 at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington! We also welcomed internationally acclaimed harpists Parker Ramsey (October 2023) and Noel Wan (February 2024) whom both performed solo harp recitals at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington and presented a masterclass at UNCSA in Winston-Salem! We are so appreciative of being able to welcome and learn from these incredibly talented artists and educators!

Holiday Concert 2023

Our Holiday concert included a festive program of music, including popular favorites Sleigh Ride, Carol of the Bells, Silent Night, and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. Our audience was also treated to solo harp performances by NCHE members including Jae Lee, Bach’s Largo; Annabelle Wang, Grandjany’s Variations on a Theme of Haydn; Aiden Sowers, Pierne’s Impromptu-Caprice; and Daya Asokan, Chertok’s Ten Past Two.

Spring Concert 2024

Our Spring concert featured an exciting program of works from Baroque to Latin dances, including selections from Bach’s Sixth French Suite/arr. Carlos Salzedo, Henson-Conant’s Baroque Flamenco, and Ortiz’s Venezolana and Cumbia Verde. Our audience was also treated a performance of Grandjany’s Aria in Classic Style performed by harpist Aiden Sowers with organist Patrick Murphy and Bach’s Largo performed by harpist Daya Asokan. We are truly grateful for our performers, parents, families, friends, and community supporters of the harp! It has been a great pleasure to create and share music with you this season!

Enjoy these short video clips from our Spring Concert!

Bourree by J.S. Bach/arr. Carlos Salzedo

Baroque Flamenco by Deborah Henson-Conant

Venezolana by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

2022-2023 Season in Review!

The North Carolina Harp Ensemble presented their Holiday Concert on December 14, 2022 at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and Spring Concert on April 22, 2023 at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington! Both concerts were conducted by Jacquelyn Bartlett the Professor of Harp and Chamber Music at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Our holiday concert included a fantastic program of music, including popular favorites Sleigh Ride, Carol of the Bells, and Waltz of the Flowers as well as lovely jazz arrangements of I Wonder As I Wander and What Child is This by Cindy Horstman. Our audience was also treated to solo harp performances by UNCSA harp students including Andres’ Sweet Blues performed by Annabelle Wang and Salzedo’s Siciliana performed by Daya Asokan. Our Spring concert at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington featured an exciting program of dance music from across the globe, including Spanish Dance No. 1 by De Falla, Oriental Dance by Granados, and Cumbia Verde by Alfredo Rolando Ortiz. Our audience was also treated to a solo harp performance of J.S. Bach’s Largo and Godefriod’s Etude de Concert performed by UNCSA harp student Lucy Hester. We truly appreciate our performers, parents, family, friends, and community supporters of the harp! It is a great pleasure to create and share our music with you!

Please enjoy our performance of Triptic Dance by Pierre Beauchant/arr. Carlos Salzedo from our 2023 Spring Concert at First Presbyterian Church in Burlington!

NC Harp Ensemble presents first LIVE concert since 2019!

The North Carolina Harp Ensemble presented their Spring Concert “Harp Extravaganza” on Saturday, April 30, 2022 at the Well-Spring Community in Greensboro! This was our first LIVE concert since 2019! We were thrilled to be back together again and to perform our concert, bringing together 14 harpists of all ages and skill levels from across the Carolinas! Our performers presented a fantastic program of music, including Alfredo Rolando Ortiz’s Cumbia Deliciosa, Llano, Habanera Gris, and Danza de Luzma; Astor Piazzolla’s Chiquilin de Bachin; Deborah Henson Conant’s Baroque Flamenco; and Carlos Salzedo’s Tango and Seguidilla. Our audience was also treated to solo harp performances including Marcel Grandjany’s Fantasy on a Theme of Haydn performed by Brigid May and J.S. Bach’s Largo and Piece en Sol performed by Grace Ludtke; and a flute/harp performance of George Bizet’s Entr’acte from Carmen and Camille Saint-Saens’ Romance performed by flutist Erin Munnelly Denning and harpist Leigh Stringfellow. We truly appreciate our performers, parents, family, friends, and community supporters of the harp! It is a great pleasure to create and share our music with you again!

Please enjoy this video of our performance of Tango & Seguidilla by Carlos Salzedo!

NC Harp Ensemble brings harpists together during the 20/21 season!

During the 20/21 season, the NC Harp Ensemble has continued to bring harpists together and offered virtual and in-person educational and performance opportunities for student harpists across the state. Please enjoy our season’s video projects! Special thank you to Ben Blozan for the audio/video production of both projects and to Chapel of the Cross for hosting our Spring rehearsals and recording session!

PROGRAM

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Johnny Marks, arr. Jeffery Walters

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Mosaic of South American Melodies

NC Harp Ensemble - 2021 Concert

PROGRAM

Cumbia Deliciosa, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

Chiquilin de Bachin, Astor Piazzolla/arr. Marcela Mendez

Llano, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

Habanera Gris, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

Malaguena, Ernesto Lecuona/arr. Arabella Sparnon

Tango, Carlos Salzedo

Danza de Luzma, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz

North Carolina Harp Ensemble presents Music from Around the World

The North Carolina Harp Ensemble presented their concert 'Music from Around the World' in Crawford Concert Hall on the campus of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts on Saturday, March 10, 2018! Our performers presented a diverse musical program, exploring the diversity of music from various countries and time periods. The concert program included America's Variations on When the Saints Go Marching In, Mexico's Celita Lindo, Japan's Sakura (Cherry Blossom), England's Fantasy on Chopsticks 'from the Chop Waltz', Handel's Passacaglia, Mchedelov's Variations on a Theme of Paganini, and Zaerr's River Right Rhumba. We truly appreciate our performers, parents, family, friends, and community supporters of the harp! It is a great pleasure to create and share our music with you!

Holiday Concert 2017

"Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets by Gustav Holst, arr. Julie Gaisford Keyes.

The North Carolina Harp Ensemble presented their Holiday Concert at Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem on Sunday, November 19, 2017 in Gray Auditorium located in the Visitor's Center! Our performers presented a beautiful concert of festive favorites, including "Jupiter, The Bringer of Jollity" from The Planets, Angels We Have Heard on High, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Carol of the Bells, Sleigh Ride, and Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer! It was a pleasure to present our Holiday Concert at Old Salem again this year and we are very thankful to be able to perform in such an amazing venue! Wishing everyone a jolly and joyful holiday season!

Collaborative Spring Concert brings together harpists from across the Carolinas!

The North Carolina Harp Ensemble presented their Spring Concert in collaboration with the Charlotte Chapter of the American Harp Society on Saturday, April 1, 2017 at Myers Park Presbyterian Church in Charlotte! The North Carolina Harp Ensemble was thrilled to collaborate with the Charlotte Chapter of the American Harp Society for this special concert, bringing together over 30 harpists of all ages and skill levels from across the Carolinas.

Our performers presented a fantastic program of music, including Klaus Badelt’s Pirates of the Caribbean Medley, Alfredo Rolando Ortiz’s Cumbia Verde, Deborah Henson Conant’s Baroque Flamenco, and Carlos Salzedo’s Seguidilla. Our audience also was treated to a solo harp performance of Gabriel Faure’s Impromptu performed by Jared Parsons and a harp quartet performance of Carlos Salzedo’s Three Famous Compositions (Chanson dans la nuit, Tango & Rumba) performed by Jacquelyn Bartlett, Kristen Bruce, Grace Wepner Ludtke, and Jared Parsons.

We would like to thank Myers Park Presbyterian Church for providing us the use of their beautiful sanctuary for our performance. We truly appreciate our performers, parents, family, friends and community supporters of the harp! It is a great pleasure to create and share our music with you! Please enjoy these videos of our performance, including Processional by Linda Wood, arranged by Jack Jarrett and Seguidilla from Suite of Eight Dances by Carlos Salzedo.

We Promise This. You'll Do What You Love This Summer!

SummerHarp Intensive

one-week session - July 2-8, 2017

two-week session - July 2-15, 2017

The SummerHarp Intensive at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is an exciting 1 to 2-week immersion into “all things harp”. Harp students of all ages and skill levels will benefit from private harp lessons, masterclasses, ensembles, public concerts, and seminars in practice techniques, performance practices, memorization and preparation for future musical endeavors. For harpists wishing for the 2-week experience, the second week will include a more advanced, in depth study of orchestral excerpts, conducting and solo repertoire. Led by UNCSA artist faculty, Jacquelyn Bartlett.

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FACULTY FOCUS - JACQUELYN BARTLETT

What do you want parents and students to know about your teaching methods?

I teach the student to play "in" to their instrument and to use it as their voice. My lessons focus on developing proper technique and exceptional listening skills, so students can project a warm and inviting tone on their instrument. I encourage each student to find his/her own voice as a harpist and to think deeply about how they play and project musical ideas to listeners. 

What makes the SummerHarp program unique to other summer harp programs?

UNCSA Summer Intensives offers programs in music, dance, drama, filmmaking, and visual arts - all occurring simultaneously. As a harpist, you will have the chance to mingle with students in all arts mediums on a conservatory campus with an extensive musical library and wonderful concert halls. There will also be opportunities to collaborate with other instrumentalist, including violinists, cellists and flutists to expand upon your chamber music repertoire.

What do you hope students gain from being a SummerHarp participant?

I hope that students will become recharged with a fresh new energy and passion about their music and the harp. Students will have a much better understanding of their potential and possibilities as a student and eventually a professional harpist.

What do you love most about playing the harp and being a teacher?

As a musician, I enjoy the sound and the feel of the vibrating strings on the harp. I also love the wide range of colors and sounds that can be produced on our instrument. As a professional, I truly appreciate being able to learn new music and work with composers to bring this new music to audiences. As a teacher, I love working with students to help them discover ways to improve technique, musicality, and memorization skills, all while introducing them to different styles of music. It is exciting and fulfilling to see a student master a piece of music and then perform it with joy and confidence!

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We Promise This. You'll Do What You Love This Summer! Application request.

Residency options include both day and overnight students. Must be 12 years or older to stay overnight. Each student must have his/her own instrument to play during the SummerHarp Intensive. Rental harps will be available on a limited basis to students unable to provide their own for the duration of their stay. Students on lever or pedal harps may apply to the 1-week session (July 2-8, 2017) while only harp students on pedal harps may apply for the 2-week session (July 2-15, 2017). Priority Audition Deadline is April 17, 2017.

Yoga for Harpists Workshop!

Yoga for Harpists Workshop

Saturday, March 4, 2017 from 1:30pm-2:45pm

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Winston-Salem

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This yoga workshop is designed to address the needs of professional and student harpists!

Practice yoga poses and stretching routines designed to offset prolonged muscle use and repetitive motion of harp practice.

Learn how to counteract the extended and often asymmetrical use of your arms, shoulders, neck, and even hips!

Discuss how to avoid unwanted tension in harp practice to prevent injury and promote healthy playing!

No harps required! Wear comfortable clothing and enjoy a workshop with certified yoga instructor, Gillian Harper.

Registration $20 - Deadline February 26, 2017

For NC Harp Ensemble or Charlotte Chapter of AHS members participating in the rehearsal on March 4th, a catered boxed lunch can be purchased for an additional cost of $10.

How to register? Click here!

For additional information, please contact Grace Ludtke at ncharpensemble@yahoo.com