08-11-16

A Celtic harp event, Carhaix

It was a year ago ! On the 11^th October 2015, at the Espace Glenmor in Carhaix, more than four hundred people came to celebrate the official launch of the Breton Harp Anthology (Antologiezh Telenn Breizh). Among them, twenty-two contributors to the anthology came (in alphabetical order): Nolwenn Arzel, Anne Auffret, Hoëla Barbedette, Dimitri Boekhoorn, Dominig Bouchaud, Nikolaz Cadoret, Jakez François, Muriel Isambert, Florence Jamain, Soazig Kermabon, Tristan Le Govic, Françoise Le Visage, Mael Lhopiteau, Cristine Mérienne, Pierre Nicolas, Soazig Noblet, Nolwenn Philippe, Anne Postic, Gwenola Roparzh, Clotilde Trouillaud, Quentin Vestur and Marie Wambergue.

(more…)

31-07-15

Collectif ARP

The Collectif ARP was created a year ago by Clotilde Trouillaud, Cristine Mérienne, Alice Soria-Cadoret and Nikolaz Cadoret. It was built on a simple idea, to develop their harp activities together. Tristan Le Govic joined them a few months later and Nathalie D’Alcantara, Jean-Yves Cadoret and Philippe Dos accompany them in their projects.

(more…)

28-11-13

Back from the Nordic Harp Meeting of Järna

A Breton Finn, another one Swedish. A Czech Breton, another one Swedish. A Swedish American, a Japanese American, an English Icelander, a Karelian Finn, a Belgian Swede, etc. Is the Nordic Harp Meeting the rendez-vous of travellers? One can find there those who are looking for something, and having found it one day want to share their discovery. Many things here seem to come from the past – the origins of instruments such as harp, lyre, hummel, langspil, and all the instruments which all of a sudden gave an authentic aspect in a present too rushed – but, in Järna, we are in the present.

(more…)

17-10-13

Nordic Harp Meeting

Just over a month after the Kristianstad Öresund HarpHelg (read the post about it), Sweden is again the stage of another harp event. This year, the Nordic Harp Meeting will be held from the 31^st October to the 3^rd of November in Järna. Erik Ask-Upmark, international harp player and organiser of the coming edition, and Josef Berger, harp player and founder of the Meeting, tell us about what is one of the most original events dedicated to the harp:

(more…)

18-09-13

10^th Öresund HarpHelg

The Öresund HarpHelg festival will celebrate its 10^th edition on the 28^th and 29^th September, in Kristianstad (Skåne, Sweden). Every year, the festival moves in the Öresund region, between Denmark and Skåne, the southern part of Sweden. Created in 2004 on the initiative of Helen Davies, Lia Lonnert and Susan Enochsson, this musical week-end is the opportunity for all the Scandinavian harp players to gather. The international harp player Susan Enochsson presents this interregional, intergenerational, intermusical festival:

(more…)

24-04-13

First International Harp Friends Meeting

The mill blades of the Netherlands turn again with a fresh wind. Regarding harp, the country has been the birthplace of many audacious projects: more than thirty years ago, the World Harp Congress was founded as an outgrowth of the Harpweken (Harp Week) on the initiative of the Dutch harpist Phia Berghout; created in 2007 by the Dutch harp players Sabine Meijers and Brenda Dor-Groot, the International Jazz Harp Foundation is based in the Netherlands. More recently, the Nederlandse Harpvereniging (Dutch Harp Association) and the Nederlandse Folk Harp Vereniging (Dutch Folk Harp Association) have launched a common event: Open Harp Dag. Centered on an international pedal harp competition held every two years, the Dutch Harp Festival also promotes other music played on different harps; workshops are scheduled all over the country with local teachers as well as musicians coming from abroad. (more…)

09-04-13

Sessions, the musical life in the pubs of Glasgow

Nothing seems to reconcile Glasgow, the economic capital of Scotland, with Edinburgh, political capital of the country. The two main cities of the Scottish belt stare at, tease and respect each other like porcelain dogs that nothing can bring together. Even the M8 – the motorway between the two cities – increases the differences between them: a logical bypass in Edinburgh, an amputation and stretch of the highway straight into the heart of Glasgow. The tone is set: since the first one prides itself for having an old city classified as World heritage for humanity, the official line for Glasgow will be "the most modern city in Europe" thanks to another – but this one infamous – Robert Bruce¹ and his city restructuring plan.

(more…)

12-03-13

“Migrations”

Just over a year ago, Françoise Berretrot, curator at the Musée de Bretagne of Rennes, contacted me in order to take my testimony as someone of the Breton Diaspora. At this time, I was still living in Scotland where I was teaching the Celtic harp in schools within Glasgow City Council.

(more…)

17-02-13

Song of the Oak and the Ivy

Ten Celtic harps performing on stage, a forty-five minutes of music specially composed for them is something quite unusual and noticeable to be presented. Commissioned for the 30^th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Harp Festival, this work was revealed as some of the most creative music ever written for the Celtic harp, a crazy bet taken up by Corrina Hewat.

(more…)