The 45th American Harp Society (AHS) National Conference will take place June 16–19 at Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida. Hosted by the Central Florida Chapter of the AHS, the conference centers on the theme “That’s Entertainment!” inspired by Florida’s entertainment industry. Conference organizer Cheryl Cunningham says the program features “fabulous harpists who play all kinds of harps with many styles of playing. Attendees will have many ways to interact directly with them, beyond hearing their amazing performances.” Cunningham says harpists will also have the opportunity to browse the exhibit hall, as well as free music and classic LPs.
The opening evening concert on June 16 explores the world of jazz, featuring harpists Charles Overton, Scott Marischen, and César Secundino Méndez. Both Secundino Méndez and Marischen highlight the relatively recent entrance of the harp in the jazz scene, as well as harpists’ increasing interest in non-classical genres. Marischen says his portion of the concert is a riff on a jazz piano trio, with harp, bass, and percussion. “We’ll be having some fun playing Chick Corea, Pat Metheny and The Real Book Standards,” Marischen says. Secundino Méndez says he will share the “magic of Latin jazz” in his jazz trio program “Arpa en Clave.” He describes the project as “a soundscape through some of the main rhythms of Latin America, with a characteristic taste of jazz.” Secundino Méndez says the AHS conference’s opening night will be “a virtuoso concert, full of cool harmonies and a lot of improvisation.”
Additional performances at the 2024 AHS Conference offer a sampling of entertainment music in many genres. AHS Concert Artist Kaitlin Miller’s recital offers her personal perspective on music as storytelling. Another recital showcases a performance by USA International Harp Competition Gold Medalist Noël Wan. An evening concert blends Venezuelan harp music by Eduardo Betancourt and Leonard Jacome with jazz and world folklore and traditional Venezuelan dance. Nikolaz Cadoret will perform on electric harp as part of his Breton post-rock group Descofar, alongside Ben Creighton Griffiths’ Transatlantic Hot Club offering swing, jazz, and Latin bossa nova. Anne-Marie O’Farrell and Laura Sherman bring the music of J.S. Bach into the lever and pedal harp repertoire, juxtaposed with O’Farrell’s own compositions.
Attendees will also have the opportunity to participate in interactive workshops and experiences. The Sunshine Harps Ensemble will rehearse throughout the conference and give the concluding performance on June 19. Harpists can also bring or borrow a harp and join in on Nikolaz Cadoret’s Celtic Harp Circle, improvise in a class with Ben Creighton Griffiths, take a crash course on new lever harp notation with Anne-Marie O’Farrell, participate in a master class on harp quartet arranging with Willi Huber, and play a mock orchestra audition for feedback from Ann Hobson Pilot, Abigail Kent, and Anna Kate Mackle. Other workshop topics include strategies for sight-reading, injury prevention, yoga, arrangement tips, music technology, repertoire, and the music of film composer John Williams.
To register, visit the AHS conference website. Adult and student members of the American Harp Society, as well as non-harpist family members, can register to attend for a single day or for the entire institute.
Conference attendees can reserve rooms with an AHS group discount at the Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld for dates before, during, and after the conference.
