Congratulations to academy member Domenica, who as well as recently touring Europe with the Australian Youth Orchestra, has also completed her honours thesis and performances of the Debussy and Ravel. As Debussy originally composed the Danses Sacred and Profane for the chromatic harp, Domenica learnt the chromatic harp to gain a thorough insight into her material. Her actual performance of the piece was on the pedal harp.

Congratulations go to academy member Sophia Levitzki, one of the New
South Wales chromatic harpists. She has recently won the Australian Broadcasting
Commission National Youth Talent competition. Along with her sisters
who play flute and violin, while all three do vocals, she performed their
own compositions on the national media, as the trio Harps and Hearts.
Sophia is a very gifted and beautiful young woman who has a great future
in the music industry, so watch out for her. Congratulations also go
to Helen, their indefatigable Mother.

Chromatic harp featured recently in a performance of the Rubaiyat of
Omar Khayyam at the magnificent colonial Yungaba House, the current home
of the Brisbane Ethnic Music Centre. The harp, one of the traditional
instruments of classical Persian music, was played along with oud, komanche,
tar, santour, ney, tombek and daff, with soprano Dania Cornelius, on
loan from the State Opera, reading the text and singing. The concert
proved so popular with the public that despite forty additional seats
being provided, dozens still had to be turned away at the door. The group
is aiming to make a CD. of the show in the new year.

Many thanks to Luthier Brandden Lassells for hosting the recently held
chromatic harp workshops in Victoria. These were held at his new premises
in Taravale, to the north of Melbourne, and had a great overall response,
with some really interesting musicians taking a genuine interest in learning
to play. The demonstrations were given on the fabulous concert chromatic
that Brandden is just finishing off. See Gallery.

Congratulations to Queensland academy member Sara Fawcett who recently
gave her premiere performance on the chromatic harp. As well as doing
a duet with Donald, Sara went on to play three of her own compositions
for the instrument- a Spanish Canto Hondo, an extraordinary Fantasia
on She Walked Through the Fair and an extended blues number. This remarkable
girl is addicted to complex left-handed counterpoint, can play Scott
Joplin’s original score of The Entertainer and has only been learning
for eleven months. She is also blind! A real inspiration.

Belgian chromatic harpist and tireless promoter and educator Vanessa
Gerkens, who is our Technical Advisor, is holding an international symposium
on the chromatic harp over the first weekend in October of 2008, in Brussells.
Watch this noticeboard for further information.

The chromatic academy is pleased to have purchased a stray three and
a half octave chromatic harp made by Doug Eaton. This brings to three
the number of these solid and reliable little instruments that the academy
has for the use of new pupils.

Many thanks to New South Wales member Michelle Cooper for having formatted
and indexed the text of The Compete Chromatic Harp. This now means that
anyone wishing to get a copy of this work can receive it economically
and in order. If you are interested, please contact us at the academy’s
email. As with everything with the academy, this is a free service.

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Hee Haw Cast Members …