I think December arrived early for me this year. Traditionally the busiest month of the year for harp playing, it seemed to have started two months early! It is good… so good to be this busy. Even when it feels crazy. And life is crazy busy. I am, at this point, living-thinking-feeling one concert at a time… one gig at a time… one teaching flock at a time… and attending to about 1/2 a day at a time. Playing this much… teaching so many wonderful people… is amazing.
This Fall has been generous for the numerous and varied concerts that I have had the opportunity to play in. The Northern Lights Harp Fest in Ottawa at the beginning of October highlighted wonderful concerts and workshops… and an absolutely spectacular sunset (as you can see above).
Later in the month my good friend and colleague Sue Piltch (flute/piano) and I played a lovely concert in Kingston which included many pieces from our CD Anticipation.
This was followed by a sold out house concert in Guelph with Ben Grossman (hurdy gurdy/percussion). The audience was… well, mixed. Fish were present. Two coy koi waggled away next to Ben & I, blissed out by the music… thankfully (apparently they can splash about when they are displeased by the sound waves entering their pond!). Harp and hurdy gurdy. Crazy fun. So much fun, that Ben and I will be giving another concert in January, again in Guelph (see below). We played music from the 13th century, Baroque hurdy gurdy tunes, music by Cage, Ortiz, Schroer, me… and such a beauty moment when Shannon Kingsbury sang two of her amazing songs accompanied by Ben on percussion and Shannon and I on harps!
The following weekend was filled with another house concert and an art gallery concert with Sora, singer-songwriter/fiddle player from Calgary. The concerts were filled with Sora’s songs, my harp music… and a few tunes by Gordon Stobbe, Oliver Schroer, and Alfredo Rolando Ortiz.
(photo by Adrea Wirl)
And… on another “note”… orchestra season is in full swing…
Pedaling fast into December.
UPCOMING CONCERTS:
DECEMBER is filled with playing orchestral music (and other more private bits and bites of ‘giggings’):
- December 3rd: 8pm / McMaster University Choir / playing Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms / Westdale United Church, Hamilton ON
- December 11th: 1:30pm & 4pm / Oakville Symphony / Christmas concert
- December 20th – 21st: 7:30pm / Kingston Symphony Orchestra / Christmas concert / St George’s Cathedral, Kingston ON
- December 24th: 11:30pm / Midnight Mass! / Hamilton ON
JANUARY finds more duo concerts:
- January 14th: DUNDAS, ON – CONCERT harp & flute / Sharlene (harp) & Mate Szigeti (flute) / at The Performing Art School / 108 Park Street West, Dundas ON
- January 22nd: 3pm / GUELPH, ON – CONCERT harp & hurdy gurdy & percussion / Sharlene (harp) & Ben Grossman (hurdy gurdy / percussion) / Knox Presbyterian Church / 20 Quebec Street, Guelph ON / Tickets: $20 adults, $10 students, available at the church, or by reservation 519-821-0141 or office@knoxguelph.ca
RAMBLING SEASONAL THOUGHTS:
Journey of Shadows is my winter-almost-a-Christmas-CD. Two tracks from this album can now be found on YouTube and is downloadable from iTUNES
THE RAMBLING SHAR:
WEBSITE: www.sharlenewallace.com
RAMBLING NEWSLETTER: HarpRamblings.com
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/user/SharleneWallace
PHOTOBLOG: www.listeningtotheinbetween.blogspot.com
MYSPACE: www.myspace.com/sharlenewallace
iTUNES: itunes.apple.com/ca/artist/sharlene-wallace/id294301136
CDBABY: www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SharleneWallace
SHEET MUSIC: www.sharlenewallace.com/sheetmusic.html
(photo by Shar)
