This newsletter introduction features "a few of my favorite things" -- Alan Stivell, and the Somerset Folk Harp Festival.

Alan Stivell has been my harp hero since 1971. He was the first Celtic harp player I ever heard, and his music was why I switched from pedal harp to Celtic harp. My first repertoire consisted entirely of music that I learned by ear from his "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" LP.

I've been fortunate to meet Alan on several occasions. In February 1982, at the end of his first West Coast tour of the US, I interviewed him at the LAX airport while he was waiting for his flight home to France. My husband took this photo of us that afternoon. Our interview appeared in the September 1982 issue of the Folk Harp Journal. You can purchase a PDF of that complete Journal issue, including my interview with Alan, from the Journal archives for only 99 cents by clicking this Musicmakers link!

I often mention in my newsletters that I love the annual Somerset Folk Harp Festival in New Jersey. This year it will be in a hybrid format, both in-person and online, from July 21 to 24, with additional Zoom events the following weekend. You can still register for the festival on their site.

Back in 2015, I was honored to receive the Somerset Festival's Lifetime Achievement award, so I was thrilled to learn that Alan Stivell will be this year's recipient! Here's the information from the festival's website:

Congratulations to Alan Stivell for his upcoming Lifetime Achievement Award!

-- Sylvia

Here are some of the PDFs that I've added to harpcenter.com this past month.

America the Beautiful - arranged for lever or pedal harp

Harpe Noel - unique arrangements of six Christmas carols for lever or pedal harp

In last month's newsletter, I mentioned that Caroline Steinford had created PDFs of patterns for making twelve harp-motif appliqué quilt blocks inspired by Hawaiian quilts. This month, I'm happy to announce that these twelve blocks are now also available as design files for home embroidery machines. So, if you have an embroidery machine, check out this new format for creating these fun harp blocks!

In the September 2017 and January 2021 issues of this newsletter, I warned you about email scams targeting harpists and music teachers. If you don't remember them, click these links and go back and read them. However, the summary was: Beware, stay safe, and remember this: if anyone sends you excess money and asks you to send part of it somewhere else, DO NOT DO IT! It is a scam.

I've recently received many emails with a new twist: "My spouse has died, and I am giving away their piano for free." Here are some examples. (I have not fixed their grammatical mistakes.)

I've been curious about how these scams work, so I did a Google search. It turns out that they will ask you to pay hundreds, or thousands, of dollars through a shipping company to have the "free" instrument shipped to you. However, the shipping company doesn't exist. They steal your money, and you will never get the instrument (which also doesn't exist).

Of course, free instruments are not always a scam. In 2019 the daughter of one of my customers contacted me about giving away her deceased mom's three lever harps. Since I knew this harpist, I knew it was legitimate. I was honored to be able to find new happy homes for all three harps.

Beware and stay safe. And remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

In last month's issue, we featured Lisa Lynne. This month, we are proud to feature another talented harpist and arranger, Aryeh Frankfurter, who is Lisa's husband! Here's what Aryeh has to say about himself and his music.

Music was always central to my life, but I never imagined it would become my vocation. I was in grad school getting a doctorate in philosophy when attending a Pete Seeger concert changed everything. I was inspired to live a happier and more meaningful life, so I left the program, moved to San Francisco, and became a street performer.

It still surprises me that the folk harp would be the primary instrument of my musical journey. I began with classical violin lessons at age three, and at twelve, I played in university-level orchestras. I eventually studied under the concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony. In college, I played violin and viola in chamber music ensembles under teachers from the San Francisco Conservatory.

I explored many musical styles in my teens: progressive rock, jazz fusion, and various ethnic music genres. At age 15, while busking with my fiddle at the Agoura Renaissance Fair, I was introduced to the Celtic Harp. I became enchanted with folk music, and the Celtic harp became my focus.

I busked my way through my Berkeley college years, becoming "The Harp Guy," one of the colorful and eccentric figures that haunted the campus, along with the Polka Dot Man and the Bubble Lady. When my professors wondered what I was doing, I replied: "Living my life philosophically (through music) rather than talking about it."

I returned to San Francisco and started busking full-time around 1993. Over time my geography grew from BART stations and street corners to popular tourist destinations like Ghirardelli Square and the Cannery - then to farmers' markets, art fairs, festivals, and events up and down California.

I used a Tascam 4-track tape recorder to hand-duplicate my cassettes, one by one, to sell on the street. It grew from there to self-producing a full-length album each year. Between the tips and selling tapes - and then CDs - I earned a good living and bought a house in San Francisco.

While playing at Ghiradelli Square, a couple of Swedish fiddlers asked if I'd like to go to Sweden to perform at a music festival there. So, off I went to Sweden! I had no idea that this experience would change the entire trajectory of my musical/artistic life.

I didn't know much about Swedish music but discovered it was evocative, haunting, elegantly powerful, and quite challenging. I couldn't resist. I came home with dozens of CDs and listened to nothing else for about a year. Eventually, I transcribed and adapted some of the tunes for the harp. My first Nordic-centered album, "Harp Songs of the Midnight Sun," was released in 1998.

I performed at several harp conferences. One fellow harper who noticed me was Lisa Lynne. She wrote to me, saying that she enjoyed my Nordic albums, and asked if we could exchange CDs. I was familiar with her Windham Hill recordings, so I was flattered by her request and said, "Yes!" We met when I played a 2006 concert at Sylvia Woods Harp Center with fellow harpist and Nordic music enthusiast Beth Kolle. Lisa and I became friends, started making music together and merged our lives.

Since Lisa played most of the harp in our duo, I focused on the nyckelharpa I had purchased in Sweden, and recorded several albums featuring this instrument. (You can read more about this unique Swedish instrument on my website.) I also played multiple instruments supporting Lisa's music in her Windham Hill tours. Aside from some harp duets in our concerts, the harp receded from my focus for a while.

Patrick Ball was always one of my harp heroes. I had been listening to his recordings since I was a teen just starting on the instrument. (I also loved music by Kim Robertson, Chris Caswell, Derek Bell, and Alan Stivell.) Around 2010, Patrick was looking for musicians to expand his shows and help underscore his story-telling. The chemistry was immediate when Lisa and I met him. We performed and toured with Patrick for eight wonderful years with our "Legends of the Celtic Harp" show, which told legendary stories of the harp through time. Performing with Patrick was one of my most rewarding musical experiences.

Lisa and I married in 2015. The following year we left San Francisco and bought a ten-acre farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We have a large music barn and host events for the local community. I plant gardens and fruit trees, drive a tractor, and am the primary servant to our orange Maine Coon cat, Nigel.

Lisa and I still tour and play with other musicians, performing at large and small stages throughout the West Coast. We teach at music camps and give presentations at harp conferences and symposiums.

In 2021 I returned to my harp roots, recording and releasing a solo harp album, "Tunes for Patrons: Music of Turlough O'Carolan." I am also breaking out my fiddle once again, as I have recently developed an affinity for old-time music.

Life, so far, has been a wonderful ride, and I owe it all to the harp.

-- Aryeh

Editor's note: On Aryeh's website, you can purchase his CDs and mp3s and watch 18 videos of his performances.

All three of Aryeh's PDFs are on sale this month with the code word Aryeh. Six PDFs and books featuring songs about summer are also included.

To get the 15% discount, enter the code word Aryeh in the "Enter Promo Code" box on your shopping cart page and click "Enter Code" by July 31, 2022. See the "How to get the 15% discount" section at the bottom of this newsletter for more information.

15% off select sale items when you use the code word Aryeh

Our newsletter promo codes are redeemable online and are only valid for the products listed above in the monthly sale section. They are not valid for phone or email orders. This month's code word is Aryeh.

Here's how to get your newsletter discount at harpcenter.com:

#2. On the page where you view the items in your cart, type this month's code word Aryeh in the "Enter Promo Code" box and click "Apply."

REMEMBER: You must enter this month's code word Aryeh in the Promo Code box and click "Apply" on your shopping cart page by July 31, 2022, to get the discount!

If you forget, or if you have trouble adding it to your order, email Sylvia immediately.