gothen album release

For the past year or so I have been playing the harp with a local band called Gothen - started by Evan Jolley who I have known since elementary school.  Evan raised money via kickstarter to make an album, which I had the privilege of recording with them back in February.  Such an awesome experience!  Just a few weeks ago, we had an album release show in Provo where we did all the tracks on the album.  I played on 4 of them and you can hear the harp really well!  but I seriously love the whole album.  Each track is unique and so full of different sounds, instruments (guitar, banjo, trumpet, harp, piano, drums, violins, flute, cello, sax), techniques etc.  I would describe the music as indie rock maybe, kind of folk like, and sometimes it reminds me of the Beatles.  The album is available on iTunes now if you want to check it out!

The concert was soooo fun!  And it was great having friends and family there to support me!  Evan and his brother are hanging out in Europe for a few months so it will be fun to see how that influences his next musical endeavors for the band.  Stay tuned.

a night at the symphony

On Saturday I performed with the Salt Lake Symphony at Libby Gardner Hall.  I played first harp on the Rumanian Rhapsody by Enesco and the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra.  I had played the Bartok before but   I had to combine both of the difficult harp parts and I was a freshman and the conductor was a jerk and made me cry it wasn't the greatest experience.

The performance on Saturday was fantastic.  I get such a rush from being on stage performing but I also feel confident in my playing and just so intensely focused in the moment.  While I do enjoy performing by myself, there's something surreal about being part of an ensemble/symphony etc.  Even the parts when I'm not playing, I love just sitting there and soaking it all in.  And it's the best feeling afterwards - when you know you played your best!  Here's a shout out to my parents and my handsome husband who are my biggest supporters!  After the concert we went and got frosties. :)

Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent. - Victor Hugo

les miserables

We saw Les Miserables in theaters a few weeks ago and the music has been playing in my head ever since!  I have always loved the music and I love love loved the movie.  Definitely my favorite movie of 2012.  I thought the actors all did a brilliant job of portraying the raw and stirring emotion that the story tells and the music evokes.  

If you haven't seen it, and aren't familiar with the musical, here's a disclosure: Mr. Harper saw it with me, and he didn't know beforehand that the whole thing is music - hardly any dialogue, which is what I love about it!  But it was a little exhausting for him.  He said that "it felt like every song was the climax of the movie."  Which is kind of true, but seriously that is what makes it so amazing!

FYI all of the vocals were recorded live on set, with just a live piano accompaniment playing in their ear.  And Anne Hathaway's hair was cut live on set when they were doing "I Dreamed a Dream."  I think she should win an academy award just for that performance.  Also, you might not have noticed but there was a ton of harp in the soundtrack!  On about half of the songs, it was the vocalist, and then just harp accompanying them.  The soundtrack was recorded and mixed at Abbey Road Studio in London, and Skaila Kanga was the harpist.  She has done harp on lots of major movies including:  all of the Harry Potter's, Skyfall, The Hobbit, etc.

I have a harp arrangement of "On My Own" that I always play at the Grand America, but the other day I picked up a book of Les Mis piano arrangements, which actually transfer nicely to the harp.  So excited to play all of them at the Grand this week!

back to december

Whew December came and went!  I can't believe we are already into the new year.  Well we were so busy being busy and busy just enjoying ourselves and the holidays and our families that I didn't write a single blog post.  So here's a quick recap. :)

a few girls nights with these beauties!  

lots of harp playing

Hung out with our favorite vivint friends - TJ & Emily!  The girls crafted while the boys played Xbox.

Christmas harp recital with my four students!  I gave them dusting brushes for their harps.  Teaching is such a joy!  Someday when I'm not working full time, I plan on expanding my studio...

Bowling & pizza for Tanner's 16th birthday party! Look at my crazy parents haha.

Our Christmas tree.  My parents got a new fake tree this year, and gave us their old one.  We love free stuff!  It fit perfectly in the corner of our front room.

After one of my gigs.  I accompanied a Methodist choir at their Christmas concert.  Mr. Harper was the ultimate harp mover!  Snow, ice, rain, multiple flights of stairs...nothing he can't handle.  

I finally made it to Trader Joe's!  Let me just tell you that milk chocolate toffee popcorn is DANGEROUS!  I'm restraining myself from going back and buying five more bags.  We're going to try out the mandarin orange chicken tonight.  

A Christmas party I played at - this house had 31 decorated Christmas trees and 19 nativity scenes. After that, I felt fine about not going to the festival of trees.

My old roommate/traveling companion/good friend Michelle got married!  So happy for her - they make a gorgeous couple.

Santa came to {my grandma} Noma's house!  It's hard to recognize him behind the beard and glasses but it's my hubby!  Santa baby!

We had our own little Christmas a few days before the 24th.  We wrapped presents, got some fish tacos from Rubio's, opened our gifts to each other, and watched Home Alone.  Dustin surprised me with a STUNNING sapphire necklace I had been admiring at the mall.  He is the best.  I love spending Christmas with him. We have way too much fun. 

We did Christmas with my family on Christmas Adam because my mom had to fly on the 25th.  We spent Christmas Eve at Dustin's parents.  Such a lovely Christmas and it was fun having both of our brothers home from their missions this year.  

We spent a lot of time at Dustin's parents house between Christmas and New Year's when his family from California was in town.  The Harpers are serious about settlers of cataan and I finally won after being a part of the family for over a year.  So this was a big deal and I definitely did a victory dance.  Dustin was so proud.  :)

We went tubing twice in one weekend!  Once with all of my Hunt cousins, and once with the Harpers.  It was a "kick in the pants" as Dustin would say.  And also freeeezing cold.  

Hope you all had a fantastic December and a lovely Christmas!  

workin for the weekend

ever feel like you're just going going going??! that's how this weekend has been.  but it's been so much fun. 

thursday was the ingrid michaelson concert! i saw her a year ago (quite possibly the worst date ever....) regardless, i love her voice and i love seeing her live! she is never pitchy and her personality is really honest and easy going. i loved when she sang "can't help falling in love" and the only accompaniment was the piano. brilliant.

the opening band was called harper blynn! harper haha... i thought they were really good and you can download their latest album for free on their website: harperblynn.com

us girlies at the concert

friday night two other harp teachers and i combined our studios for one big harp recital.  i realized that as a teacher i get wayyy more nervous watching my students perform than i ever do performing myself! i think it's because i have no control of how they're going to do once they get on stage.  some of my students were really nervous but they all played really well and i was so proud of them!  AND one of the students of the other teachers was BLIND!  i sold this blind woman her harp and was pretty skeptical of how she would do.  i've got to give mad props to her teacher.  i think it would be so hard to teach someone that was blind!  especially since on the harp all of the strings feel the same.  you don't have "markers" like the black keys you have on the piano, but she played 2 pieces (ave maria and greensleeves) beautifully and you could tell she was really enjoying the music.  everyone in the audience was amazed and inspired by her.

friday night part 2 - we drove down to provo and i played harp with the band gothen at muse music cafe.  it's been fun playing with this band - when we rehearse/practice/jam they'll play a song and tell me where they want me to play and just kind of tell me what chords they're playing.  then i try some different things out to see what sounds good with what they're playing.  since most of the stuff i play in other venues is classical, it's an interesting change for me and i feel like i've grown more as a musician because of the experience.

evan jolley on guitar/vocals, me on harp, danny orme on drums

saturday i attended a suzuki teachers' convention at the u.  always great for getting new ideas of how to be a better teacher.  that evening we headed to the joseph smith memorial building for a friend's wedding dinner.  it was a gorgeous reception.  i played the harp for 2 hours during the dinner. 

after the reception, we dropped the harp off at home and then headed back downtown for the jazz game!  we got to go with a bunch of people that dustin works with, including our friends taylor and emily. (who are also coming to corpus this summer!!) the game was intense and the jazz beat the magic in overtime 117-107.  woot jazz.

taylor and emily

one last shout out to dustin harper for being the best harp mover! (i also played in church today..) he's so supportive of all my stuff. love that boy :)