Wilmington Harp Day
June 17, 2017 10 AM - 2 PM
Event Schedule
10 AM - 12 PM Harp circle workshop with Dr. Anastasia Pike
12-1 PM Break for shopping with the Virginia Harp Center and lunch. (Lunch is provided free of charge).
1-2 PM Public concert by the Elan Ensemble
Location
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
16 N 16th St. Wilmington, NC 28401
Harp Circle Workshop
Take advantage of this opportunity to work with the fabulous harp teacher Dr. Anastasia Pike! She will be leading us in a participatory harp circle workshop, so please bring your harp. Our goal is to have fun playing together while learning some new music and skills. All skill levels will learn something valuable.
Virginia Harp Center
David from the Virginia Harp Center has graciously agreed to bring down music and strings for us to browse and purchase. If you have any specific string, music, or harp requests, please contact David directly at daviddarville1@hotmail.com. Also, David will be available to fix any minor lever harp problems or buzzes you might have. If you are hoping to have him look at your harp, please email him ahead of time.
Élan Ensemble Concert
The Élan Ensemble performs music from the 17th–19th centuries in historic venues and museums, bringing modern audiences into the spirit of the musical and social world of past eras. This concert is free and open to the public! Please encourage your friends and family to join us for this performance.
What to bring
To participate in the workshop, please bring your harp and printed music. If you have a harp bench and folding stand please bring them as well. Chairs will be available at the church and some music stands. Lunch will be provided.
About Dr. Anastasia Pike
Dr. Anastasia Pike serves on the faculties at Teachers College Columbia University, the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, and Christopher Newport University. Anna received her doctorate from Columbia University, and has master's degrees from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University, Pensacola Theological Seminary, and the University of Maryland, where she also received two bachelor's degrees with honors. She completed additional studies at the Juilliard School, the MasterWorks Festival - London, and, upon personal invitation, to the Salzedo School. Her primary instructors were the late Grammy award-winning Cleveland Orchestra principal harpist Alice Chalifoux and former National Symphony Orchestra harpist Jeanne Chalifoux.
Anna has delighted audiences including European royalty, Supreme Court justices, senators, congressmen, legislators, and celebrities, and has performed on national and international television, in venues including New York's Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, Washington, DC's Kennedy Center, Boston's Jordan Hall, and Baltimore’s Lyric Opera House. She has also performed with members of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of London Sinfonia, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the English Philharmonic, Europa Galante, the London Mozart Players, L’Orchestra des Champs Elysees, and the Metropolitan Opera. Locally, she has appeared as principal harpist with the Fairfax, Harrisburg, Richmond, and Virginia Symphonies.
Anna is also a member of The Sprezzatura Duo, formed with fellow harpist Kate Loughrey. "Sprezzatura" means "the art of making something difficult look effortless." The duo demonstrates the art of "sprezzatura" in their fun, creative, and entertaining concert programs that appeal to audiences of all ages. In 2012, Anna and Kate co-founded the Harps for Kids Foundation, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public charity that provides lessons and community outreach programs to local youth. The Sprezzatura Duo performed at the American Harp Society's 2016 National Conference in Atlanta, giving the world premiere of their second commission.
In addition to her career as a concert harpist, Anna is also an award-winning pianist, and maintains studios of both piano and harp students. She has also been featured on more than 10 different CDs as both harpist and/or pianist.
As an arts educator, Anna has conducted national and international research, and has interviewed artists including Pierre Boulez, Alice Chalifoux, Evgeny Kissin, and Leonard Slatkin. She has written articles for the American Harp Journal as well as entries for various encyclopedias by Salem Press. Anna has presented at the Mid-Atlantic Harp festival, and is a regular presenter at the College Music Society's (CMS) National Conferences; she was the Event Director and lead panelist of the day-long 2016 CMS Pre-Conference Workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In 2017, she will be presenting at the Global Awareness Society International conference in Heredia, Costa Rica, and at the 2017 American Harp Society's (AHS) Summer Institute in Northfield, Minnesota. Anna will also perform as part of the Elán Ensemble at the AHS conference.
Anna serves as President of the Washington, DC chapter of the American Harp Society, and is available for limited performance engagements.