Summer Festival News

July 10- 13, 2008

(Subject to Change)

May 1, 2008 - There will be a harp regulator at the Festival to re-string and regulate your harp - watch this page for details. You will have to get an appointment ahead of time. Details to be posted.

NEWS:

SPECIAL PROGRAM for Harpers Coming by Bus! Hire a bus for your group - no driving and parking worries - get a bus large enough for harps and suitcases! If you do this, I will pay $500 towards the cost of the bus. Here's what you need to do: Have a minimum of 12 people, register with the Festival all at one time for the complete Festival, stay minimum of three nights in the hotel, travel from outside the Washington DC Metro area. You can come a day early, if you like, and have a day to tour!

_April 2, 2008

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CEUs Again Available for Therapeutic Harpers

Bedside Harps: give Continuing Professional Units (CPU's) for all hands-on workshops at Somerset that focus on improving playing and music skills. Question? Contact Edie Elkan the Director of Bedside Harps.

MHTP TBA

April 6, 2008

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The Somerset Festival is scheduled for July10 - 13, 2008 in Alexandria, Virginia (Washington DC area). The hotel is the Hilton Alexandria Mark Center, located inside the Capitol Beltway. The hotel is a big, full service hotel with lots of amenities. There will be free parking for Festival attendees! The hotel offers free shuttle service to and from Reagan National Airport, as well as free shuttle service to the nearest Metro (Subway) stations.

HOTEL INFO: Located in the West End of Historic Alexandria, The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center Hotel offers elegance and attentive service combined with value. This Hilton Hotel is within sight of the nation's capitol and just ten minutes from the central business district of Washington, DC. Hotel guests are also near to the quaint waterfront galleries and shops in Old Town Alexandria, VA.
The Hilton Alexandria Mark Center's unique lakeside setting - adjacent to a 43-acre botanical preserve - provides a tranquil oasis for travelers to Washington. The hotel has a towering glass atrium and Italian marble clad lobby. With warm greetings of our helpful staff, hotel guests know the minute they arrive that they are assured a memorable stay. Hilton Hotel guest rooms offer comfortable elegance with the services and amenities that only a first-class hotel can provide.
Room rates are $114 per night plus tax, and that is up to 4 people in a room!

This is the chance to bring the whole family on a vacation! While the harper of the family attends workshops and concerts, the rest of the family can ride the Metro to access all the sights and sites of Washington DC.

Will driving be a problem? As a former resident of the DC area, I can't deny that traffic can be fierce. BUT if you choose your times wisely, you should be able to avoid any problems. Plan to arrive at the hotel on Thursday after 9:00 am and before 3:00 pm. Once you are there and parked, you won't need to use your car unless you want to. Leaving on Sunday will not be a problem....nowhere near as bad as the Jersey shore traffic. And if you plan to stay over until Monday - just be sure to leave between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm.

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Harp Tastings

From the Director of the Somerset Folk Harp Festival

It has come to my attention that various claims are being made about such and such a harp "winning" the Harp tasting at the Somerset Festival. Please be aware that the harp tasting is an opportunity for the listener to make a purely subjective judgement on the merits of the sounds of harps in the tasting. Often when appraising a harp, other factors, such as its physical beauty, brand name recognition, string action, feel, and price may affect judgement, hence the harp tasting is a blind test that allows the listener to make a subjective judgement by sound only.

Each listener is given a sheet on which to record his/her impressions during the tasting. Each harp is assigned a number. The harps are played by a professional harper who plays the same selection on each. The harps and harper are hidden behind a light curtain. At the end of the tasting the identity of each harp number is revealed. Results are never tallied, no votes counted, and no awards given.

Harps are as varied and individual as the harpers who play them. To claim that any one harp is the "best" or the "winner" is to claim that one size fits all, and we know that isn't true!

Perhaps enthusiastic listeners have returned to the exhibit area praising certain harps they just heard, but to imply that any objective listing of results has been made is a misunderstanding.

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MUSIC READING SESSIONS

A composer, arranger or publisher plays from a selection of his/her music that is for sale. This helps the listener decide whether or not to buy the music. There will be several of these during the Festival.

Jams - there will be rooms set aside for jams every night.