Harp Currents

pictured above, from left to right: Naomi Hoffmeyer, Dan Levitan, Dominique PianaThe Bay Area Chapter of the American Harp Society, in conjunction with Old First Concerts, will present a showcase of new solo and chamber works for harp. The program will include works by some of the most prominent composers of the Bay Area, and will be performed by some of our most celebrated members. Please join us as we support our harpist colleagues as well as the continued promotion of the harp in contemporary music. Some works on the program, such as David Contes Marian Variations and Christopher Pratorius Variations on a Theme by Enrique Valderrábano from his Harp Concerto, pay tribute to music of the past. Two explicitly programmatic works depict aspects of the natural world: Elinor Armers Oasis chronicles a journey through the desert, while Dominique Pianas La Chrysalide portrays the selfs inner transformation through the metaphor of the butterfly. Two works take their inspiration from lyric poetry: Ronald Caltabianos A Red Shirt is a setting of five Margaret Atwood poems that express the reflections of a mother on the expectations, roles and interconnectedness of women. Helena Michelsons Shadows amid Light treats the idea of lyric poetry more abstractly, seeking to encapsulate discrete poetic moods within four brief movements. The program will be framed by two trios for flute, cello and harp: Alexis Alrichs Wen Bi Pool and the seasonal Solstice Circle by Nancy Bloomer Deussen. The performers constitute a veritable “whos who” of area harp professionals, including Douglas Rioth of the San Francisco Symphony, Natalie Cox, Dan Levitan, Sarah Voynow, Anna Maria Mendieta, Naomi Hoffmeyer, Joffria Whitfield, and Chapter President Dominique Piana.