My Training & Experience

I fell in love with the Celtic harp in 1986, when I first visited the Sylvia Woods Harp Center in Glendale, California. I rented my first harp from Hidden Valley Harps, and started lessons with Sylvia—who I soon learned was a leading figure in the folk harp scene as well as a good teacher. While taking lessons, I began to play at Scottish Highland Games and Irish fairs; harp booths at festivals and conferences; and eventually at weddings and special events. I also widened my range of styles and approaches in workshops with Patsy Seddon, Mary MacMaster, Christina Tourin, Kim Robertson, and others.

My Academic Interests

My love of Celtic music led to an interest in Celtic literature, and in 1999 I completed a Ph.D. in Celtic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. My dissertation, "The Woman's Voice in Gaelic Poetry," examined what the women characters of medieval Irish tales say when they speak in verse. In the Fall of 1999, I taught two classes at Harvard: "Folklore of Ireland and Scotland," and "Performance and Medieval Celtic Literature." My academic interests include folklore, orality in medieval literature, laments and work-songs (modern as well as medieval), medieval popular culture, medieval performance of literature and music, and medieval Irish/Scottish Christianity.

My Other Harps

In addition to the Dusty Strings, I have three smaller harps: a "Leprechaun" by Hidden Valley Harps, a wire-strung harp by Mark Evans, and a "Zephyr" travel harp by Triplett Harps. Each has a distinct sound and feel, and I love all of them! You can see pictures of these harps in the Photo Gallery.

'Harper' vs. 'Harpist'

I'm often asked why I call myself a 'harper' rather than a 'harpist.' While players of the pedal harp are always called 'harpist' (as far as I know), many players of folk harps choose the term 'harper.' Right now, this is a matter of personal preference rather than convention: some players of small harps choose 'harpist,'and the only way to know is to ask. Since I play a great deal of Scottish Gaelic music, it might be appropriate to call my instrument a clàrsach and myself a clàrsair (or Irish cláirseach and cláirseoir or Welsh telyn and telynor), but as an English-speaker, I choose 'harper.'