Post-concert relief for Zuzanna and general silliness from the rest of us
The shortest day is here and the light is almost on its way.
I always feel a huge sense of relief when this day comes each winter, especially now I live as far north as I do.
I feel so much more connected to the change of seasons up here in Scotland - I really notice the change of colours on the trees and the different light in the sky, and I particularly love our long evenings of daylight in the summer especially since I started spending a lot of time in the hills. Training this year has involved two mid-week mountains and I hope to do many more next year.
Today’s post is also quite brief. It’s to say a big thank you to all my harp friends, both those IRL (in real life) and those living around the world who I might never get to physically meet.
There are far too many to mention and I know I will leave someone out if I do, but following everyone’s projects and successes (as well as the heartbreak and the more disappointing side of life) has been a truly enriching experience. It helps keep me connected to my own music and most importantly, it reminds me I’m not alone as a harpist any more, no matter how isolating it can feel in a practice room when things just are not working.
Here are just a couple of my favourite harp things that my friends have done this year.
I’ve loved Zuzanna’s commitment to her weekly Live Lessons and I’m so impressed with her book of Polish Carols that she released this year. (We talked lots about those on Day 6)
Keziah’s incredible Vivaldi project originated from a social media post, and led to a phenomenal transcription of the Four Seasons for harp which she has filmed and shared as she has gone along through the year. It’ll be performed in full some time next year and I can only begin to imagine how much work has gone into it. She shared Autumn a couple of weeks ago (below), and the other movements are here - Spring , Summer and Winter.
Lastly, a reminder that at 9pm on Christmas Eve I’ll be live-streaming a short cosy Christmas concert via Facebook.
The link to all the information is here - I hope to ‘see’ you there!
