Dear BACAHS members and friends,
There will be a newsletter distributed at the end of April with highlights of recent events, member spotlight, member news and classifieds. If you have not sent your member news to Alice Yothers, ayothers@yahoo.com, please do so by April 22. In the meantime, our community is rife with opportunities to experience the harp. Members and chapters are so busy that we feel compelled to bring you up to date on events that are coming soon and you may have already heard about but now include special guests and arrangements. Also, just announced, Yuying Chen, winner of the 19th International Harp Contest in Israel, will come to the Bay Area to do a concert on Tuesday, June 14, and Master Class on Wednesday, June 15. Read on for all the details.
From Diana Rowan:
Rehearsals for Ireland’s Poet-Patriots concert on Friday have started, and they’re sounding majestic. Fans of the Lord of the Rings score, this is for you!…and I did it again, goofed on the concert date – it’s of course FRIDAY April 22.
Luckily, this gives me the opportunity to share exciting news – the amazing harpist Natalie Cox is joining me!
As if this production were not glorious enough, you’ll now be treated to a double harp sight and sound in a cathedral.
Only one performance, one to remember:
Friday April 22, 8pm Ireland’s Poet-Patriots – a musical tribute
Composer Richard Evans leads a huge cast of classical & traditional Irish musicians. Grace Cathedral, San Francisco CA Click for tickets & info here
Based on the stirring poems and writings of 10 of Ireland’s poet-patriots, this is a musical commemoration of the struggle for Irish freedom. It brings to life events in Irish history that led to Dublin’s Easter Rising of 1916 and the Proclamation of the Irish Republic. This is going to be a powerful evening, set in the iconic Grace Cathedral.
Saturday April 23, 1-5pm Performance Mastery workshop: transform fear into performance power! 7th Ave. Presbyterian Church, 1329 7th Ave., San Francisco CA Click for tickets & info here
An in-depth, one-off workshop on Performance Mastery. My most life-changing course, PM teaches you how to transform performance fear into performance power. Many of you know my story of moving from outrageous performance anxiety (so bad that I actually gave up music for years) to now being able to perform solo worldwide.
Whether you are a novice or experienced performer, this workshop will open up a whole new world for you. Join us!
From Jessica Siegel
The International Harp Festival is offering the members of the Bay Area Chapter of the AHS a discounted registration fee of $395 for full festival registrations. The discount code at checkout is IHF55. This rate is good through April 30th.
The International Harp Festival runs from Thursday, May 26 through Sunday, May 29, 2016 at the San Damiano Retreat Center in the East Bay Hills town of Danville. Over 40 workshops and four days of exciting concerts are planned. Stay at the retreat center. Rooms include 3 meals a day. Double rooms are $125 per person/day. Visit http://www.harpfestival.org for more information or call 800-836-5559 for assistance.
We are offering a few work/study opportunities. If you work a day, you get one day free! Contact Jessica at hotharp@pacbell.net for more information.
From Sonya Yu
Registration will close on April 30 for the upcoming 2016 United States International Music Competition (USIMC). This year’s competition categories include: Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello, Vocal, Harp, Guitar and Traditional Chinese Instruments. A Special Chinese Music Award will be given to the excellent performance of Chinese compositions to promote Chinese music and culture. In addition, the first annual Festival will take place immediately following the competition. For competition rules please check www.USIMC.org.
USIMC, formerly CMTANC International Youth Music Competition, has been a successful annual event for more than twenty years. All students up to age 30 are welcome to participate. We have had wonderful turnouts and outstanding winners in the past and would like to extend this opportunity to as many qualified applicants as possible.
Besides the competition, this year USIMC will hold a Festival which includes master classes, faculty concerts, workshops and seminars given by internationally distinguished artists and professors.
Applications for both the Competition and Festival are accepted exclusively online at usimc.org. You may apply for either the Competition or the Festival, or both as a package. This year’s competition consists of a preliminary video round and a live final round. Completed applications must be postmarked by April 30, 2016. The live final round will take place on August 12, 2016. The Festival will be held on August 13 & 14, 2016 at the Braun Music Center at Stanford University in Stanford, California. June 15 is the deadline of the Festival registration only. Please visit USIMC.org for the competition guidelines and detailed information. For any questions, please contact info@usimc.org or (408) 681-9928.
RSVP for BACAHS Spring Social Featuring Recital by Naomi Hoffmeyer at the home of Henry Heines and Katherine Fines in Western Sonoma 
County (between Sebastopol and Occidental). Come and bring your friends. The afternoon is open to all who love music and sunny afternoons.
Date: Saturday afternoon, May 7, 2016
Time: Socializing and refreshments at 1 p.m., performance at 3 p.m., further refreshments after the performance
Highlights of Naomi’s performance include Salzedo’s Ballade, Jeremiah Siochi’s Sublimation (the piece that was commissioned for the USA International Harp Competition), and Caplet Divertissements.
Location: 5 miles west of Sebastopol. Address and directions are included in the BACAHS newsletter or email bacahs@gmail.com. Carpoolers–if you need a ride or can offer a ride, please let us know. We’ll try to match you with someone from your neighborhood.
Admission: free, although feel free to contribute a bottle of wine for the hosts
RESERVATIONS are requested, so that we can get a head count. Please RSVP to Alice Yothers at ayothers@yahoo.com
Parking will be available on the property. Henry Heines can be reached at 415-509-8991 or mhheines@comcast.net
Just Announced:
Harpist Yuying Chen in Recital at Peninsula Jewish Community Center
Award winning harpist and first prize winner of the 19th Israel International Harp Contest (2015), Yuying Chen, performs works by Renié, Grandjany, de Falla, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Bach.
Join us for this special one-night-only concert, followed by a “meet the artist” dessert reception.
Date: Tuesday, June 14
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: Peninsula Jewish Community Center (PJCC), 800 Foster City Blvd. Foster City, CA 94404
Fee: $20 BACAHS, SVCAHS and PJCC members, $25 Public
Code: 47268
To purchase tickets, visit the PJCC Welcome center, www.pjcc.org/arts, or call 650.378.2703. This program is presented by the Bay Area and Silicon Valley chapters of the American Harp Society in partnership with PJCC.
Master Class with Yuying Chen Wednesday, June 15, 2016 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm at a private home in Hillsborough. For more information and registration visit universe.com/yuyingmasterclass