The North Lakeshore Harp Circle is looking for new members

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A harp circle is an informal gathering of harpists. Whether online or in person, they enjoy sharing music and learning from each other, as well as playing with friends.

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“A typical harp circle starts with a general meet and greet and everyone makes sure their harps are tuned,” said Judi Longstreet, one of three founding members of the North Lakeshore Harp Circle.

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After that, it depends on the group. They can learn one or more group pieces, with the leader passing sheet music that has different parts on it (simple for beginners, more complex for experienced). Or I can present a more formal workshop on topics such as harp playing, improvisation, different composers, etc. It can be a guest speaker or an interpreter. Or one can simply hand out some sheet music and say, “Let’s try this,” and go on a new and exciting adventure.

“Four harpists began meeting in person once a month at the Thousand Islands Historical Museum in Gananoque,” Longstreet said. “We would love to expand the in-person groups to have more participants.”

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“A harp circle can progress to where they feel confident to undertake a performance,” said Sharon Kellar, another circle founder. “I am hoping that the members of the North Lakeshore Harp Circle can be persuaded to do a short performance on June 1st at 1:00pm for the International Random Acts of Harping event that is being held June 1-2. This is a big step for us, but I think people will really like it.”

An idea started by California harpist Joanna Mell, this worldwide event was created to share the beauty of harp music in public places for all to enjoy.

“I took up the harp in 2002,” said Longstreet “Since then, I’ve been in three harp circles — one in Ottawa, one in Kingston, and this one.”

The Kingston group was called the Limestone Harp Circle and consisted of five members with varying levels of expertise. They met every three weeks and practiced different songs, from Celtic to traditional and folk music. Nothing was off limits and they shared not only their love of the harp, but also great company and a chance to learn and be inspired by each other.

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“It was awesome,” Longstreet said. “It gave us the opportunity to learn new songs and techniques, as well as being able to share our music with others who love this instrument.”

Unfortunately, COVID disrupted the group. They went their separate ways and never re-banded.

“I had a harp for about ten years, but I didn’t have time to practice much because I was working full-time,” Kellar said. “Six years ago, I retired and was able to take online lessons or courses from various teachers – some in Canada, one in South Africa, two in Scotland. I don’t know any harp teachers in the area, but I’ve had a great time working with different teachers and meeting other harpists from all over the world.”

The North Lakeshore Harp Circle was founded in 2022 when Kellar and another Ontario harpist met online while taking lessons from the same online teacher. They met other harpists from Ontario and Quebec online and now have 14 members in the two provinces in the virtual community. They meet daily via Zoom for practice sessions, but Zoom is not a friendly environment for musicians to play together. With the delay and overlap the sounds just don’t come out the way they want.

“A lovely sunny day on the upper deck of the museum or even on the lawn would be so much fun,” Kellar said. “The music floats on the people walking, everyone enjoying the beauty of the music and the day.”

To learn more about joining the group, contact Kellar at [email protected].

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