Spring is the start of competition season. If you are interested in competing, why not give one of these Scottish Harp Society of America (SHSA) sanctioned competitions a try.
Not keen to compete? Don’t have any tunes ready to go? You should still come out – at a minimum you’ll hear some great harp music! And even more – you will meet other harp players, make new friends, see old friends, and support those who are competing. And you might even learn something at the workshops that are typically held there. And there is a whole fair as well – with pipers, games, fiddlers, fair food, and other fun! You can’t not have fun!
In March we have the first competition of the year. The Church Hill Irish Festival Harp Competition is held at St Patrick’s Catholic Church, 25th & E. Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia. This competition will be held 19 March. Mike Connors will be the judge and will also offer a workshop. Beth Dechent is the coordinator. Go to www.churchhillirishfestival.com for more information. This is a lovely competition in a wonderful venue that is beautiful and has excellent acoustics!
In April is the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival harp competition. This event is in beautiful Jefferson Paterson Park in Calvert County, MD on Saturday, 30 April. This year’s feted country is Wales. Competitors can play tunes from any of the Celtic nations. This year’s judge is Kelly Stewart Brzozowski. She will give a workshop and a concert. I am the coordinator and you can get more information from the website http://www.cssm.org/events/festival/competitions/highland-harping/. Please buy your ticket on line through the registration button on the page.
In May we have a new competition in Alabama. Huntsville is hosting a brand new competition, May 14th as part of the Celtic Day at Burritt on the Mountain. Details will be available soon.
There will be other events throughout the summer and into the fall that you also won’t want to miss. But there is a good time to be had at these early events – try out a new tune, learn something, have fun! I hope you will come out for a competition near you.