Harp workshops and after-school programs coming up!

Harper Angela Biggs teaches the beginner harp workshop.

Harper Angela Biggs teaches the beginner harp workshop.

On Wednesdays from October 9 – November 13, 2:45-3:45 pm at the CSB Community Center, Claremont vocalist and harper Angela Biggs will be teaching a harp course geared toward students of middle school and high school age. New harpers will start at the very beginning with games and exercises to orient them to the harp, and along the way will learn a couple of simple songs. Classes will conclude with a short demonstration in the main lobby of the CSB Community Center — and perhaps a marching harp-band!

Topics covered will include: the anatomy of the harp, fundamentals of technique, scales, basic composition, a couple of extended techniques, and more if time permits. Students will also be encouraged to find some extended techniques of their own. Harps are provided, and the suggested donation is $30 for the series ($5 per class; classes are cumulative).

The next workshop in the Hands on Harps series is scheduled for Saturday, November 2 at 12:15 pm in Union Episcopal Church Parish Hall, 133 Old Church Road, Claremont. (Another session will be added at 1pm if more space is needed.) Each installment in this popular series starts at the very beginning, no prior experience or participation required! Novice harpers get to play together, improvise for each other, and learn a simple song, with an emphasis on having fun while discovering a beautiful and rare instrument. This edition of Hands on Harps takes place during WCCMA’s annual NH Open Doors event. Doors open at 10am: come early to shop, and hear a live harp performance — perhaps even a rare harp duet! — from 11-noon. Harps are provided; class size is limited; fee is by donation.

Join us: Taiko-extravaganza this week

Hello friends,

This is going to be a busy week, we hope you can join us for one or more of our events! Most workshops will be held at Claremont’s CSB Community Center (membership is not required). You won’t want to miss the final celebration with a recital by residency attendees and ending with a special performance by Burlington Taiko Group! Click HERE for details about the performance.

Taiko Workshops:

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Starting Tuesday: Evening Taiko (6:30PM) Click HERE for details

Starting Wednesday: After School Taiko (3:15PM) Click HERE for details

Saturday: Japanese Art and Taiko Workshop (10AM) Click HERE for details)

Contact [email protected] to reserve a spot – space is limited!

Instruments for Inspiration Update

PanpipesWe have many more exciting announcements to make in the coming months, but for now we have a special request to make of you:

There are local children in need of instruments, can you help out? We are looking for 2 trumpets, and 1 alto saxophone at least, and they are needed immediately.

Last year we were awarded a large 1- time grant to start this program, and managed to fulfill all instruments requested. This year there is much less money to buy instruments, and the student requests are coming in. Nearly all of the instruments we acquired last year have been given out to students in need. We need your help to keep offering the priceless opportunities that music give.

If you have an instrument to donate, or would like to make a monetary donation to help purchase these instruments, please contact [email protected]. We can also accept donations through paypal HERE.

Thank you for your continued support, we hope to see you this week at our events to celebrate the good that you help to make possible for our youth and community.

Saturday Concert and Dinner: Olmsted Emsemble

Don’t miss out on the final Summer Concert of 2013, and our special Summer BBQ Dinner. See concert info below. The dinner will be following the concert, and tickets at $7/adults, $4 for children under 12. The meal will be serve buffet style and will include: Sausage, Shredded BBQ Chicken, Green and pasta salads, homemade hummus, and a selection of delicious desserts.

Final concert of the 2013 Summer Concert Series:

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The Olmsted Ensemble

European and American Masters: Music by Mozart, Arriaga, and Charles Hommann
Peter H. Bloom, flute; Brian Clague, violin;
Jennifer Shallenberger, viola; Timothy Roberts, cello

Saturday, August 24, 2013 at 4:00 pm
Union Church, 133 Old Church Rd, Claremont, NH 03743
Donations welcome.

This performance by the Acclaimed Olmsted Ensemble will include the dramatic, rarely-heard Quartet in D Minor by American composer Charles Hommann (1803-1872?); Quartet No. 1 in D Minor by Juan Crisóstomo de Arriaga (1806-1826), a Spanish violinist and composer whose precocious career was cut short when he died at age 19; and Mozart’s beloved D Major Quartet (K. 285), one of the masterworks of the literature.

This concert is made possible in part by a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts

Harper Angela Biggs teaches the beginner harp workshop.
Harper Angela Biggs teaches the beginner harp workshop.

Beginner Harp Workshop
August 28th, 2013
7pm and 7:45pm(2 Sessions)
To register: [email protected]
Join us for an opportunity to try out the harp, participate in a group lesson, and discover just how fun and easy it can be. Instructor Angela Biggs (soprano and harper) performs and teaches in Claremont and the wider area. In this class you will be able to get a basic introduction, as well as having the option of continuing on through private instruction, or with group workshops through WCCMA.

RSVPs are required by August 26th, space is limited, but additional sessions will be added if demand is sufficient. Email [email protected] (prefered) or ph. 802.738.0022. If you have done a beginner workshop in the past, let us know, and we’ll do our best to put you in the next step up group. Admission is by donation. For more info: wcc-ma.org

If you are unable to attend this workshop, but would be interested in attending on another date, please also let us know!

Stuart Paton of Burlington Taiko Group leads a workshop at the Claremont Farmers' and Artisans' Market in September.
Stuart Paton of Burlington Taiko Group leads a workshop at the Claremont Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market in September 2013.

First Thursdays Music Series: Burlington Taiko
September 5th, 4:00 – 7:00pm
Claremont Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market
Broad St Park, Claremont

Performance and free workshop of Japanese Taiko Drumming – this event was hugely popular last year! Stay tuned for the schedule for the day so you can plan your shopping at the market. This program is provided by the West Claremont Center for Music and the Arts, and made possible in part by a grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts, Claremont Parks and Recreations, and the Claremont Farmers’ Market Association.