The 2017 Monday Meetings were a great success, however, we know that getting into the city on a week night was tricky for many people. This year we are doing Sunday Meetings, which means we can have a longer meeting where we can play and socialise together.
Coming up:
Our first meeting for the year will be at Centennial Parklands Sunday May 13th, 2:00-5:00pm, in the conference room. The venue is very harp friendly, not stairs and lots of parking. The topic of the day is “Reading chord charts and improvising accompaniments”. This is a really useful skill if you are a gig harpist, or if you just want to get together with some friends and jam. Eva Murphy Morley, who has recently moved to Sydney from the USA, and Owen Torr, will give a class on reading from lead sheets. No previous experience with reading chord charts is needed, bring your harp along and learn as we play. This workshop is open to anyone of any standard and will finish with a Mother’s Day harp concert. Bring some afternoon tea to share, we at HCA central look forward to making music together with you.
A few of us will be meeting in the park for a picnic lunch by one of the lakes. More information on the meeting time and place will be announced closer to the event.
Details:
Sunday May 13th, 2:00-5:30pm
Centennial Parklands Conference Room
Members Free (membership can be purchased on the night $45 adults / $25 students)
Otherwise Admission: $10
Past Meetings:
October Monday Meeting 2017
The harp concert featured our younger members who were preparing for exams.
Our resident Clinical Psychologist, Wendy Roncolato, gave an interesting talk on the causes of performance anxiety and the latest research being used to create better outcomes for those who suffer debilitating anxiety. You can read her presentation here: Roncolato – Giving your best performance-managing anxiety in musicians.
September Monday Meeting 2017
September’s Monthly Meeting was WHC themed. Anne Horton gave a run down on the Hong Kong World Harp Congress, and there was lively discussion about all things WHC-related. Owen Torr and Alice Giles preceded the discussing with two fantastic performances.
August Monday Meeting 2017
August’s meeting saw a fabulous and informative meeting by Jill Atkinson, who generously presented on and played professional lever harp repertoire. There was also discussion about new Australian lever harp music that Jill had brought with her.
July Monday Meeting 2017
Catherine Moore gave an informative talk on being in touch with our bodies and how to prevent injury while playing the harp. There was also a delightful student concert: Annie Kearns played Nataliana by D. Henson Conant, Autumn by Grandjanny, Moonlight Fandango by Clare McDonogh, and The Little Fountain by Samuel Pratt. Our newest member, Eva Murphy Morley, was able to give us some insight into Nataliana and The Little Fountain as she knew both composers. At the conclusion of the evening we had an impromptu performance of Faure, La Source, and Lullaby of Birdland by Owen Torr, and Camille Gold played a beautiful work by Ibert. The group moved in to The Crystal Cafe for dinner.
June Monday Meeting 2017
Tonight we had a meeting of visual and performance arts. First we were treated with Will Nichols playing the Spohr Fantasie, a really beautiful performance from a truly talented young man. Warwick Fuller talked about the way he interprets a visual scene, how his emotional contact with a landscape evokes the paint to come alive. It was a fantastic evening, with many locals attending who are becoming regular guests. Warwick and Will joined us at the Crystal Cafe for dinner and a glass of wine.
May Monday Meeting 2017
A fantastic student concert was heard, featuring a group of enthusiastic and energized performers mentored by Conservatorium students Jo, Rowan, and Will.
April 2017 Monday Meeting
Dr Mary Casey and Jo Baee. We had 22 people at our meeting which began with a stunning performance of Salzedo’s Dixie.
Dr Casey continued with a personality profile which we all filled in with interest, and lots of laughs. There were many questions about manipulative behaviour and narcissism, and if the two were related.
The evening ended with dinner being served and another impromptu performance by Jo Baee.
Dr Mary Casey
March 2017 Monday Meeting
HCA’s first Sydney Monday Meeting was highly successful. Our guest speaker, Karen Carey, was every bit as passionate, inspiring, and articulate as she was in the documentary about her work as a music educator. We were also lucky to hear two extraordinary young harpists play, Rowan Phemister and Clare McDonogh, who played her own composition. Some of us were also able to stick around for a delicious dinner at a local Indian restaurant, which provided a lovely opportunity to socialise, and further chance to chat to Karen.
