Deborah Henson-Conant’s Electric Harp

Dear Utah Symphony Friends –

I’m thrilled about coming to play with the Utah Symphony at Deer Valley for a concert that  I think of it as 1812 Overture meets “Hip Harp.”‘   Elevation, 8,000 feet with electric harp, voice, orchestra … AND CANNONS!  Now THAT’S what I call fun!

Before I get there, I want to tell you a little bit about my instrument, because it’s very unique.  For years I played the 6-foot tall gold concert harp, but every time I tried to get it on a plane, I dreamt of an instrument I could carry over my shoulder, and strap on like an electric guitar — yet powerful enough to soar over the kinds of orchestrations I like to write: lush, rhythmic, sometimes bombastic.  I wanted an instrument I could play Blues on, and Flamenco, as well as Ballads.  Year after year I went to harp builders all over the world saying: “OK, so let’s say a harp and an electric guitar got married and had a child.  THAT’S the instrument I want! Could you build me that?” I even made my own prototype, painted it to look like a Stratocaster guitar, and took it around as a model!

Then finally, the late Joel Garnier, the premiere harp builder in France, gave me a present: the first solid-body electric body-harp.  ”Here,” Joel said (in his beautiful French accent), “I have made you the harp.  Your Blue harp!  And now YOU must create the music to play!”  So for the past fifteen years, I have been creating music and his firm, CAMAC Harps, has been building and rebuilding the instrument.  The instrument you’ll see at Deer Valley Resort is the newest generation, a carbon fibre harp, with a crystal piezo pickup on every string.  There are only two in the world, each with a different design.  The harp only weighs 11 pounds but oh, what a glorious sound!

So can the little harp that Joel built carry it’s own weight next to the 1812 Overture?  Come find out!!  Please come join me with the Utah Symphony Aug. 1st at Deer Valley Amphitheater when “Hip Harp” meets the 1812 Overture 8,000 feet up!

If you want to see what the harp looks and sounds like, you can see many clips on YouTube.  Just go to my website, HipHarp.com and click on the YouTube link on the homepage to link to videos. 

I’ll see you at the show!

Deborah Henson-Conant (HipHarp.com)