September 2007 E-Blast

Hello friends and fans!

Autumn's here - and it's my favorite season!

In October I head to ... Florida! There I'll play with the Florida West Coast Symphony and conductor Andrew Lane. Andy and I have shared the stage many times and it’s always great fun. Our October program, “Hip Harp Pops!” features some of my favorite pieces from the PBS Special “Invention & Alchemy.” This is a great ensemble (I hear their timpanist is so popular she gets fan mail from the patrons!). So if you're anywhere near Sarasota, or have friends in the area, come to the show! It's gonna be a great one!

And November means ... my birthday!! The Firehouse Center in Newburyport, Massachusetts hosts my 2007 Birthday Bash November 9th! It's an intimate, award-winning venue -- an old Firehouse -- about an hour north of Boston, and it features some of the greatest singer-songwriters in the U.S. Call or go on line now -- tix are limited -- and the Birthday Bash is always a blast!

Things are hopping at HipHarp.com! One of my favorite summer projects was creating an Audio Storybook for my musical story the “Frog Princess.” For years I've been trying to figure out how to share the story, the music and the fabulous drawings David Omar White created for the debut of this piece with the Buffalo Philharmonic back in 2000. I kept seeing myself sitting in class in the 3rd grade, listening to Audio Storybooks and reading along — and finally I hit on how to make the Audio Storybook on line! So please come take a look. I'm halfway through the project and would love feedback. The illustrations are wonderful, often satirical pen-and-ink drawings and my biggest project has been colorizing them. The hours I've spent doing it has set my brain working in a whole new mode. After 6 hours outlining and coloring drawings, I head out for a run on the bike path and my mind wants to outline the branches of trees, fill in the clumps and colors of leaves. I never even noticed how those shapes fit together before! I love how focusing on one small discipline affects my broader outlook. So please visit and let me know what you think! You’ll find an icon for “The Frog Princess” on my new Galleries Page.

Speaking of mind-expansion, I'm returning to speak/perform at the 2007 IDEAS Boston Conference on October 4th in Boston. The IDEAS Conference includes presentations by diverse, creative minds in a wide variety of fields from science to the arts. Each speaker presents for 20 minutes, moderated by WBUR’s Tom Ashbrooke. My experience at the 2005 conference was one of revelation and invention. It was like being deep inside a single, intensely and broadly creative mind, as we all sat in the dark in this beautiful little theatre deep inside the Federal Reserve building (who would think the Federal Reserve has a theatre??).

When Jonathan (my partner/producer) and I walked out of the IDEAS Conference in 2005 our brains were on fire. We were nearly jumping up and down: “Why is it that musicians always have other musicians as opening acts? Why not have a scientist, a philosopher, a poet? Someone who would put the musical performance into a much broader context?” We were so taken with the idea that we developed a performance concept, called “Inviting Invention” – a series of collaborative shows, each with a guest from a disparate field to share the stage with me. We ran the pilot series in late 2006, and were invited to present it at the Cambridge Science Festival, where I collaborated on three programs with three different scientists. At the October 2007 IDEAS Conference, Jonathan and I will perform/present the story of the genesis of this project, show clips from the series and describe how the previous Conference spawned this new idea. I encourage you to attend – you can find out more below – and prepare to have ideas! (To read more about our "Inviting Invention" series at the 2007 Cambridge Science Festival, read the press release here.)

In other news, it was wonderful to see my picture on the cover of September’s “International Musician” magazine and I’ve received many emails and comments from musicians who read it! You can read the article - or a full transcript of the interview - on my Interviews Page.

There’s too much more to tell it all, so briefly: Many thanks to folks who have sent fan letters and are watching "Invention & Alchemy" on PBS stations from Maine to Alaska. It's thrilling to get all this great feedback! And my summer “Performance for Musicians” workshop at the Celebration Barn in Maine was exciting, exhausting, profound — and very, very successful. Participants included nearly a dozen harp players, an intrepid violinist and a storytelling harmonica-player. The theme of the workshop was breaking through our preconception of what we THINK we need to be as musicians so we can share who we really are on stage. We’re already working on next summer’s workshop schedule – so musicians interested in next year’s workshop, drop us a note to put you on the list for advance notice of the schedule. And lastly ... gulp ... I'm running a half-marathon in November so wish me luck in my training!

And to everyone -- I hope to see you soon!

THREE ELECTRIFYING UPCOMING EVENTS!

ON SALE NOW! FLORIDA: DHC WITH THE WEST COAST SYMPHONY! Take a wild musical ride with DHC, Maestro Lane and the orchestra at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in Sarasota, FL on October 20th! Buy your tickets now at the FWCS website or visit the Tour Page for more info!

ON SALE NOW! BOSTON-AREA: BIRTHDAY BASH AT FIREHOUSE CENTER! Not only will Deborah perform a live solo show at the intimate, historic Firehouse Center for the Arts on the waterfront in Newburyport, MA, but it also marks the return of Deborah's annual Birthday Bash! You never know what surprises to expect! So don't miss Deborah's electrifying performance and the extravagant fun at this award-winning venue. Tickets are on sale now by calling 978-462-7336 or visit the Firehouse Center website and the Tour Page for more info!

REGISTER NOW! DHC AT IDEAS BOSTON - By special invitation, Deborah will be appearing as a presenter and performer at this year's IDEAS Boston Conference. The segment will be a retrospective on Deborah's past experience at the 2005 Conference and how it has informed her ongoing "Inviting Invention" Exploration Series. If you are attending the event, be sure to catch Deborah when she begins at 1:30! For more details and info on how to register for IDEAS Boston, head to the Tour Page.

SNEAK PEAK! FROG PRINCESS STORYBOOK EXPERIENCE!

Deborah's magical full-length musical "The Frog Princess" is coming to life again - this time as an online storybook experience - and we'd love your feedback! This froggy fairytale adventure features original drawings and songs. As you flip from page to page, the music and story of "The Frog Princess" takes you on a journey with Amphibia, daughter of the Frog Prince, and a colorful cast of characters, all voiced by Deborah herself! Only half the tale can be viewed now, but more is soon to be added - so come watch the story unfold! You can start the journey by clicking here!

OTHER NEWS:

COVER STORY: "INTERNATIONAL MUSICIAN" - Deborah is featured on the cover of this month's International Musician Magazine. Read the Feature Interview at the Interview Page!

HARP LESSONS & COACHING SESSIONS - Deborah is accepting new students for the Fall/Winter 2007 season and beyond. Whether you are looking for a single coaching session or monthly lessons -- whether you're a beginner looking to learn technique or an advanced student wanting to learn improvisation -- this is your chance to work with a Grammy-Nominated musician who has conducted workshops all over the world! Inquire today at info@hipharp.com.

HEAD TO THE NEW HIPHARP.COM! Find updates on the latest PBS Broadcasts of "Invention & Alchemy," get the scoop on upcoming events at the Tour Schedule, visit the revamped Galleries Page, shop Deborah's online catalog and more at HipHarp.com! And, if you haven't already, join Deborah's E-Newsletter Mailing List.

LINKS:

PAGES ON OTHER SITES:
Florida West Coast Symphony Website: https://tickets.fwcs.org/public/default.asp
Firehouse Center for the Arts Website: http://www.firehouse.org/