MOTHER'S DAY is MAY 10th

In this newsletter:
• MOTHER'S DAY SALE!
• DHC Summer Camp - Early-Bird $50 Off Deadline! 
• Featured YouTube Video
• View this newsletter online
• Contact Info & Unsubscribe

MY MOTHER & ME

My mother was the greatest performer I ever saw.

She stood in the middle of the living room and said: "See this? This is the stage of the Metropolitan Opera." The sets, the lights, the costumes, the characters - she describred them all. Then she'd tell the story. It was a kind of invocation. "Do you see it?" she whispered. 

Then she'd stand still until there was complete silence.  God forbid I should wiggle!

And then she sang. Oh, man, did she sing! Until the roof split open and everything she'd described came to life right there on the living room rug.

All the while she was burning dinner.

This is what I lived with every day.  This was my 'normal.' My mother taught me sublime. She taught me ridiculous. She taught me that a magical performance can happen in the produce section.

This is why I perform - and why I teach the art and passion of performance. 

Because, for me, this form of expression is a way to tell the truth, to reach for complete authenticity - a way to get back home.

Performance is an escape back into myself.  And nowadays, the theater is one of the last places of escape, where we can be together deep inside of time - safe from distraction, from email, from doorbells, from cell-phones! (Er ... well... not always ... but at least I don't answer mine on stage!).

That's also why I go on retreat every summer in Maine, to work with students and other artists, to escape deep into this art of performance that gives passion to my life. To reconnect with my teaching partner, Karen, and to 'get away' in order to 'get back' to who I am most deeply as a performer.   Working with students of many instruments and diverse levels of experience, we dive deep in to the art of performance - into the art of telling our own story in our own unique way.

And I never burn the dinner!  Ha!  Because I don't cook.  THEY make delicious, healthy meals for us at "The Barn" where I hold my summer workshop up in Maine - my "summer camp," my retreat.  All that freedom and no worry about what's on the stove!.  Sigh... yes, it's like everything great about my mother -- but with someone else cooking. 

A profound musical experience AND delicious food!   Things have definitely improved since I was a kid.

See links below to the "Mother's Day Music Sale", Celebration Barn "Performance for Musicians" workshop, and the YouTube video of my song about my Mom.

FEATURED EVENT EARLY-BIRD DISCOUNT -  Save $50!  AUG. 24 - 29 - DEBORAH'S SUMMER RETREAT Good musicians become great.   Great musicians shine like stars.   Lost souls find their muse. "I learned more in one week than I have in YEARS!" (Virginia B. / 2008) The ringing phone! The unmailed promo! The contract you haven't had time to look at!  The bills! The kids - the parents - the spouse - the pets! The overwhelming distractions at home and work can completely derail your artistic commitment.  That's why so many artists - both professionals and students -- find it essential to go on retreat. A place to focus, to challenge, to grow, to regroup. Click the coupon below and learn how to shine your own star on retreat with Deborah in Maine this summer. DETAILS: • Cost: $700 if you register before May 15th ($750 after May 15th) - includes all-day workshops, lodging and a healthy lunch & dinner each day. • Limited number of Work-Study reduced tuitions available. • Harp-players: you can bring your own instrument or share one of the on-site harps (lever & pedal) for a small equipment fee • Limited private lessons available with Deborah (paid separately) Still got questions? Wonder if this retreat is right for YOU? Click link at right for an overview of activities and FAQ. For specific questions, you can email us at info@HipHarp.com and we'll try to answer them! (Back to the Top)

FEATURED VIDEO

'THE NIGHTINGALE' Featured YouTube Video What I remember most about my mother is her voice. She sang the silliest songs and the most profound. I wrote the song "The Nightingale" about my memory of her voice. Click the link at left to watch the video or, take advantage of our great Mother's Day sale prices on the Grammy-nominated CD or the full-format DVD (as seen on PBS). A cool hint: If you search YouTube using "Nightingale Harp" you can find many different videos of other musicians playing Deborah's tune "The Nightingale" (Back to the Top)

DEBORAH HENSON-CONANT'S
MOTHER'S DAY SALE! 

Save 40% on DVDs! And over 30% on CDs!
(DVDs are $25 $15!   Standard CDs are $25 $10!)
PLUS: FREE Upgrade to Priority Shipping on all U.S. Orders
so you can get your order in time for Mother's Day with no extra cost!
Click Here for Sale Prices and to ORDER NOW     Click to browse the CATALOG    

...and for NEW Moms,
Dads, Aunts & Uncles, Grandparents ...
Check out the CD & Songbook
"Songs My Mother Sang"
This CD & Song Book is the FIRST commercial recording I ever made. 
It includes lullabies and songs my mother sang, with illustrations
by Ellen Lebow and lyrics so you can sing along! 
Normally $17.50, it's on sale for $15.00 thru Mother's Day.

“She (DHC) gave my son this CD and it is his FAVORITE!  We call it the “magic cd”
because he immediately calms down when it’s playing.”  Alison R.

Click Here for Sale Prices and to ORDER NOW     Click to browse the CATALOG   Back to the Top

(back to the top)