Deborah Henson-Conant
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The Regent Theatre presents:
GRAMMY®-Nominated Electric Harpist
Deborah Henson-Conant's

Pluck University
Pilot Project!

A Musical Adventure-Experience for Musicians
AND Non-Musicians!

SUN. NOV 6
6pm - 8pm
ON-STAGE
at the Regent Theatre
7 Medford St. • Arlington, MA 02474
Directions Below

Did you ever rock-out on air guitar?
Did you ever play dress-up?
Did you ever dream of being a rock star?

Well, on Sun. Nov. 6th you can do it ALL at the SAME TIME!
And you can do it on one of the world's NEWEST INSTRUMENTS:
ELECTRIC STRAP-ON HARP!

ABOUT THIS NEW ADVENTURE-EXPERIENCE!

Whether you've ever touched a harp before or not, you get to strap on one of world's top-selling electric harps and take it for a test-drive! You'll also learn the world's simplest dance-move, and get video of YOU rocking out on an instrument you've probably never touched!

"I think of it like a cross between test-driving a new Ferrari and bungee-jumping -- you know, scary and elating -- a fantasy-experience to shift you into new possibilities." Deborah Henson-Conant

Here's what's happening at "Pluck U" on Sun. Nov. 6th:

This pilot project launch is limited this to a small group of people so everyone gets the full adventure-experience!

This pilot project launch is limited this to a small group of people so everyone gets the full adventure-experience! A lot of the time we'll be working as a group, and everyone will alternate between wearing a harp and being someone's harp-roady-and-backup-rhythm -- so everyone get's LOTS of on-harp time and everyone gets to learn about the equipment (amps, cables, etc.)

We'll have a few costume-type accessories in case you want to glam-up for the Grand Pluck-Off -- or you can come dressed in your own rock-star outfit - or your sweats. Whatever you're most comfortable in.

  • We'll have 7 strappable harps on the stage for YOU to play - and you get to try them all!, along with a distortion pedal, a looper pedal and amplifiers of various sizes - so you can really see the gear up close and experience first hand how it all works.
  • We'll start with harness drills to help you strap in (just like if you were going bungee jumping!)
  • You'll strap into the harps and rev 'em up! (Like if you were about to test-drive a Harley!)
  • You'll learn to bend notes and cop the electric-harp attitude! (like a rock star!)
  • You'll learn the world's simplest dance move (Like you've seen every saxophone section do it -- and now YOU'LL do it with a section of rockin'-harps!)
  • At the end comes the"Grand Pluck-Off" - a simple routine where everyone gets a moment in the limelite (if you like limelight), and we'll videotape that so 24 hours later you'll have a memento video to send to your grandparents, or grandkids, or to post on Facebook or YouTube -- or to keep only for yourself.

 

Deborah Henson-Conant, the world’s premier electric harpist and THE “DHC” behind the fastest selling electric harp in the world, the CAMAC “DHC Light,” will have her harps and all her gear at the Regent Theater in Arlington, and YOU get to try it all!

Yup! You get to check out all her sound equipment, try out her toys and -- if you want, you'll get YouTube-worthy video of YOU rocking out on electric harp on the stage of the Regent Theatre!

This event is limited to a very small group, so sign up NOW!

 

Then catch Deborah's SHOW on FRI. NOV. 11th at the Regent Theatre!

Deborah Henson-Conant is a composer, performer, singer, songwriter, entertainer, comedian and the world's foremost electric harpist -- all rolled into one. She's performed throughout the world, opened for Ray Charles, toured with the Boston Pops and released a dozen albums from Latin jazz to Celtic to blues. She's also revolutionized her instrument with a custom-made, 32-string electric "harness harp."

She plays music from Blues to Flamenco, she sings and she talks to the audience. She “dresses like a showgirl, plays the pants off the harp and tells tall tales with the ease of a stand-up comic. Imagine a talkative Harpo Marx in a mini-skirt and you begin to get the picture” (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

"Dazzling harp playing, gorgeous jazz/pop singing, comic timing and impressive songwriting..." Austin-American Statesman

Henson-Conant combines music, theater, spoken word and straight-out entertainment. To get an idea of the kind of playing Deborah does, check out the short demo above, or these clips from YouTube:

Dance with Me
Beck's Blues
The Nightingale

TRANSPORTATION, DIRECTIONS & PARKING
Regent Theatre has directions on their website

The address is:

7 Medford Street • Arlington, MA 02474

The Regent Theatre is onthe 77 bus from Harvard Sq or 79 bus from Alewife
Plenty of free parking after 6pm
 

Press Release:

For Immediate Release - Run through Nov. 6, 2011

PLUCK U! An unusual educational event kicks off a week of celebration for electric harp pioneer

WHO: Grammy Nominated Recording Artist & Electric Harpist: Deborah Henson-Conant presents the Pilot Project of "Pluck University" - Hands-On, Body-On Electric Harp Training.

WHAT: "Pluck University" Pilot Project

WHEN: Sun. Nov. 6 from 6pm-8pm

WHERE: Regent Theatre - 7 Medford St. Arlington, MA 02474

TIX: Available at HipHarp.com "Pluck U" Event Page: http://www.hipharp.com/events/PluckU.html

MORE INFO / TO SCHEDULE INTERVIEW: Beatriz Harley: 781-483-3556 info@HipHarp.com

ARTIST WEBSITE: http://www.HipHarp.com

EVENT WEBSITE: http://www.hipharp.com/events/PluckU.html

HI-RES IMAGES: http://www.hipharp.com/pressphotos.html


Electric Harp Pioneer Trains a new Generation of Rockin' Harpists - whether you play harp or not!

Grammy-Nominated Deborah Henson-Conant: composer, performer, singer, songwriter and electric harpist joins with the Regent Theatre to present the pilot project of her "Pluck University" electric harp training. After working with the CAMAC Harp company in France for nearly two decades developing revolutionary harness-style harps, CAMAC has come out with it's newest carbon-fibre model, which is named after Boston-area electric harp pioneer, Deborah Henson-Conant. They call this model the "DHC Light" and it's now the fastest-selling electric harp model in the world.

Weighing in at 11 pounds, it's about a 7th of the size and weight of the 6-foot tall, 75-pound concert harp she was playing when she got her start as ajazz harpist in the Boston area in the late 1980's. She went on to sign with one of the top jazz labels, GRP, and later received a Grammy Nomination for her CD "Invention & Alchemy," but has continued to make the Boston-area her home.

Now she's developing a training program for electric harp and is collaborating with the Regent Theatre and the Ultra-Sonic Rock Orchestra to present the first pilot project for that training on Sun. Nov. 6th, in an event called "Pluck University Pilot Project."

This unusual training is open to musicians and non-musicians alike and is a chance for people to literally strap on her unique instrument and see what it's like to strut across the stage with it, bend notes, and give a try at the kind of harp 'wailing' that Henson-Conant has brought to the stage.

The Sunday night event kicks off a week of open rehearsals that culminate in Henson-Conant's birthday concert celebration on her birthday, Friday Nov. 11th at 8pm,

FOR REGISTRATION INFO, CLICK HERE

About Deborah Henson-Conant

Deborah Henson-Conant strides onstage like a rock-star with her electric harp slung over her shoulder. She's the harpist your grandmother warned you about: the Electric Harpist. And she'll be in residence at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, MA from Nov. 6th to Nov. 11, 2011.

Henson-Conant is known for her renegade image, evocative singing voice, and shows that fuse music, theater, stories and humor. Her playing ranges from full out bluesy to heart wrenching ballad. This is a feel-good, outside-the-box, bring-the-folks-you-love kind of show for audiences of all genders and ages- folks who want to celebrate what it means to passionately follow your own creative path.

She debuted with the Boston Pops, opened for Ray Charles at Tanglewood, jammed onstage with Bobby McFerrin, Doc Severinsen and Marvin Hamlish -- and jam offstage with Aerosmith frontman/American Idol judge Steven Tyler. She's been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, NBC’s Today Show and NPR’s Weekend Edition. She's been interviewed by Scott Simon, Pulitzer-Prize Winner Studs Terkel, Charlie Rose (PBS), and iconic comedian and gossip correspondent Joan Rivers.

Described as a “combination of Leonard Bernstein, Steven Tyler and Xena the Warrior Princess” by the Boston Globe, Henson-Conant is an artist who embodies the spirit of ingenuity and energy. In a career that spans nearly 25 years, she first changed the face of harp music, according to the New York Times, "reshaping the ... harp into a jazz instrument by warping it closer to the Blues" - and then literally changed the shape, size and sound of the harp forever, by collaborating with the visionary French harp company, CAMAC, to develop the instrument that now bears her name, the "DHC Light," a 32-string, 11-lb powerhouse instrument she straps on and plays like a combination electric-guitar-and-harp.

Henson-Conant has travelled the world, performing in jazz clubs and symphony halls. She's appeared on shows from “The View” to “Charlie Rose.” Her TV special with symphony, “Invention & Alchemy,” aired on PBS stations nationwide. But most importantly, Henson-Conant is a world-class performer who combines music, stories and humor -- with styles of playing from Flamenco to Blues, and a voice that's been compared to Carly Simon.


Press Quotes
“ ... dazzling harp playing, gorgeous jazz/pop singing, comic timing and impressive songwriting” Austin American-Statesman

“ Striking flamenco sparks from the strings … wrenching distorted bends worthy of Eddie Van Halen … belting gutbucket blues and crooning lullabies … the intense focus commanded by a master storyteller.” Springfield Union-News

“ Reshaping the serenely Olympian harp into a jazz instrument by warping it closer to the Blues” New York Times

More media quotes at: http://www.hipharp.com/Pblcty/quotes.html

ARTIST WEBSITE & SOCIAL MEDIA:
• Website: http://www.HipHarp.com
• Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/HipHarp
• Blog: http://hipharp.wordpress.com/
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/HipHarpist
• YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/HipHarpist
 
For more artist info or to schedule an interview, contact: 
Beatriz Harley, info@HipHarp.com, 781-483-3556
More Info: http://www.hipharp.com/publicity.html
Hi-Res Images: http://www.hipharp.com/pressphotos.html

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