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Dueling Harps with Adam & Mia vs Ann and Alex, Abron Arts Center Oct 14-16 NYC

A darkly elegant evening of gorgeous melodies with a theatrical flourish. Ann Magnuson and Adam Dugas face off on vocals as Alexander Rannie and Mia Theodoratus strum their harps in this twisted match of musical one-upmanship.

The quartet thrusts and parries with an arsenal of tunes ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime: psychedelic calls to prayer, Henry Purcell’s Baroque art songs, Kraftwerk, Buffy St. Marie, Lee Hazlewood, Bongwater, and Pink Floyd, as well as original songs by Magnuson, Dugas and Theodoratus. The puppetry of Robin Walsh exponentially expands the whimsical and surreal beauty of the show.

Adam and Ann in a sing off from the LA production

LifeBall Vienna, Austria 2010

On the occasion of the XVIII International AIDS Conference that started one day after the big event in Vienna, this year’s Life Ball was very special. On the 17th of July the Life Ball not only took place in the Vienna City Hall and on City Hall Square, but also at the Burgtheater (the former imperial court theatre) with the Red Ribbon Cotillion and the Parliament with the amfAR Gala. Attendees included former President Bill Clinton, Whoopi Goldberg, the Rockettes and Patty LeBelle.

Adam & Mia were invited to play at the amazing Club Sandwich Paris.  An amazing upscale party with gowns and tuxes dancing next to glamed out clubkids. This is how the world should be!

On the red carpet at Lifeball

Collaboration with Photographer Hillary Hess

One of my favorite things are old post cards with silly images of the harp complete with a beautiful girl, Doric, Ionic and Corinthian columns (including the one on the harp) in beautiful black and white. Hillary and I took a year or so to plan the shoot and the result is amazing.  She is going to use the gelatin silver process on the prints for a limited run. Here is a tease:

Adam & Mia play Night of a Thousand Stevies, Highland Ballroom NYC

Night of a Thousand Stevies is the world’s most popular Stevie Nicks Tribute. This year I arranged the classic Stevie tune “Leather and Lace” for my amazing singer Adam Dugas and the lovely Amber Martin.

Night of a Thousand Stevies is probably the best-known STEVIE NICKS fan event in the world, a riot of shawls, lace, baby’s breath, twirling, tambourines and great performance. This event began at JACKIE 60 nineteen years ago with four performers, and has grown into a true spectacle, featuring countless interpretations over a marathon night. As always, this Enchanted evening will climax in a twirl of shawls and tambourines with the Battle of a Thousand Stevies near morning.

Leather and Lace-Stevie Nicks from Night of a Thousand Stevies, 2010 from harpgrrl on Vimeo.

Filming the AMC TV show Rubicon

I was hired to be a featured extra pretending to play harp on the new action TV show on AMC called Rubicon. In a quirky twist of fate, my original song Love Lost was chosen as the audio. It was an amazing experience and the cast, crew and director were totally cool and nice. Of course I had to take a snap shot of Pretty Princess the harp doing her thing.  I guess I have to buy a TV now and join the modern world….or I could just walk over to Adam’s and use his!

Ray Chew’s Night of Inspiration Carnegie Hall April 28, 2010

I am honored to be playing in Ray Chew’s orchestra for a Night of Inspiration! It is a program that celebrates the uplifting power of gospel music through vocal and spoken-word performances presented by a star-studded lineup of artists. I even have a moment of harp with a beautiful solo in Ray Chew’s original piece Inspiration. This concert is one of the reasons to live in NYC!