April 2022 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I hope you are enjoying the signs of spring outdoors! March was a traveling month for me, first going to Slovakia and then to Mexico for spring break, now back to busy teacher and performer life! Please join me tomorrow evening for Harp and Healing tomorrow evening at 5.30pm at Broadway Christian Church. It's a monthly service on the first Tuesday  devoted to reflection, prayer and healing. On Easter Sunday I will be performing at Broadway Christian Church again during the 9am and 11.15am services. For more information, visit http://www.broadwaychristian.net/worship Then on April 23th I would like to invite you to come to the Missouri Academy of Music Spring Concert -  again at Broadway Christian Church at 7.30pm! My husband and I founded this organization last spring, so come to see what we have been up to along with these talented young musicians! More information www.missouriacademyofmusic.com I am also looking forward to performing two orchestra concerts - on April 28th at Jesse Hall with the Columbia Civic Orchestra and the Choral Union at 7pm and on May 1st collaborating with the S&T orchestra in Rolla. http://cco.missouri.org/2021-2022-season.html For new pictures and harp videos, please follow me on social media, just click on any of these:   My Facebook page My Instagram Watch my music videos on my YouTube channel Thank you, hope to see you at on of the upcoming events! Best wishes,  

April 4, 2022

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March 2022 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, A new month is here and I want to invite you to concerts and events that I perform for. It has been difficult last few days as we watched the news of war starting in Ukraine. I have to admit I was kind of paralyzed with disbelief on Thursday. Please accept my humble offering of invitation to Harp and Healing on first Tuesday of the month aka tomorrow evening at 5.30pm at the Sanctuary of Broadway Christian Church. It's 45 minutes of live harp music and prayers and readings provided by BCC minister Terry Overfelt. This coming Saturday, I will be playing with the Springfield Symphony. It's been so nice to be back to orchestral performing! One of my favorite pieces is on the program, so that's even more exciting! Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances! Here is a link for more information and tickets: https://www.springfieldmosymphony.org/concerts/march/symphonic-dances Then on Sunday March 6th from 4pm to 6pm I will take part in a special wedding event - Open Venue at Emerson Fields! If you know of any future brides and grooms please recommend this event to them. Not only will they to visit and get a feel for this beautiful place, but they will also meet a selected group of wedding professionals. I am excited to be part of this! I am planning two big trips in March, so  as far as performing -  this is it! I continue teaching my students aging from 8 to 78 and marvel at their dedication and progress! If you know of anyone who loves harp and wants to learn, please let...

February 28, 2022

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January 2022 Newsletter

Dear friends, wishing you all happy and healthy New Year and looking forward to making beautiful music for you in 2022!  

January 3, 2022

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December 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I want to wish you a beautiful Advent season and hope that my harp music can help you create festive atmosphere in your homes. It has been a year since I released my third album - Christmas Harp. Christmas music is special. Just like treasured family ornaments come out of the boxes and are carefully placed on the Christmas tree, mom's best china placed on the dinning table, treasured recipes past from generation to generation, Christmas music comes out as well. There is something magical about it that helps us get into the festive spirit year after year! So if you don't have my CD yet or you already lost it, I have a few! If you are interested in a physical copy, let me know and I am happy to mail it to you or have it available for pick up. It makes for a great present too! My CDs are also available for sale at the Music Suite on Providence. If you prefer a digital version, all my CDs are on Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, YouTube, Deezer, just search for my name. Thank you for listening! I am excited to say that I will play a live concert tomorrow night ( Friday Dec.4th ), which is a rare occasion right now! It's part of Odyssey Chamber Music Series. Audience is very limited and by invitation only, so don't head out just yet, but watch it at home! The concert premiers tomorrow at 7pm, but the video will be available...

December 1, 2021

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November 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I hope you enjoyed the beautiful October weather as we are moving into the cold months! I enjoyed October weddings especially the outdoor ones and performances like Turandot with the Ozarks Lyric Opera when friends from Columbia came to see me! Well, new month being here, there are only a few events I want to invite you to, as I will be gone to Slovakia a good part of the month. Harp and Healing - tomorrow night - Tuesday November 2nd at 5.30pm at the BCC Sanctuary. This monthly service focuses on healing in every form - physical, emotional, relational. 45 minutes of spoken word and prayers by our minister Terry Overfelt and live therapeutic harp music. We are moving from outdoors to the main Sanctuary where we have enough space to safely gather. Face masks are encouraged. Missouri Academy of Music Virtuosi concert - this Friday November 5th at 7.30pm.  It's a joint concert with the visiting Collegedale Academy Chamber orchestra from Tennessee. The two ensembles will be performing separately and together. We hope you all can join us at 7.30pm at Broadway Christian Church Sanctuary this Friday! Free and open for all. You can find out more information about the Academy here . I have posted some new videos on my YouTube channel, click here if you are interested to view them! I was able to record in the beautiful setting of Emerson Fields venue, I am planning to edit and post more in the upcoming weeks. As always you can find the latest pictures from events I was part...

November 1, 2021

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October 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of Harp music, I would like to invite you to join us for Harp and Healing tomorrow evening. Come and relax in an outdoor setting in the outdoor worship area at Broadway Christian Church at 5.30pm. This 45 minutes long service features time for self reflection and personal growth, time to heal, forgive and keep moving forward. Our minister Terry Overfelt will provide us with inspirational thoughts and I will provide therapeutic harp  music. You can find recordings of past Harp and Healing services unique to Columbia MO on YouTube just click here. I will be performing in Springfield this month, with the Ozarks Lyric Opera, we are working on Puccini's opera Turanot and the performance is on October 22nd at Hammons Hall. Here is their website in case you want to make a trip to Springfield! https://www.ozarkslyricopera.com/ Fall wedding season is always lovely with the changing colors and moderate weather. I have played several weddings this season, traveling around Missouri and Midwest. I had a nice time visiting and playing a wedding ceremony at the Thorncrown chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Playing in Springfield, Illinois,  playing in and around Saint Louis, but it's also always nice to be able to stay close to home and play at Old Hawthorne Club and Emerson Fields like the last two weddings! I am truly enjoying seeing my students again and helping them on their journey, wherever they are - beginner, intermediate or advanced level. I have posted some of my beginning student's videos on social media, because I am...

October 2, 2021

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Summer 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I hope you are having a great summer so far! I think we are all enjoying the slow return to normalcy and with that - live music again! I would love to invite you to some summer programs I have coming up! Many of you know that I am the harpist for the Missouri Symphony and every June, July are taken with the Hot Summer Nights Music Festival. This year is no different in that sense, except that this year is also the last for my husband Kirk as the Music Director of the Missouri Symphony. It is definitely an end of an era for us. We plan to stay in ton and continue to work with young musicians in the area. That said there is a fabulous line up of Missouri Symphony concerts that I hope you will attend! Musicians from all corners of the USA arrived last week, they have been rehearsing everyday and already played 2 different programs in the Missouri Theatre over last 5 days. The first concert I want to bring your attention to is completely free, so you don't want to miss this one! This Sunday, June 20th at the Stephen's Lake Park Amphitheater, 7.00pm, Missouri Symphony presents "Dads, everyday superheroes" Bring a blanket or a lawn chair to enjoy this concert full of eclectic repertoire, mix of classical, pops and film music. Perfect for a family evening on a Father's Day weekend! There are so many concerts this season I am looking forward to: Juneteenth celebration on June 19th, the...

June 19, 2021

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May 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, It's a beautiful day outside as I am writing this and I would like to invite you to some of my concerts and events this month as we are slowly coming out of the pandemic and things are happening again. Yey! Tomorrow evening - Tuesday May 4th at 5.30pm, we will have out last Harp and Healing this season before we part for the summer and resume again in September. This quiet and contemplative service of inspirational words and therapeutic harp music happens every first Tuesday of each month at Broadway Christian Church.  Tomorrow we will be indoors physically distanced and masked at the Christian Life Center - the very last door on the west side. On May 18th, my husband and I  - Duo 51 Strings - will provide cello and harp music for the MOSY outreach Preludes at the Pubs. We will be performing from 5.30 - 7pm at Gunter Hans. We will be playing music ranging from classical, through musical and movie scores. Come and enjoy your evening with good food, company and live music. More information HERE. There are couple of events, I would normally invite you to, but due to Covid restrictions on number of guests, I can't at this time. Let me at least tell you about them! I very excited to organize my studio recital again after 15 months. I am so humbled by my students' dedication and progress during this difficult school year. Yet they persevered and nobody gave up on harp! On the contrary,...

May 3, 2021

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April 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I hope you had a relaxing spring break! The lovely spring weather these days makes our lives brighter, doesn't it? I am enjoying spending more time outdoors with my family and seeing the flowers and trees bloom! This warm weather allows us to gather safely outdoors, so I would like to invite you to tonight's in person Harp and Healing service at Broadway Christian Church - outdoor  worship area next to the parking lot. If you experienced loss, hardship or illness - this service is for you. If you just want to come and enjoy the relaxing music and the uplifting of the spirit - this service is for you. Free and open for all - 5.30pm tonight. If you can't make it, the video will be posted later this week on BCC YouTube Channel as well as on my website. We have been recording these services this past year and plan to continue to do so, so you can find them online anytime! After 13 long months of not playing in an orchestra, I am finally back to playing with the Springfield Symphony this weekend! I am very excited to play with an ensemble again. The SSO was able to have a regular performance season, albeit with reduced instrumentation - less people on stage, physically distanced and masked. Finally there is room for harp to be back, performing Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier Suite. More information here: Schnitzel and Strudel | Springfield Symphony (springfieldmosymphony.org) I am grateful for a mention in the COMO magazine this month, here is the link to the...

April 6, 2021

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March 2021 Newsletter

Dear friends of harp music, I hope you have enjoyed the beautiful spring weather. I personally can't wait to get outside more after the long winter. I enjoy working in the garden, planting flowers and vegetables and of course going to many of Columbia parks with my kids and State parks for hikes. With a new month, I would like to mention to you some of the events that my harp gets to go to! For those of you struggling with grief, illness, loss or simply looking to pause and feel spiritually uplifted, please watch our Harp and Healing service. While we can't meet in person yet, I am so grateful for technology and the ability to record these services and have them available for you to watch anytime. I know in my own life, I really appreciate this monthly time of solitude, music and meditations. Big thank you to Pastor Terry Overfelt for inspiring us with meaningful readings and Taby Lane, who sets up the "stage" and records the services. Click here to watch it on Youtube. As the wedding season is starting now in March, I am looking forward to playing wedding ceremonies again. The pandemic is still preventing us from big gatherings, but live music helps create a special atmosphere for any wedding ceremony, big or micro! If you know of anyone who might enjoy live harp music on their big day, please send them to www.mariaharp.com Talking about love and weddings - my friend, harpist Ruth Acuff and I had a virtual Valentine's Day concert, thank you all...

March 11, 2021

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