Anna Thormahlen Jenkins: upcoming dates...

The Eastside Harp Circle ensemble played a program at this lovely retirement center in Edmonds, Washington. Our program included some of our favorites such as Climb Every Mountain and Over the Rainbow, along with some ensemble works in 3-part harp harmony. Over delicious cookies and lemonade offered by the staff, we answered the residents' questions and had a good visiting time together. It was a fun day of harping!

What a delightful Eastside Harp Circle meeting we had at Diana's house celebrating Bastille Day! We shared our French songs, ate delicious treats including tasting Diana and Michael's French champagne, and played music together. Lots of laughter and joy - AND sunshine in Seattle - finally. Today was a glorious day!

It just doesn't get any better than this, we have decided: having nearly all the people with whom you love to play music, in one place, at one time, playing, singing, dancing, laughing, eating, and enjoying a sunny summer evening in Seattle - and life in general - together! Big "thank-yous" from us to all the people who came and made this day special for Don and his family! (Pictures forthcoming...)

After over a month of cool and rainy weather, today dawned clear and blue. The Barton's garden in Burien, Washington was spectacular with it's various vistas and seating areas. I played from 11:00 to 1:30 near a hedge that had a large circle carved out so that you could see through to Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains!

Our Eastside Harp Circle played beautifully for this group of about 60 friends and members of St. Hilda St. Patrick's Church. Our program included hymns, ensemble pieces, and fun singalong songs. And the food was both delicious and beautiful - very English indeed!

What a joyful day this was! The wedding couple, complete with groom in kilt, watched family and friends perform songs, poems, stories and dances for them. And the sun was shining!

We had a good rehearsal today in preparation for both the upcoming wedding ceilidh and the High Tea. The pieces are coming together nicely!

Many people came together to celebrate the life of Rev. Silversity Madrazo, my friend from Bethany United Church of Christ in Seattle. Many clergy representing the local and national UCC were present and addressed the congregation as well as speakers who knew Silversity in other parts of her life. The music was provided by the Wayside United Church of Christ organist, my harp solo consisting of a medley of hymns, and a beautiful song from the Japanese Peace Chorus.

Silversity's life inspires us to live fully as well as fearlessly. As an ordained minister, Silversity served throughout the world - Bengladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Yakama Nation, Seattle. She was also a teacher in the Seattle Public Schools and a former Board Member of Bethany UCC. We will miss her but will remember what she taught us.

What a lovely Mother's Day Tea this was! As each resident was brought into the tea room, they selected a beautiful flowered hat to wear. There were guests present as well as staff and we all enjoyed a lovely assortment of special cookies, fruits, tea and coffee.

What a lovely day of sharing and music we had! There were 9 of us sharing our solos and works-in-progress. We also worked on some new lead sheets together in preparation for our High Tea performance in June. And - as if that were not enough - the eats-and-treats were outstanding!

Harp music provided for a private memorial service.

A fun day of playing music and sharing at Liz's lovely home in Bellevue, WA.

This was a lovely time of sharing, planned by the chaplaincy of Eastside Group Health Cooperative, for the friends and family of those who lost loved ones during the past year. In addition to my harp prelude and postlude, the service music included a singing duo accompanied by guitar during as well as solo Amazing Grace on saxophone. Guests each received a small wooden heart upon arrival which they later placed in a basket as they shared a special memory of their loved one. Refreshments and fellowship followed the service.

During this Lenten worship service at Bethany UCC, the harp music helped to create a quiet and meditative atmosphere during the Imposition of Ashes. Selections included "Poor Wayfaring Stranger," "Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley," and "Give Me a Clean Heart."

Our Tie-the-Knot event at Heritage Hall was quite lovely this year. Three special couples were married at different times during the day at Kirkland's historic landmark building just up Market Street from Marina Park in downtown Kirkland. Each couple had a unique and touching story and happily joined their lives together on Valentine's Day. Our "team" consisted of a judge, florist, wedding consultants, photographer, the City of Kirkland, and a musician - me! We all enjoyed making 2010 Valentine's Day memorable for our wedding couples. Check out KirklandWeddings.com which you will find at my Links section of this website.

What a great time we had at the annual "harp weekend" put on by the Puget Sound Folk Harp Society! Forty five harpers from all over the Pacific Northwest attended workshops and made music together. Workshop presenters this year included Paula Lalish, Laura Zaerr, Sharon Thormahlen, Seumas Gagne, and Harper Tasche; all were excellent!. The weekend also included time to jam together, eat together in the dining hall at Fort Worden where we stayed, opportunities to hike and explore, and of course check out the quaint shops in Port Townsend. Oh... and the ceilidh on Saturday night, with Ceilimistress Patrice Haan, was fantastic!!! (Check out "Birds of Blue Ridge" and "Tourner a Trois" on my website's "a few of my songs" section for some clips of our live performances.)

Christmas Day was extra special for us this year because we got to play and sing music at Covenant Shores! My husband Don played guitar and sang along with our son Chris; my mom Verna lent moral support (and helped carry our gear!). Christmas songs sung ranged from the sacred carols to secular favorites. A half-dozen or so residents assisted us on Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, Deck the Halls and several other tunes with their enthusiastic jingle-bell shaking! Afterward we enjoyed visiting with residents, drinking apple juice, and meeting Carol's dog, Callie, along with her daughter and granddaughter who were all visiting.

It was a beautiful Christmas Eve service at Bethany UCC this year. The theme of "Light" shone throughout, beginning with a starlight processional to the song, Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace). Twelve people walked into the dark sanctuary carrying large stars lit from within and formed a starlit aisle for everyone to pass through as they found their seats. Musicians for the evening included Miranda on violin, Frank on string bass, Charlie and Don on guitars, Val singing a beautiful solo (I Wonder As I Wander), Philemon on piano, and me on my Thormahlen Koa Swan harp. All these together made a lovely accompaniment to many familiar hymns and carols sung by the congregation. We ended with our tradition of passing the flame until each person's candle was lit while singing Silent Night.

Val and Otelia were amazing hosts at their lovely Christmas parties for their residents and families, both at their Alki Family Home and their Genesee Family Home (on 12/11). An awesome smorgasbord of beautiful goodies which included Romanian delicacies was provided. I enjoyed playing Christmas music... and eating Otelia's cabbage rolls and other treats!

The Eastside Harp Circle played for nearly an hour at the Seattle Children's Hospital Harp-a-thon, which benefitted those needing care who do not have insurance. For 12 solid hours, harp music was provided by Seattle area harpists and harpers on two stages in the cafeteria. There were eight of us performing together at this event. It was exciting for us to play The Snowfall Waltz, arranged by Beth Kolle, with the song's composer, James Lough, in the audience!

My good friend and awesome vocalist, Kimber Godsey, and I sang and played a set at the SCCA's annual Holiday Party for patients and their families. Several enthusiastic attendees joined in with us and we rocked! Thank you, SCCA, for all the great work you do!

We Eastside Harp Circle harpers played our program of holiday music at this very lovely care center for the memory-impaired in Edmonds, Washington. We were welcomed so warmly and even were given tea and cookies at "intermission"!

The University of Washington Bothell Campus Business Program had a lively holiday party attended by staff and their families. I got to play holiday music sitting next to a beautiful tree and fireplace. There were lots of excited children there; some even sang for the group, including one group of 4 siblings!

Pacifica String Ensemble made up of cellist Lisa Fishman and I played music for this well-attended event. WineStyles of Issaquah provided wine tasting while guests networked prior to attending 3 rotating classes.

Don and I provided harp and guitar music for Brenna Murphy and Andrew Drennen's wedding at the beautiful Villa Academy Chapel in Seattle. Music selections were chosen by the bridal couple and included Franconia Waltz, Lover's Waltz, and The Summons (sung by Don to the Irish tune, Shearin's No For You) along with Pachelbel's Canon in D for the processional. The bride - our goddaughter - looked radiant!

My daughter, Jennifer, married Andy Gill on this beautiful, end-of-summer day in Seattle. We had a wonderful 5 days of activities that included seeing old friends and meeting new ones, getting to know Andy's family from Wisconsin, catching up with our relatives, games and hikes, a fun rehearsal dinner at Golden Gardens with an ethnic heritage theme that included a family tree display made with heirloom photographs, a beautiful church wedding ceremony at University Presbyterian Church, a fun reception in an old restored ferryboat on Lake Union, and a day-after wedding brunch on Lake Washington. We loved every minute!

What a lovely evening it was out in the garden off the Apple Blossom wing of the Covenant Shores Health Center! Many residents joined me next to the fountain for songs from Italy, the British Isles, and familiar American folk tunes.

My husband and music partner Don, and I played and sang patriotic and American songs on Saturday, July 4th for our friends in the Health Center at the Covenant Shores Community. Several people joined in the singing, adding some great alto harmonies. Songs included the well known national songs - My County 'Tis of Thee, America the Beautiful, God Bless America - then we traveled around the country singing songs whose words included names of states. Of course, Carolina in the Morning was included. Our "traveling music" gave us a chance to throw in a couple of train songs - Wabash Cannonball and I've Been Workin' On the Railroad - before we ended up in NYC with some Broadway tunes of George M. Cohen: You're a Grand Old Flag and Yankee Doodle Dandy. It was a fun afternoon!

This year I was one of five workshop presenters at the annual June weekend gathering of folk harpers from the Puget Sound Folk Harp Society. In my workshop, the 25 participants first became a 4-part harp choir with flute and tambourine added to a lovely Israeli traditional song. Then we grew our own orchestra using the Orff method of creating ostinati to create a work complete with harps, marimba, oboe, flute, handbells, tambourine, triangle, and gong!

For nearly 3 days we had an absolutely fantastic time of learning, sharing, creating, and performing together. There was amazing food, beautiful Northwest Washington mountain scenery, and exciting weather including two thunder and lightning storms, sunbreaks, and mountain mist. And, there was special time to make new friends and get to know old friends much better!

The Eastside Harp Circle performed a wide variety of harp ensemble music for the annual High Tea put on by this Lynnwood congregation! About 60 people enjoyed our music, and we very much enjoyed sharing our songs with them! What a beautiful tea it was with such lovely food and hospitality!

Becky's Arts & Crafts Sale was so much fun! There were wonderful artists there who displayed their creations: watercolor, oils, collage, pottery, jewelry, fabric art, salves and lotions, and music. I played my Thormahlen Koa Swan harp in Becky's front yard garden as people came and went. It was great to catch up with some old friends and to meet some new people!

I played soothing music for the women of Westminster Chapel as a part of their spa night event. On this evening, 40 moms receive a gift of relaxing time with activities designed to bring them peace and serenity.

The Ash Wednesday worship service includes the imposition of ashes, an ages old tradition where a cross in drawn on the forehead with ashes of palms burned the previous Palm Sunday in the Christian year. This symbolizes repentance and hope for resurrection while marking the beginning of the Lenten season.

This year's trip to Montana was filled with great cross country skiing, beautiful scenery, wonderful people, delicious food, and awesome MUSIC! Highlights include evening music sessions in the rec room/bar, afternoon practice sessions with a flautist friend, and a hike inside snowy Glacier National Park. Go to the Izaak Walton Inn if you ever get to this part of Montana!

Once again, the Kirkland based group, KirklandWeddings.com, held weddings all day (and even one at midnight!) at the historic Heritage Hall in downtown Kirkland, Washington. I played my koa Thormahlen Swan harp for several of the ceremonies. Visit the KirklandWeddings.com website to find out more information about this economical yet elegant venue for a small wedding on Valentine's Day. Plan ahead for next year - 2010!

There were about 45 of us at Fort Worden in Port Townsend, WA at the annual retreat for the Puget Sound Folk Harp Society. The Eastside Harp Circle played "The Parting Glass" together at the evening ceilidh. We each played for the harp circle, learned a lot from our workshops: Beth Kolle, Harper Tasche, Niel McNiel, Leslie McMichael, and Paula Lalish were presenters. The food was wonderful and the setting picturesque. It was a great time!

Christmas Eve at Bethany UCC was heartwarming and wonderful! Due to the previous week's repeated snowfalls, our last two orchestra rehearsals had to be cancelled. We decided that whoever could make it would come to the church at 4pm on Christmas Eve, have a good practice, and just hope for the best. Upon arrival, we learned the snowplow that had been engaged never made it to plow out the 8+ inches in the parking lot. Several men started shoveling while we set up our instruments, stands, chairs and handbells. At 4:15 we began to rehearse with about 8 people. Gradually more people arrived and took their places. When the Posada began and the "holy family" players knocked on the sanctuary doors, there were 2 cellos, 2 violas, 1 violin, 1 flute, 8 handbell ringers, 3 guitarists, 5 singers, and one young pianist; all in place in the orchestra, ready to begin the processional with 'O Come All Ye Faithful.' It was indeed a group of faith-full people, and their dedication and musicianship led us all through the service's hymns along with the debut of my orchestra arrangement of Sharon Thormahlen's and my composition, 'Prelude for Peace.' At the end, in the darkness with candles lit, the orchestra played 'Silent Night' as the congregation sang, then filed out into the cold evening. It was a Christmas Eve I will long remember!

What a great audience we had at the Caroline Kline Galland Home near Seward Park in Seattle! Lisa Fishman and I played in their beautiful activity room that doubles as a worship room. Our setlist included some classical pieces, folk tunes from America as well as Celtic tunes, pop tunes, some Sephardic tunes and Chanukah songs. We played for a full hour, even having to cut a couple of pieces in order to not run over our alloted time. The people were lovely to us and had lots of questions about our instruments, which we enjoyed talking about, of course! We certainly hope to be invited back! Thank you Laurie and everyone at Kline Galland!

What a joy it was to be able to accompany Kimber Godsey's wonderful singing at the holiday party for the patients and families at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance! The snowy season was just beginning... little did we know what lie in store for us in the coming week! Kimber and I set up in the main lobby and played and sang while people entered and left. Kimber has such a great way of engaging her audience -- she had several of the staff singing along with her. She even coaxed me into singing an a capella 'Deck the Halls' with her! This was a definite highlight of my Christmas season! Thanks, Kimber, for including me in your gig!

Pacific String Ensemble - Lisa Fishman and I - played an hour of holiday music for the lovely people in the Health Care Center of Covenant Shores in Mercer Island. It was calm and quiet, and the residents enjoyed the hymns and carols we played together. Thank you Covenant Shores for allowing us to share our music with you this Christmas season!

Today we entertained the residents and staff at Queen Anne Healthcare in their activity room. This being the day before Thanksgiving, it was too soon to begin the Christmas/Chanukah music, so we played a variety of classical, pop, folk, and Celtic music. The people had lots of questions about our instruments which we enjoyed answering. Thank you, Queen Anne Healthcare, for allowing us to share our music with you!

Three days of wonderful harp workshops, concerts, networking, and harp sales in Asheville, North Carolina! Janet Harbison was there from Castleconnell, Ireland and was delightful. It was fun to get to know her and to hear all about her Irish Harp College - something to dream about! Thormahlen Harps debuted their "Ceili" harp, a 34-string, Irish style harp (carbon fiber strings that are closer together and have less tension). Sharon Thormahlen's newest book, Sweepin' the Clouds Away, also debuted - and with a last minute addition of my ensemble arrangement of Birds of Blue Ridge!

Our first Scottish/Irish ceili turned out to be a wonderful evening of friends, food, poetry, dance and music! Seumas Gagne was our Ceilimaster, the Mackay girls performed Highland Dances from their native Scotland, and about 25 different people performed in a variety of "acts" ranging from serious and humorous recitations to musical solos and ensembles. On Seattle's hottest Saturday of Summer 2008, old friends enjoyed each other and new friends were made. After a beautiful sunset over Lake Washington, we all joined hands (73 people... that makes 146 hands!) and Seumas led us in singing Auld Lang Syne. It was a night I'll remember for a long time!

Service music on the harp for worship and communion on this summer Sunday at Bethany UCC. Check out this multi-cultural, multi-racial, intergenerational church at the corner of Beacon and Graham in Seattle!

Don and I played lots of music, both separately and together, at the "Fanfest" event which is a celebration in the town of Roslyn, WA. Remember TV's Northern Exposure? Yep, that's the place, a.k.a. Cicely, Alaska! Our little "stage" area was right in front of the Crazy Quilt Shoppe, which is a beautiful quilting and hand crafts store on the main street in Roslyn, just a block from The Brick. It was a warm and beautiful evening in this charming Eastern Washington town just 90 minutes from Seattle.

We celebrated a year of studying the Celtic harp with a ceilidh for my harp students and their families. It was a lovely afternoon to enjoy food, fun, and music together. And, it was our first party in the newly finished garden, with the Harp Gate hung only the night before! (Check out the Photos Section...)

The Maundy Thursday Service includes Communion and the Scriptures telling the story of Christ's conviction, crucifiction, and death. This intimate, candlelight service was conducted by Rev. Angela Ying with members of Bethany providing music and readings.

Park West Nursing and Convelesent Center had a special dinner with a St. Patrick's Day theme. I played all my Irish tunes!

Music, poetry and readings were offered in memory of loved ones. This service was beautifully presented by chaplains from Group Health. I provided prelude and postlude harp music.

We had a fun time sharing all our Irish tunes. This group really celebrates music and each other. Join us!

It was a great service today at the corner of Beacon and Graham in South Seattle! We had an ensemble of harp, bells and penny whistle for the musical offerings. I played David's Air as well as Oruco en Ceo with the ensemble.

What an amazing trip to Essex, Montana! We were sooooo thrilled to attend the Richardson Sisters Reunion at the Izaak Walton Inn during President's Week 2008. Not only was the sunshine bright and the sky a deep blue every day, the cross-country skiing was fantastic! The highest of the highlights (and there were many) was the nightly jam session down in the rec-room/bar area. In 4 consecutive nights, we managed to cover several decades of music through singalong, solo, and ensemble playing; 5 guitars, 2 mandolins, 2 fiddles, 3 harmonicas, 1 standup bass, 1 ukulele, 1 flute, 1 harp, and a whole bunch of awesome singers! Check out the pictures by clicking on "Izaac Walton 2008 Trip" at the bottom of my "photos" section.

We had a wonderful day of weddings at Heritage Hall in Kirkland on Valentine's Day 2008! KirklandWeddings.com sponsored the event. This year there were five couples who got married, complete with candles, flowers, greeters, witnesses, photographer, and our judge-officiant... and, of course, harp music! The Seattle Times and the Kirkland Reporter sent their photographers too! (see my articles section)

It was a lovely, sunny day, which we all enjoyed from the woodsy setting at Ginny's home in Edmonds. There were six of us... well, seven if you count Shasta, the dog! We had a great time catching up on each other's news, eating Valentine's Day treats, playing ensemble pieces: William & Nancy and The Maid of the Mill, both from Nancy Hurrell's book, and A Bruxa, from Beth Kolle's The Wandering Folk Harp. We tested my arrangement of 'Poor Wayfaring Stranger', enjoyed Madeleine's fun new ensemble piece and shared 'love song' solos.

Selections for the worship service included the African tune "Jesu, Jesu", the familiar Mexican song "You Have Come Down to the Lakeshore", African American Spiritual "Poor Wayfaring Stranger", and American Gospel song "His Eye is on the Sparrow."

We had a great time today! Valerie brought us CDs that she and Glen made of our Christmas performances at Aegis of Bothell and Sunrise Assisted Living Center. We played out of Nancy Hurrell's book, The Harper's Playbook, and Beth Kolle's book, The Wandering Folk Harp. Next month we will meet at Ginny's home.

This is the first time I have played for an event on Christmas Day! I was concerned that it would be stressful due to my family's holiday, but it turned out great. It was quite peaceful to play for their Christmas Lunch next to the lighted tree and surrounded by beautifully decorated tables. At one point, I looked to my right out the window to see beautiful, fluffy snow falling outside. It was indeed a special Christmas memory.

Christmas Eve was extra special for me because I got to play with two of my students. We did a big group number, 'Do You Hear What I Hear' with our 3 harps, assorted bells, gong, penny whistle, harmonica, viola, guitars, and snare drum along with lots of voices. The harps really sounded great together on 'Joy to the World' as well as a candlelit 'Silent Night.'

Our second concert of the holiday season was at Aegis of Bothell. We had an enthusiastic audience and our ensemble numbered 8 members. We played for about an hour. It was great fun for us, and judging from the number of residents singing along, they enjoyed it too!

The Eastside Harp Circle made its performing debut at the Sunrise Assisted Living Center in Edmonds! We worked hard for several months on our holiday music and our solos. To polish our program, we had two extra rehearsals in November. The hour-long program went very well! Afterward, we went to Ginny's home to debrief and enjoy holiday treats.

A large group of people gathered in the Activity Center to hear me play and talk about the harp. They were an enthusiastic group with lots of fun questions!

This was a beautiful setting all decorated for Christmas! I played Christmas music as people arrived, found their tables, and looked at the silent auction items. Nichol Venee Eskridge and others sang during the program. Wow - they are great!

This is a traditional "china" luncheon done each year by the women of this congregation. Each table is beautifully set with Christmas china brought by member table hostesses. My role was to provide Christmas music while everyone visited and then ate a brunch. Taproot Theatre offered a play following the brunch and there was also a speaker.