June 1-4 2023
American Harp Society Summer Institute and National Competition in Los Angeles, CA
American Harp Society Summer Institute and National Competition in Los Angeles, CA
Our Silicon Valley Chapter of the American Harp Society was well represented at the American Harp Society, Inc.'s 2023 Summer Institute and National Competition in Los Angeles at the Colburn School. Two of our students, Charlotte Trinh and Liliana Abraham, qualified and competed in the national finals in the junior division. Two of our students, Melody Chien and David Lin, represented us as Ambassadors. Kristal Schwartz gave a lecture on harp ensembles as well as conducting the Harp Ensemble of San Jose Youth Symphony. SVCAHS members Susie Spiwak and Karen Gottlieb are on the AHS Board of Directors. Also in attendance were members Grace Wu, Esther Lee, and Debbi Ricks.
Additional 2023 Chapter Events:
Student Recital - October 28, 2023. SVCAHS sponsored a harp recital in Santa Clara, featuring 4 soloists, students of Esther Lee and Kristal Schwartz, followed by a concert by the chapter-sponsored Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble, under the direction of Sonya Yu. Zahara Arora, Michelle Huang, Chloe Gao and Bianca Gao were the featured soloists. The concert was well attended with over 80 guests. You may view the program and listen to an mp3 recording of the entire recital if you missed this wonderful event. Additional photos and videos can be viewed. Thanks to Esther Lee for coordinating this first chapter recital. We hope to have many more to come! (Additional Dropbox link to video of Silicon Valley Youth Ensemble, by Debbi Ricks.)
Student Recital - October 28, 2023. SVCAHS sponsored a harp recital in Santa Clara, featuring 4 soloists, students of Esther Lee and Kristal Schwartz, followed by a concert by the chapter-sponsored Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble, under the direction of Sonya Yu. Zahara Arora, Michelle Huang, Chloe Gao and Bianca Gao were the featured soloists. The concert was well attended with over 80 guests. You may view the program and listen to an mp3 recording of the entire recital if you missed this wonderful event. Additional photos and videos can be viewed. Thanks to Esther Lee for coordinating this first chapter recital. We hope to have many more to come! (Additional Dropbox link to video of Silicon Valley Youth Ensemble, by Debbi Ricks.)
Fall Gathering - October 1, 2023
We had a wonderful turnout for our annual Fall Gathering, held at the Palo Alto home of Tamara Mead. Two harpists gave lovely outdoor performances for the group. Liliana Abraham (middle photo), a student of Linda Rollo and granddaughter of Debbi Ricks, and who was a finalist in the recent AHS National Competition junior division, performed The Harp Solo from Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti and La Source by Albert Zabel. Next, Renee Qin (left photo), a Stanford senior who is studying with Dan Levitan, performed the Handel Harp Concerto in B♭Major.
Fall Gathering - October 1, 2023
We had a wonderful turnout for our annual Fall Gathering, held at the Palo Alto home of Tamara Mead. Two harpists gave lovely outdoor performances for the group. Liliana Abraham (middle photo), a student of Linda Rollo and granddaughter of Debbi Ricks, and who was a finalist in the recent AHS National Competition junior division, performed The Harp Solo from Lucia di Lammermoor by Donizetti and La Source by Albert Zabel. Next, Renee Qin (left photo), a Stanford senior who is studying with Dan Levitan, performed the Handel Harp Concerto in B♭Major.
Graduating Senior Reception - May 20, 2023
We celebrated our graduating senior, David Lin, at a reception and recital at his home in Sunnyvale at 3 pm on May 20, 2023. David is a very accomplished young harpist, whose passion for the harp has led to numerous accomplishments and awards. He was selected to perform in the Focus on Youth Concert at the 2022 World Harp Congress, and won 2nd prize at the Hong Kong International Harp Competition, and 3rd prize in the 2022 Korea International Harp Competition Youth Division. He won his first awards, the Bronze and the Harpiana Prize at the Yvonne La Mothe Schwager Harp Competition in 2017 and again in 2019. He has also won awards at the Enkor International Music Competition and the United States International Music Competition and has been recognized by many other organizations including CMEA. In 2021, he was a finalist for the American Harp Society National Competition.
David is currently attending UC Berkeley, pursuing his interests in business, economics and AI, as well as continuing harp orchestral roles.
Student Education Sessions - April 15 Recital
SVCAHS held our annual Student Education Sessions (SES) Recital, part of the AHS curriculum, at 1:30 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2023. The recital was open to the public and was held at New Community Church, 1100 Middle Ave, Menlo Park, CA. Our 2023 Student Education Sessions included 24 performers. Our Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble YES program also performed three pieces at the recital. Video of those performances can be seen on our SVCAHS Youtube channel.
We celebrated our graduating senior, David Lin, at a reception and recital at his home in Sunnyvale at 3 pm on May 20, 2023. David is a very accomplished young harpist, whose passion for the harp has led to numerous accomplishments and awards. He was selected to perform in the Focus on Youth Concert at the 2022 World Harp Congress, and won 2nd prize at the Hong Kong International Harp Competition, and 3rd prize in the 2022 Korea International Harp Competition Youth Division. He won his first awards, the Bronze and the Harpiana Prize at the Yvonne La Mothe Schwager Harp Competition in 2017 and again in 2019. He has also won awards at the Enkor International Music Competition and the United States International Music Competition and has been recognized by many other organizations including CMEA. In 2021, he was a finalist for the American Harp Society National Competition.
David is currently attending UC Berkeley, pursuing his interests in business, economics and AI, as well as continuing harp orchestral roles.
Student Education Sessions - April 15 Recital
SVCAHS held our annual Student Education Sessions (SES) Recital, part of the AHS curriculum, at 1:30 pm on Saturday, April 15, 2023. The recital was open to the public and was held at New Community Church, 1100 Middle Ave, Menlo Park, CA. Our 2023 Student Education Sessions included 24 performers. Our Silicon Valley Youth Harp Ensemble YES program also performed three pieces at the recital. Video of those performances can be seen on our SVCAHS Youtube channel.