The Southwest
Florida Chapter of the American Harp Society gave its first concert in
1994, as
The Palm Coast Chapter. To commemorate the 15th anniversary of the
Chapter, three of the dozen works on that program are presented here,:
“Pavane”
(by an anonymous 17th-century composer),
“Adoration” from The Holy City by English organist
Alfred
Gaul (1837-1913), and “Temptation,” a tango hit of
1933 by Nacio Herb Brown.
“Adoration” was arranged by Mary Johnson from a
version for harp and organ.
“Temptation” was arranged by Laura Erb, the mother
of member Laura Lou Roth.
The seven ensemble
members, from stage left to right (in order of their entrance) are:
Leslie
Gregory, Barbara Kraichy, Laura Lou Roth, Amanda Clute, Mary Johnson,
Linda
Griffin, and Ralph Thomas. The first three remain active Chapter
members. The
selections here are dedicated to Amanda Clute, who died by accident in
1996;
Mary Johnson, who arranged “Adoration” and taught
many of her younger
colleagues; and Laura Erb, Professor of Harp at Baldwin-Williams
College
in Ohio for
many years.
In his concert
notes, Ralph Thomas, president and founder, expressed the Chapter
goals: “In
the coming years, you can look for this Chapter to present more
concerts and
sponsor many educational programs relating to the harp. Our membership
should
grow to include all of the harpists and students in the area and our
special
“Friends of the Harp” category will be open to any
non-harpist interested in
any or all of our meetings.
“Beyond our meetings, we will be
encouraging
the use of the harp in churches and schools, as entertainment for
meetings, at
senior centers and concert series. A scholarship program for the
area’s young
students is a major goal of the Chapter. If you would like to help with
the
Chapter’s educational activities, please make a contribution.
We appreciate the
support, and we hope this concert will be only the first of many.”
Ralph
contributed
many of his arrangements to this program. An active symphony and
service
harpist in Florida
and Vermont,
he retired from the Chapter a few years later, still a young man, to
remain in Vermont. This video
presentation is respectfully and gratefully dedicated to him, in
recognition
that his vision for the Chapter thrives.
