Harptacular 2022
FIVE MINUTES FOR EARTH
December 4, 2022 • Virtual
Yolanda Kondonassis
Please view this on our YouTube channel lyonhealyharps.
On Dec. 4, we premiered a Virtual Harptacular with Yolanda Kondonassis and her FIVE MINUTES for Earth® collection, which features innovative, Earth-inspired works for solo harp by some of today’s most lauded composers; Kondonasis describes the project as a “pay-it-forward challenge,” where every verified performance of any of the works from the FIVE MINUTES for Earth® collection – by any harpist, anywhere in the world – will result in a monetary contribution to a recognized earth conservation organization, sponsored by Kondonassis’ non-profit organization, Earth at Heart®. The works are presented with performances and commentary by Kondonassis, along with new music videos.
FIVE MINUTES for Earth® is a project that both celebrates our planet and illuminates our challenge to preserve it. In 2020, I asked each of the composers featured in this collection if they would consider contributing a work for solo harp of approximately five minutes in length that expresses a powerful experience inspired by Earth in one of its many conditions or atmospheres. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of their immediate responses and set about assembling this labor-of-love project. After recording all the works for my 2022 Azica release, the endeavor quickly expanded to include a live, multi-media concert, a unique video for each track, a separate published collection of earth-inspired solos for younger harpists, and most importantly, the opportunity for harpists all over the world to perform these innovative, earth-inspired works for solo harp by some of today’s most lauded composers; every verified performance of any of the works from the FIVE MINUTES for Earth collection, anywhere in the world, will result in a monetary contribution to a recognized earth conservation organization, sponsored by my non-profit organization, Earth at Heart. Plans are underway to commission and sponsor works for all instruments, poetry, visual art, photography, and film for the growing FIVE MINUTES for Earth collection. FIVE MINUTES for Earth is also a metaphor for the urgent and compressed timeframe that remains for our global community to embrace and implement solutions to our fast-growing environmental crisis. What is at stake . . . is only everything we have. -Yolanda Kondonassis
YOLANDA KONDONASSIS is one of the world’s premiere harp soloists and has performed around the globe as a concerto soloist and recitalist. She released her first solo recording in 1993 to widespread critical acclaim and has since recorded over twenty albums, sold hundreds of thousands of discs and downloads worldwide, made over two dozen world premiere recordings, and received two GRAMMY nominations. She has been described as “viscerally exciting” by The Chicago Tribune and “a brilliant and expressive player” by The Dallas Morning News. GRAMOPHONE praises her “keen sense of dramatic timing and a range of colour that’s breathtaking.” Also a published author, speaker, professor of harp, and environmental activist, she weaves her many passions into a multi-faceted career.
Since making her solo debut at age 18 with the New York Philharmonic, Kondonassis has appeared as soloist with countless major orchestras in the United States and abroad, in addition to engagements at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Taiwan’s National Concert Hall, and at renowned festivals including Santa Fe, Marlboro, Spoleto, Mainly Mozart, and Tanglewood. She has been featured on CNN, PBS, Sirius XM Radio, and National Public Radio, and is a frequent guest on podcasts and live social media events.
Her most recent publications include The Composer’s Guide to Writing Well for the Modern Harp (Carl Fischer) and the second edition of My Earth, My Home: A Kid’s Book About Why Protecting Our Planet Matters (Sky Horse). Kondonassis heads the harp department at The Cleveland Institute of Music and is the founder and director of Earth at Heart®, a non-profit organization devoted to inspiring earth conservation awareness and action through the arts. Visit www.YolandaHarp.com.
Harptacular 2021
BALTIMORE, MD
September 25, 2021 • Virtual
Anneleen Lenaerts
Our Harptacular Baltimore 2021 was presented virtually on Saturday, September 25 with performances and workshops presented by Anneleen Lenaerts and Lyon & Healy Staff.
View it on our YouTube channel lyonhealyharps.
Follow this link for a PDF of the Harptacular Baltimore Program.
View our Live Q&A with Anneleen which was held immediately after the premier presentation of Harptacular Baltimore.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
April 10, 2021 • Virtual
Emmanuel Ceysson
Our Harptacular San Francisco 2021 was presented virtually on Saturday, April 10 with performances and workshops presented by Emmanuel Ceysson and Lyon & Healy Staff.
View it on our YouTube channel lyonhealyharps.
Follow this link for a PDF of the Harptacular San Francisco Program.
View our Live Q&A with Emmanuel which was held immediately after the premier presentation of Harptacular San Francisco.
