I will be one of the instructors at the very first NEHF!   Held at the South United Methodist Church (1226 Main St., Manchester, CT 06040), lessons will include everything from the history of the harp, tips on how to practice, and the ins-and-outs of playing at a session.  The difficulty of each lesson is divided as per the SHSA guidelines (Beginner, Apprentice, Journeyman and Master).  My lessons begin at the Apprentice level and will be “Tunes from the Isle of Man, Brittany and Galicia” (learning a tune from each of these wonderful places), “Complicating Matters” (finding ways to take easy arrangements and make them suit your current abilities), and “How to Play in a Traditional Session: The (Un)Spoken Rules” (learning the rules of session playing everyone expects you to already know).  I will be teaching the first day of the festival and performing at that same night’s concert.

The festival is also hosting the harp competition which is normally held at the Scotland Connecticut Highland Games (the Games are described below).  Rachel Clemente is this year’s adjudicator.