other news Harpworld Stephanie Bennett

May 2007: Did you see the season finale of hit TV series BONES on Wednesday, May 16? I played the part of 'the harpist at the wedding'. See March '07 for notes on the filming. Here are some snapshots.

March 2007: In yet another daring stretch of my acting talent (scroll down to May '01 and Jan. '98), I was cast as the harpist at a wedding; this time on the hit TV show BONES. My first day of filming was on location in a church; then we finished up my close-ups at the Twentieth Century Fox lot. This episode is the season finale, which is set to air on Fox TV on May 16 (check your local listings!). Here's a page with a few exciting behind-the-scenes photos... Also, they'll be using one of my recordings for the source music (music that you hear during the wedding scene): Pathetique from Bardina's Forest. It's available for purchase at iTunes...

February 2007: And now for something completely different. I reported to a recording session and didn't bring my harp - kept feeling like I'd forgotten something! But no, I'd actually been hired as the lead vocalist on 'Voodoo 2', the new exotica record by the legendary Robert Drasnin, a followup to his 1959 classic, Voodoo. The mid-century-style music is terrific, jazzy, fun, complex yet danceable, and of course, cool and exotic as hell. Here's my page with a few snapshots of the recording sessions... Here's Bob's page about 'Voodoo 2' with more snapshots... and here's more about the original Voodoo recording.

Also in February, I performed at Society of Composers and Lyricists' annual reception honoring the Oscar nominees in music. Here are snapshots of me with some of the celeb honorees, including multi-Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla.

Speaking of awards: at February's 49th annual Grammy awards, the Dixie Chicks (in accepting one of the FIVE grammies for 'Taking the Long Way') thanked "all the musicians who played on the record". Hey, THAT'S ME!! The review on Amazon.com calls the CD a "beautiful sonic tapestry (peppered with myriad Beatlesque hallmarks)". That would be due to the beautiful string arrangements by David Campbell.

And in yet more February excitement, I celebrated Valentine's day by performing at a fundraiser for the elephant sanctuary of Performing Animal Welfare Society.

January 2007: Played Celtic harps all over a lovely recording of 'Celtic Music for Stress Relief' on Lifescapes, available at Target. That's me playing harp on tracks 1, 3, 5 and 8.

November 2006: played harp on the haunting score by Miriam Cutler, for a documentary about Abu Ghraib.

October 2006: I taught a course in 'Introduction to Playing Celtic Harp' at College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita, CA. This course may be repeated in some time in 2007. It's a good way for people who've always been interested in the harp to 'get their feet wet' and decide whether they'd like to continue with further study.

And I celebrated Thanksgiving by volunteering at a vegan dinner at the Gentle Barn, where a turkey was the guest of honor, not the main course.

September 2006: I led a harp quartet for a mega-spectacular wedding in Bel Air (the Beverly Hills of Beverly Hills) produced by that party-and-wedding-planner to the stars, Colin Cowie. Here's a snapshot of the four of us at the ceremony area.

Also in September, I had the pleasure of playing Celtic harp (both nylon-strung and wire-strung) on music composed by David Arkenstone for the 'Irish tavern' scenes in the fantasy video game "World of Warcraft: the Burning Crusade". The music was terrific, teeming with Orcs, dwarves, trolls, and Celtic spirit from lively to mysterious. Here's a snapshot from the recording session.

August 2006: I performed a concert of my own music for the concert series at Palisades Lutheran Church (in Pacific Palisades, CA), assisted by two very fine musicians, Laura Halladay on flutes and Harry Gilbert on cello.

May 2006: If you prefer to order my CDs at your local store (rather than online from Harpworld, CDbaby or Amazon.com), you can now special-order them at your local store. Tell the store to special-order it from "Super D One-Stop". Hundreds of stores in each state in the U.S. have access to ordering from "Super D".

April 2006: what would a Meat Loaf "Bat Out of Hell" production be without some dulcet harp tones? I played harp on Mr. Loaf's CD entitled "Bat Out of Hell III, the Monster is Loose" (released Halloween '06). The songs I played on are "Cry to Heaven", "Land of the Pig", and "Monstro". You can read all about it (and hear samples) on amazon.com, here.

February 2006: I celebrated Valentine's day by volunteering to perform a concert (ably abetted by my friend Laura Halladay on flute) at the 'Love Chickens, Don't Eat Them' event held at Animal Acres sanctuary for farmed animals in Acton, CA. In honor of the themes of the day, one of the songs I performed was "My Chicken Valentine" (to the tune of "My Funny Valentine"). "Is your figure less than Greek? Is your mouth a little beak?" Here is a page with a couple of snapshots of the event.

December 2005: This December, there were two concerts that included the premieres of some Stephanie Bennett compositions! On Sunday, December 4, the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills presented their annual Christmas concert, which included the choir (accompanied by myself on harp, plus string quintet and organ) singing my original Christmas song, "LOOK TO THE ANGELS". Here's where you can order the sheet music if you would like to perform LOOK TO THE ANGELS.

Then, Saturday, December 10, MESTO (Multi-Ethnic Star Orchestra) presented a holiday concert that included my 'CELTIC FANTASIA for flute soloist and multi-ethnic orchestra', based on several Irish and Scottish folk music themes. This piece was commissioned by Mesto to feature multi-flute player Laura Halladay, who did a fabulous job playing low Eb whistle, D whistle, soprano and sopranino recorders, silver flute and Irish wood flute. Brava! Here are some pictures of the event.

Also in December, a benefit CD was released by the Celtic Arts Center, to which I donated one track: myself playing Celtic harp, with Laura Halladay playing pennywhistle, on the traditional Irish tune 'Banish Misfortune'.

October 2005: I was invited by the indomitable Robbin Gordon-Cartier (harpist and harp teacher extraordinaire), who teaches the harp classes at Cicely Tyson School of Performing Arts in East Orange, New Jersey, to present some workshops for the harp students. Here are snapshots from that day.

September 2005: The good news - the Paul McCartney CD I played harp on, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard", has been released! The disappointing news... my name isn't on it! Instead of crediting the individual players, the CD booklet merely mentions 'the Los Angeles Music Players'. Oh well... YOU who read these pages, know more than the average Paul McCartney fan knows... about the harp tracks, anyway!

Also in September, I played harp on a beautiful new song for an upcoming CD by the Dixie Chicks. Here is my snapshot from the session.

August 2005: Along with flutist Laura Halladay, I performed songs from "Bardina's Forest" and other originals by myself and Laura, as well as paying a musical visit to the Celtic Isles, in a concert as part of a concert series in Alhambra, CA.

June 2005: What's a surf band without a harpist?? I played on a couple of cuts for a new CD by the Surf City All-Stars. (Go to their website)

May 2005: Played Irish music for a reception hosted by Tourism Ireland. Here's a snapshot from the event that shows that I look MUCH taller when standing next to a Celtic harp, than next to a pedal harp.

Music therapy for animals! Also in May, I performed at a fund-raiser for ANIMAZONIA wildlife foundation, an animal sanctuary. My friend Laura Halladay joined me, playing flute and helping with the story-telling segments as we performed songs and stories from my animal-themed CD, 'Bardina's Forest'. In addition to performing for the humans in attendance, I also took a small harp over to Saba, a lioness who was recovering from eye surgery and feeling poorly, hoping to soothe and cheer her up with some gentle music. Here are a few snapshots from that day.

April 2005: I got out of town for a few days, for a vacation at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The wildflowers were in fine form! That doesn't mean I got away from music altogether, though - no, I brought along a small harp for playing around the campfire. Here's a little photo gallery.

February 2005: I played for a reception that Society of Composers and Lyricists gave honoring the Oscar nominees for BEST SCORE and BEST SONG in motion pictures of '04. I shook hands with Andrew Lloyd Webber, but didn't ask him for a snapshot, as he was waiting for the loo. I don't know, it just didn't seem like the right time.

January 2005: I was honored to start the new year by playing harp at the wedding of top record producer Terry Lewis (of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis fame; producers of Janet Jackson, et al) to the lovely Indira Singh, at a breathtakingly romantic and elegant wedding in Beverly Hills. Here's a snapshot of me and the happy groom.

In other January gigs, I played live harp music for a yoga class; played background music for a fashion show depicting women of the Bible; and taught school (theory classes at the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies magnet school). There is never a dull moment in L.A... not even in January!!

December 2004: I played in a delightful production of the Christmas opera AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS by Gian-Carlo Menotti. Here's a snapshot of me and a couple of the stars (Amahl and one of the Three Kings).

Also in December, I entertained at the holiday party of Society of Composers and Lyricists, comprised of many of Hollywood's top composers. Here's a snapshot of me making holiday cheer with the Alf Clausen, the brilliant composer for the brilliant TV show THE SIMPSONS.

September 2004: I entertained at two receptions for the EMMY nominees at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in North Hollywood. Here are a couple of snapshots of me and my buddy Emmy.

August 2004: watch your TV screen for a new commercial for the TV show JEOPARDY in which many different musicians play the Jeopardy 'think' theme for a few seconds at a time. That's me at the harp, with my rendition of the timeless classic. Here are a couple of snapshots of me getting ready for my closeup.

Also in August, I played harp on recordings for the upcoming CD by punk rock band GOOD CHARLOTTE (produced by Eric Valentine) (again orchestrated by David Campbell) .

July 2004 Another lovely CD that I co-created has been released: UNICORN'S JOURNEY, featuring myself on concert grand harp and Marilyn Harris on grand piano, is part of the series of meditation/relaxation recordings that Marilyn and her equally talented husband Mark Wolfram have been creating. This past April, Marilyn and I composed and improvised several peaceful opuses on the spot, while Mark engineered, counseled, encouraged, and created poetic titles for our works. This dynamic duo also has a fantastic new jazz vocal CD out, as well as scoring for film soundtracks, etc! To see, hear and order the new CD, go to CDbaby; or go to Wrightwood Records; on the LEFT scroll bar, scroll down till you see the pretty light blue CD cover; click on it, and it will appear in the center panel. Then scroll down on the CENTER scroll bar, and you will find the links to listen to MP3's and to order the CD, as well as a picture of me and Marilyn having way too much fun in the studio.

June 2004 And now, for something completely different. Have you ever seen a LASER HARP? Instead of strings, there are laser beams. You play it by sticking your fingers into the laser beams, which triggers a built-in synthesizer to play. You can choose from several different sounds; one sounds like harp, one like steel drum, one like harpsichord, etc. I premiered the new laser harp, built by Cosi Studio and donated by Baxter BioScience to Ventura County's Discovery Center for Science and Technology, at an unveiling event on June 2nd. Click here to see.

April 2004 I'm black and blue from pinching myself to see if I'm dreaming. Think of the most amazingly classic, influential, beloved, legendary singer/songwriter/composer/star of the 20th and 21st century. You'd gaze at his records in awe and think "Gee, someday if I'm really good, I might get to work with HIM! Sure - in my dreams!!" That's right, Paul McCartney. I got called to play harp on a song on his upcoming new recording. Sir Paul and I worked together one-on-one in the studio, elaborating on the wonderful arrangements that top Hollywood arranger David Campbell had created, to come up with harp parts for a very haunting song. If you still think I'm dreaming, click here to witness the magic!

March 2004 the day before the Oscars, I played at a star-studded reception for the Oscar nominees in music. Howard Shore (composer of LORD OF THE RINGS) was there, as was his co-songwriter Fran Walsh, and her partner/partner Peter Jackson (director of LORD OF THE RINGS). Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole were there (nominated for A KISS AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW from A MIGHTY WIND), along with several other nominees in the Best Score and Best Song categories. I played a selection of Oscar-winning songs from throughout the years. Here's a link to an article about the reception, with pix of some of the stars in attendance...

And once again I'm on a BROADJAM top ten list: I CAN IMAGINE (from my CD BARDINA'S FOREST) is listed as being in the top ten of several BROADJAM lists: fan picks, age 25-36; Production, female vocals; and Production, Uptempo. I find this satisfying as my CD BARDINA'S FOREST is more or less geared toward kids - but I've never thought of it as leaving out adults. Especially the song I CAN IMAGINE, which advocates positive thinking, also known as creative visualization... bringing good things about by believing in them. That's something we can apply at any age!

February 2004 Broadjam is a site where you can go and listen to independent music... and submit reviews if you choose. Mind you, all reviews are 'blind taste tests' - you don't know who the artist is you're reviewing! So I can't review myself, much less ask all my friends to submit nice reviews for me! Even so, I was notified by Broadjam that my composition MICHIGAN WINTER (as recorded on my CD STORIES SELDOM TOLD) was in the top 10 in the 'classical, contemporary' category, as rated by customer reviews. Also, I CAN IMAGINE (from my CD BARDINA'S FOREST) was in the top 10 of the 'unique/children's' category. Back in January 2004, CRAZY, MIXED-UP PLATYPUS (from BARDINA'S FOREST) reached the top 10 of both 'unique' and 'production: female vocals'. Meanwhile, DRAGONMAKER (from STORIES SELDOM TOLD) was in the top 10 in several categories, including 'classical', 'production-instrumental', and 'fan picks-ages 25 to 36'!! Who knew?? You can listen for yourself at CDbaby: STORIES SELDOM TOLD is here, and BARDINA'S FOREST is here.

October 2003 and now, for something completely different... my first gig with a Cowboy band, and my first Civil War Re-enactment. The award-winning Canadian band COWBOY CELTIC called me to sub for their regular harpist, in a concert as featured artists at the big Civil War re-enactment in Fresno, CA. What a blast!! The music was wonderful, and being surrounded by thousands of history buffs in costume and in character was a trippy experience of the highest order.
Here are some snapshots of me with the band,
and here are some of my other snapshots of the event.
Cowboy Celtic band website (note: works better in NETSCAPE web-brower than in EXPLORER)
Civil War Revisited website

September 2003: I entertained at a reception for the nominees for music Emmy awards, at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Here's a snapshot of me with thg giant Emmy statue!

August 2003 I was invited by the City of Hope Cancer Center's HARPS FOR HEARTS program director, Lisa Lynne, to present a harp concert and workshop for the staff and patients. It was great to get to share my music, and the joy of learning to play the harp, with them!

July 2003 I was in the studio with the stellar English ambient band LAMB, playing the harp for their upcoming CD. Click here for my snapshot... and here for their website.

Also, would you believe I'm producing an audio book? It's a wonderful memoir about a turbulent relationship, by author Daniel Prospero. I'm editing the actors' recordings (some recorded here at Harpworld and some in Michigan, where Prospero is based) and adding original music to underscore the scene changes, etc... It's a very exciting project and I can't wait to tell you more about it as the project develops. You can hear a short excerpt here, of a spot where I created original harp music to underscore the mood. (In this scene, the narrator's best friend has had a stroke.) (Please disregard the bizarre portrait that appears on the page at BROADJAM when you select this. It is neither me, nor the author, but some model that BROADJAM selected.)

May 2003 my SECOND CD for At Peace Media has been released and is now available!. Entitled LUMIERE (that's French for "light", by the way - not the opposite of heavy, but as in sunlight/moonlight/firelight/starlight...) This CD consists of my arrangements of Baroque music for relaxation; featuring compositions by Baroque greats Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), George Frideric Handel (1685-1759), Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) and Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787), featuring myself on harp, along with flute players Susan Craig Winsberg and Laura Halladay, and cellist Stefanie Fife. Click here for more details.

April 2003 I played at the Warner Bros. movie lot for a big to-do party celebrating the release of the new movie THE IN-LAWS. Since it's a movie about a wedding, the party was done like a big, glamorous wedding reception. Security is tight at the studios these days, so I had to get my van and harp inspected by the dogs who are trained to detect explosives and the like, before being allowed onto the lot. (We passed inspection.) What would we do without our wonderful friends the animals??

A DVD of live performances ('NOCTURNAL JOURNEYS, LIVE') by world-renowned percussion/theater group CAMPANILE - including their performance of my composition AU JARDIN DU ROI DES LAPINS - is now available from the CAMPANILE website. Click here to read a nice fan mail received by CAMPANILE about that composition.

March 2003 I played in the pit orchestra of a great show called LOESSER IS MORE, presented by S.T.A.G.E. LA as a fundraiser for the good works of AIDS PROJECT LA. Click here to see snapshots of me schoozing backstage with a bevy of stars of stage and screen who performed in the show.

February 2003 I made a personal appearance at the booksigning area of the CONSCIOUS LIVING EXPO in Los Angeles, promoting my CD "Avalon: Baroque Music for Relaxation" for At Peace Media. If you'd like to know when my next appearance will be, you could contact At Peace Media.

December 2002 Composer/arranger/flutist Susan Craig Winsberg's beautiful CD of CELTIC LOVE SONGS has been released (I played on several cuts - some Celtic harp, some pedal harp.) (I also played on Sue's 1999 release, LA BELLE DAME.)

October 2002 Sad news: the death of beloved arranger/bandleader Ray Conniff, with whom I had the honor of touring and recording for many years. He will be missed, but his music lives on forever.

September 2002 I played harp on sessions for Steve Hall's upcoming CD, "Sweet Dreams (Treasured Lullabyes)".

July 2002 I played harp on several concerts with Mexican superstars, father and son team of Vicente Fernandez and Alejandro Fernandez. Vicente was this year's Latin Grammy Person of the Year award, and also won the Grammy for best Ranchera album. Click here to see a pic of me & Vicente; ...click here for more info on him.

February 2002 At last! My new CD of Celtic Music for Relaxation, entitled 'Avalon', is now available from At Peace Music. Featuring myself on nylon-strung Celtic harp, wire-strung Celtic harp, and concert grand harp, as well as other wonderful musicians playing Uilleann pipes, flutes, tin whistles, and cello, it's a wonderful collection of my arrangements of several traditional Celtic tunes, as well as a couple of originals that I composed in Ireland. Click here for more information.

December 2001Kept busy playing harp for many joyous winter celebrations... at homes and churches and lovely gardens and courtyards... Bright blessings for a joyous Winter Solstice to all!

November 2001I played harp on sessions for Steve Hall's upcoming CD, ANGELS AMONG US. This will be a beautiful CD of arrangements of hymns and other inspirational songs.

September 2001 As the world mourned the horrific events of 9/11, we were all moved to help in whatever way we could. Some of us creatives were inspired to express our feelings about the day in songs, hoping to help ourselves and listeners heal with our expressions of mourning, loss, gratitude and hope; as well as generating a contribution to the victims' funds. To this end, during September and October, my friend, lyricist Judy Lamppu produced a CD of songs inspired by 9/11 entitled "America Speaks from the Heart". I wrote the music for three of these songs (Land of the Living, Black and Grey, and Spirit of the Light), on which I also played harp (and I arranged the strings on a fourth song, Candle in the Rain). The proceeds go 50% to Namaste Interfaith Center (where Judy worships) and 50% to the Firefighters and Policeman Victims Fund in New York.

Also in September, I played harp on recording sessions for Sue Winsberg's upcoming CD of "Celtic Love Songs". This will be another beautiful production by Sue! (See also August '99).

And later in September, in my top celebrity-sighting wedding of the year, I played harp for Jennifer Lopez's wedding (to dancer Cris Judd). I led an ensemble that also included flute, violin, viola and cello, in traditional Classical selections. Security was so tight that all the guests as well as all the musicians and other staff had to gather at a holding area; where they had their cameras, cel phones, pagers, and pens & pencils (??) confiscated, then were bussed to the site (a rented estate, not J-Lo's home). I, however, was spared this procedure because of having to drive my harp to the site, and the paparazzi clustered around the gate to the estate were so hungry for news that they snapped photos of my van driving through the gate. This momentous occasion (my van going through the gate) was later televised on "Entertainment Tonight". I am not making this up.

(J-Lo looked spectacular, of course. It was really hot out that day, but other than that, it was a fun gig.)

August 2001 The CD by West African master Kora player and vocalist Prince Diabate (on which I played harp on the final track, the lovely "Lullabye Waltz"), has been released.

July 2001 Time for a little R&R. Drove up the California coast from Los Angeles to Carmel and Monterey, camping out at various off-the-beaten-track state, national and regional parks along the way (such as Lake Cachuma and Montana de Oro). Did the tourist thing at Hearst Castle (the palatial home of early-20th-century millionaire William Randolph Hearst) - spectacular and worth seeing, but not nearly as beautiful or moving as the full moon to whom I played my harp one night atop a windswept hill in Laguna Seca.

June 2001 I played for the President of Israel at an event in Beverly Hills. I didn't get a snapshot of us together like I did with Her Excellency the President of Ireland, but you can click here to see the engraved invitation! Security was understandably thorough, so the harp and I had to be inspected for weapons by the friendly Secret Service agents before being cleared to enter. I'm happy to report that all went peacefully!

May 2001 I spent a couple of days in front of the cameras, for a movie called "The Sweetest Thing" starring Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate. In another daring stretch of my acting talent (see January '98), I was cast as the harpist in a wedding. It's actually a cute scene, involving being in an ensemble with a really bad violinist... click here to see a pic of me with the director and the music arranger.

The day after the movie shoot, I was playing at a lovely garden party where Graham Nash (ever hear of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young? THAT Graham Nash) was one of the guests. Graham brought out his guitar and the two of us serenaded the hostess (the lovely Georgina Parker) and her other guests (including Merv Griffin) with a duet version of "Teach Your Children". Click here to see me singing (yes, I sang backup on the 2nd verse) and playing with Graham Nash.

April 2001 I've finished making my new CD! On the "At Peace" label of relaxation music (especially targeted for the benefit of massage therapists, or anyone else who needs to relax or help others relax), the new recording, entitled AVALON, contains my arrangements of traditional Celtic tunes (and two Celtic compositions of my own - I wrote them in Ireland, you see). I played harp on every song, of course (nylon-strung Celtic, wire-strung Celtic, and pedal harp). A few other wonderful musicians are also featured, including Eric Rigler on Uilleann pipes (Irish bagpipes) (Eric played on the scores to TITANIC and BRAVEHEART, as well as many other projects); Susan Craig Winsberg on flutes, recorders and pennywhistles; Laura Halladay on flute and low whistles; and Stefanie Fife on cello. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I can't wait for you to hear it!

March 2001 got the news from Rima Greer of CAMPANILE that their CD "Nocturnal Journeys", on which my composition "Au Jardin Du Roi Des Lapins" is included (see November 2000) has made it to #9 on the national New Age charts! Check it out at New Age Voice magazine. Rima says that the radio DJs seem to like my tune especially ...

January 2001 received my copy of James Durst's delightful new CD "Like the Wind" on which I played harp. My favorite song is the whimsical and touching 'to Jesus' (not a religious song); click to read his lyrics. I guess if one has to pigeonhole I'd call his contemporary folk, or singer/songwriter... anyway check it out.

December 2000 Linda Ronstadt's beautiful new Christmas CD, "A Merry Little Christmas", on which I played harp on several tracks, has been released. Click here to see a picture of the cover; here to find it on Amazon.com. I played on the Christmas Song, Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, River, I Wonder As I Wander, and Away in a Manger.

November 2000 I performed two of my original songs at Los Angeles Women in Music's 'soiree', (singer/songwriter showcase) at the ever-popular music spot Highland Grounds in Hollywood. I played harp while Ruthie Oroshnik sang and Laura Halladay played flute... And, Everlast's new, critically acclaimed hip-hop CD, "Eat at Whitey's", on which I played harp, has been released... that's me playing the hip-hop harp throughout the haunting song 'Graves to Dig'.

Harpist Kathleen Lynch performed my composition "Dragonmaker" (for harp and chamber orchestra) on her graduation recital at Boston Conservatory of Music! And 'musical percussion theater' group CAMPANILE have been performing their transcription (for handbells), of my composition "The Rabbit Who Belonged to the Desert" (Retitled "Au Jardin Du Roi Des Lapins")

Campanile's performance of "The Rabbit Who Belonged to the Desert"/"Au Jardin Du Roi Des Lapins" also appears on their new CD, NOCTURNAL JOURNEYS. You can even buy sheet music for the handbell version from Campanile! I had the pleasure of catching their show at Cal State Northridge. You have got to see them perform if you get a chance!! As their website says, "Campanile is a contemporary musical concept show in the tradition of Stomp and Riverdance. Combining handbells, percussion, choreography and comedy, Campanile creates an event filled with rock-n-roll, pop, new age music, dancing and fun."

October 2000 Los Angeles Women in Music, of which I'm on the board of directors, produced a wonderful event called Indie Nation, with workshops, mentors, panels, and great prizes; basically, everything you could ever want to know about doing your own independent music CD release, along with promoting it, etc...

September 2000 I have been notified that a recording by Native American flute player Golana, on which I played harp and arranged, has received a nomination in the prestigious Native American Music Awards ('NAMMYs') for "Best Instrumental Recording". Congratulations, Golana!

August 2000 I had a wonderful vacation in Ireland (mostly Dublin, Kilkenny, Killarney, Enniscorthy, and the Ring of Kerry), where I saw lots of beautiful sights, heard lots of traditional music, and sat in with some of the local musicians playing in pubs... click here for a photo album of my trip to Ireland.

July 2000 I played harp on several songs in recording sessions for celebrated vocalist Linda Ronstadt, for her Christmas CD on Elektra records. Gracious and in fine voice, Linda joined large and small instrumental and vocal ensembles in the studio for this eclectic recording. I gave her a copy of my Bardina's Forest children's CD and she called me later from Tucson to tell me how much her kids have been enjoying it! Thanks, Linda!

June 2000 On June 4, I played harp at the top-secret wedding of 'Titanic' director James Cameron and Suzi Amis, who played the granddaughter of Gloria Stewart's character in the present-day scenes in the movie. The intimate wedding (the only guests were the couple's 2 children and 2 other friends) was held at sunset in a beautifully landscaped oasis in the middle of the Camerons' 750 acres of wilderness in Malibu. I couldn't find a link to a site with current news, but here's a link to a page with gossip from when Mr. Cameron and Ms. Amis first started seeing each other.

On June 21, I played harp (and played percussion on a few songs!) in the band led by classic Motown singer/songwriter/recording artist Leon Ware, writer/producer of the classic Marvin Gaye album "I Want You". For this spectacular performance (known as "I Want You Live"), we played selections from that classic album. The other musicians in this band included some of jazz and R&B's brightest stars, including:
RAY PARKER, JR. - guitar
WAH WAH WATSON - guitar
JAMES GADSON -drums
BOBBYE HALL - percussion
DAVID T. WALKER - guitar
CHUCK RAINEY - bass
DON GRUSIN - piano
JERRY PETERS - keyboard
and WAYNE LINSEY - keyboard.

May 2000 I played harp on recording sessions for the new CD being recorded by hip-hop star Everlast. (See November 2000).

I also played harp in the orchestra for the monumental, dramatic and moving memorial tribute presented by the Herbalife Corporation following the untimely death of its founder Mark Hughes. The memorial was held at Los Angeles' historic Shrine Auditorium.

April 2000 Marston Smith's delightful new CD 'Celtic Cello' has been released, featuring Marston on cello and myself on harp, playing Celtic favorites such as Londonderry Air (also known as Danny Boy), Skye Boat Song, Saint Patrick's day, etc. We recorded it last December at my studio (Harpworld Studio A), at which time I came up with the arrangements. Click here to visit Marston's site... here to hear a clip from the CD!

Also played harp on recording sessions for Steve Hall's lovely new recording of easy-listening piano orchestrations, entitled "Always; Music Forever".

February 2000 once again, at the invitation of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Harp Society, I performed songs from my CD 'Bardina's Forest' at a concert of New Music for Harp.

January 2000 welcome to the new millennium! Another notch on my TV-composer belt: a composition of mine was used in a restaurant scene in the hit series PARTY OF FIVE at Columbia Television!

December '99 Ah, festive December - partying & harping, harping & partying - usually both simultaneously. Among the more memorable events, I entertained the Governor of California, Mr. Gray Davis, at the Police Protective League's annual holiday bash. Also played harp on about ten songs on cellist Marston Smith's upcoming Celtic CD (see April 2000).

November '99 Played Celtic harp on recording sessions for fiddler Mary Barton's upcoming CD of Celtic and original music. It should be released sometime in 2000. Also played harp with Persian superstar Dariush at Hollywood's glamorous Pantages Theater. Click here for a snapshot of me & Dariush.

September '99 at the invitation of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, I performed Irish and original music for Her Excellency, Mary McAleese, President of Ireland. What an honor! Click here for the photographic evidence. I also met the Foreign Minister of Ireland, Mr. David Andrews. When Mrs. Andrews remarked that I appeared to be a different race from the very tall Foreign Minister (I am not quite five feet tall), I explained that my ethnic heritage is part Leprechaun.

August '99 Susan Craig Winsberg's beautiful new CD, "La Belle Dame: Music of Love, Longing and Sorrow in the Celtic and Poetic Traditions", on which I played pedal harp and Celtic harp and did some arranging, has been released. Check it out at CraigRecords.com.

July '99 Orchestrated string parts for alternative singer/songwriter Chloé's new recording of quirky, hypnotic & hip songs. Also played harp at recording sessions for Ray Conniff's two new CD's, "S'Country" and "S'Christmas".

April '99 Composed & recorded some new orchestral pieces for my composer demo (film production companies, music supervisors/editors etc. may inquire). Also performed material from my BARDINA'S FOREST CD at a concert of New Music For Harp presented by the L.A. Chapter of the American Harp Society. At the same concert, harp/flute/viola trio Entr'amis (Jennifer Duke, harp; Suzanna Giordano, viola; James Lasota, flute) beautifully performed my compositions "Music in the Shape of a Quilt" and "Music in the Shape of a Brook".

March '99 It's finally in a theater near you: hit movie "the Other Sister" with DianeKeaton, Juliette Lewis & Giovanni Ribisi (filmed in '98). I play the part of the harpist at the (first) wedding. You actually get a good look at both myself and my harp (a Venus Paragon, for you harpophiles who keep track of such things.) Click here to see my snapshots from the filming. And Julie's lovely CD has been released! (see February '99!)

February '99 I arranged and produced a CD, "Rhythm of the Celts" by Celtic harpist Julie Mondin. I added instrumental and vocal harmonies to Julie's beautiful Celtic and original melodies, and I barged around the recording studio telling everyone what to do.

Also in February, Celtic fiddler Mary Barton and I performed live on the cable TV show "Bridging Heaven and Earth", from Santa Barbara, California.

January '99: Happy New Year! I was in the studio quite a bit, playing harp on a musical, a movie trailer, a film score, and a rap record! Variety is the spice etc...

December '98: Always a busy season for me, this month included arranging the music and leading the ensemble for Ozzy Osbourne's 50th birthday party. Included in our repertoire were 3 classic Ozzy tunes: Mama I'm Coming Home, Crazy Train, and No More Tears, which at the request of Mr. Osbourne I arranged for 4 harps, 2 flutes, and 2 oboes. I am not making this up.

November '98: Hooray! My new CD is out! I'm so excited about how it turned out. The music is beautiful, not blah like some kids' records; I think all ages will enjoy listening to it. The themes are mostly the wonders of nature, the miracle of the imagination, and the importance of kindness to animals. I had a great time researching the science (do you know about the platypus's secret weapon and unusual parenting techniques???).

I played harp in the orchestra in Celine Dion's Christmas special, "These are Special Times", which aired Wednesday November 25 '98 on CBS. Man, can she sing!

... I arranged and played harp on a very beautiful tune, "Early Winter", on Mary Barton's forthcoming CD. I also arranged and played harp on a CD by Native American flute player Golana.

October '98: I played harp & co-arranged on a Christmas CD, "A Child is Born", by Midnight Skye.
I also had the pleasure of playing background music for the art exhibition of Lady Lori Spencer-Churchill, a very innovative painter who happens to be a niece of Winston Churchill and a cousin of Princess Di. Click here to see snapshot.

September '98: in South America for another concert tour with Ray Conniff, his Singers & Orchestra. Click here for the exciting photojournalistic evidence.

July '98: Quite an eclectic month! One day I was playing classic rhythm & blues (yes, on harp!) as a member of Bobby Womack's band at the Old Pasadena Jazz Festival. (Electric harp is great for this kind of setting - you can go direct and the stage sound engineers can crank that puppy as loud as they want.) The next day I was performing Mozart and Vivaldi with a chamber trio, alfresco at Orange County's ritziest Ritz. The next day I was playing big-band easy-listening arrangements in the recording sessions for Ray Conniff's new CD of Frank Sinatra tunes. Never a dull moment!

Also, my new compositions for harp, flute, and viola, Music in the Shape of a Brook and Music in the Shape of a Quilt were premiered by Entr'amis at a well-received concert presented by Pacific Composers Forum.

May '98:Entr'amis,the classical harp-flute-viola trio (Mary Dropkin, harp; Jim Lasota, flute; Suzanna Giordano, viola) are performing my composition Michigan Winter at their upcoming concerts in Beverly Hills and at the American Harp Society Performing Artists Competitions. Entr'amis first performed this work at the Redlands Bowl Summer Concert Series.

In just a bit of international touring, played in the band of Persian singing superstar Dariush to screaming, sold-out audiences in Vancouver & Toronto, Canada. What a great experience to be able to participate in the music and the celebrations of other cultures! One of the great blessings of being a musician.

January '98: See what happens when you live in L.A.? I spent a few days in front of the cameras for a Garry Marshall-directed Touchstone/Disney feature film "THE OTHER SISTER" with Diane Keaton and Juliette Lewis. In a daring stretch of my acting talent, I was cast in the role of a harpist at a wedding..

Ancient History from Stephanie Bennett...other snapshots I've come across that have some historical significance...