Celtic harpist Danielle Paus to play Schooner Cove

Tue, 07/19/2016 - 11:00am

Story Location:
35 Schooner Street
Damariscotta, ME 04543
United States

Join harpist Danielle Paus at Schooner Cove for a concert of traditional Celtic harp music from Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia on Monday, July 25 at 2 p.m.

Paus, a classically trained harpist who is a member of the applied music faculty at Colby College, will play selections from the Celtic folk tradition of Ireland and Scotland.

The daughter of a classical harpist, Paus started playing the harp from an early age. She will play a 34-string Celtic harp made in Scotland of American cherry wood and Bavarian spruce.

The ancestor of the modern classical concert harp, the Celtic harp is the traditional instrument played in Ireland, Scotland, Britany and Scandinavia. It has a rich history on the British Isles and was associated with royalty in Celtic society. According to tradition, Brian Boru, last king of Ireland, played the harp as did many of the nobility of the time.

Although the Celtic harp tradition went into decline under pressure from the English in the 16th and 17th centuries, it is now experiencing a revival. In addition to playing music from the folk traditions of the Celtic harp, Paus will discuss the history of the music.

The concert is one of a series of free Schooner Cove concerts featuring musicians from Maine and New England. The Schooner Cove community has a tradition of concerts featuring classical and traditional artists in intimate settings.

Paus has toured both as a solo artist and with the Celtic flute and harp duo “Naia.” She has been heard on National Public Radio’s “Thistle and Shamrock,” and in 2013 released her album “Siren Song,” which features modern arrangements of traditional Celtic music.

For more about this amazing musician, visit www.daniellepaus.com.

For more information about the concert or Schooner Cove, please call Karen Westhaver at 563-4001 or email karen.westhaver@lchcare.org.