My face hurts...

Tonight's concert was pure joy. Tapestry (Denise & Michael Grupp-Verbon) began with some of my favorite pop tunes, including Riders on the Storm, Stairway to Heaven, and Let It Be. Their harp/guitar arrangements were rich and full, and Michael's guitar riffs were, to use a phrase I closely associate with Denise, "Really COOL!" They are an amazingly talented couple, and I could listen to them all night. It was great to sit with one of Denise's new students, Wendy, during the concert. I remember how harp playing seemed to be a magic I could never learn - although I wanted to with all my heart. Hang in there, Wendy. With a teacher like Denise there's no telling how far you can go...

Frank Voltz was once again amazing. All but two of the pieces he played were his own compositions. His music is rich with huge chords and intricate arpeggios. It was truly blissful and relaxing. It was half way through his set that I noticed that my face was hurting. The muscles seemed set in a permanent smile, and I couldn't seem to rub it off my face.

After the concert I joined everyone at the Exhibition Hall. This time I tried out a few of the harps, including a carbon fiber harp from Heartland Harps. The string tension and spacing were just right, and the sound was quite unique. After pushing my mahogany McFall through the hallways, I saw the logic in this "light as a feather" harp. Dave Woodworth is going to have a short presentation in the morning about how they are made. Sounds very interesting.

I got to talk a little to Bill Webster, the maker of my McFall, and Jeff Lewis, the maker of my first harp. Denise also introduced me to Kimberly from Oklahoma. She decided to come to The Harp Gathering after reading about it in this blog. She's had a tough year, and I'm really glad that she was able to do something just for herself by joining us.

I'm skipping the jam session tonight. I felt myself relaxing so much during Frank's music that I felt I just wanted to end the day with some quiet time. I intend to make it to tomorrow nights jam session.

So goodnight Dale, night-night Duncan & Gracie. May we all have sweet dreams.