Harps of Gold: A Christmas Concert

“Her thin fingers, moving

In the thin, tall strings,

Were weav-weav-weaving

Wonderful things.”

--From The Harp Weaver by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Despite the fact that the stores and radios begin playing Christmas music way too early, these are familiar tunes that we end up enjoying, as they spark a feeling of seasonal charm and a sense of nostalgia. There are many different covers of these songs, some instrumental wonders and some painfully auto-tuned renditions, but none of these have the quiet elegance of a melody on a harp.

On the evening of Saturday, December 14, 2013, the Rockfish Valley Community Center will be hosting Harps of Gold: A Christmas Concert. Virginia Schweninger, a local Nelson County harpist, will be leading her students from Music Emporium in an evening of seasonal song. Virginia is an award-winning instrumentalist as well as an Adjunct Harp Instructor at Sweet Briar College and the Founder and Director of Hard Song of the Blue Ridge: “She has a very relaxed and joyful approach to both playing and teaching the harp sharing her eclectic style, including contemporary favorites, Broadway and film music as well as classical and Celtic pieces.” Needless to say, this wonderful woman is an expert in the area of the harp!

And now Virginia brings her style, expertise, and students together to present a number of favorite Christmas songs. With performers ranging in age from 8 years old to 80 years old, you have to opportunity to delight in various solos, an ensemble of 20 harps playing at once, and the sights and sounds of restored 19th and 20th century instruments.

Photo by Rama. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 France license.