Celtic Music for Folk Harp

Leslie McMichael feels lucky to be doing what she loves for a living. A graduate of Wellesley

College, her musical pursuits include teaching, performance, recording and composition. In 1992,

Leslie co-founded the Vashon Island Harp School with Laurie Riley and Michael MacBean. The school,

located a short ferry ride from Seattle in Washington State, is dedicated to bringing harp players

together and expanding the horizons of what harp music can be.

A long-time pedal harpist, Leslie enjoys sharing her background of classical music and technique

with both folk and pedal harpists. She has received training in the Suzuki method for young

harpists and now heads the harp department at the Suzuki Institute of Seattle, in addition

todirecting two other Suzuki programs in the greater Seattle area. At Vashon Island Harp School,

Leslie has directed the adult and children's harp ensembles, introduced lever harpers to the joys

of pedal harp and taught beginning improvisation and ensemble playing. She takes great delight in

presenting harpists and harp music in unusual situations!

Leslie has served the harp community as both president and vice-president of the Seattle Chapter of

the American Harp Society. She can be contacted at P.O. Box 2193, Vashon Island, WA 98070.

Laurie Riley is a popular harp performer and teacher whose many instructional books and DVDs have been used by students worldwide since 1990. Her many CDs and YouTube videos feature traditional, ethnic, and contemporary music, as well as her own compositions on the Celtic harp, the rare double-strung harp, and the historical wire-strung harp.