Harp & Soul celebrates the winter holidays with “Songs for the Season,” a concert of traditional music and songs from the British Isles, Celtic lands and beyond along with some contemporary pieces at The Mainstay in Rock Hall, Maryland on Sunday December 18 at 4:00 p.m. Admission is $15. Information and advance ticket sales are available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org and reservations can also be made by calling 410-639-9133.
Harp & Soul is Meredith Hadaway on Celtic harp, concertina and vocals, Ben Bennington on guitar and vocals, Rebekah Hardy on oboe, Bob Ortiz on percussion and Nevin Dawson on viola. They will be joined by two special guests, the singers and songwriters Pam Ortiz and Barbara Parker.
For the past five years, Harp and Soul has been the last concert on The Mainstay’s annual concert schedule. This year’s sprogram will include holiday favorites, some less well-known tunes from Celtic cultures, original songs by Ortiz and Parker and some new tunes chosen just for this show. Hadaway says that in choosing their program, they have always looked for uplifting and celebratory offerings they could present in unusual arrangements that showcase each instrument and each voice.
Harp & Soul began as a collaboration between Hadaway and Bennington more than a decade ago. They quickly discovered a shared passion for traditional music of the British Isles. Hadaway says, “I was exploring Irish and Scottish harp music. Ben was delighting audiences with the “Geordie” tunes of his native Newcastle upon Tyne. We both liked the idea of creating our own sound with these great old tunes. We’ve woven some wonderful musicians into the mix, adding the talents of Rebekah Hardy on oboe, Nevin Dawson on viola, and Bob Ortiz on percussion.”
An award-winning poet and teacher of ecopoetry, Meredith Davies Hadaway is the author of three collections of poetry, At The Narrows, (2015) The River is a Reason (2011) and Fishing Secrets of the Dead (2005). Her work explores the birds, bugs, trees, marshes—and especially the waters—of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, evoking memory and mystery as they shape our braided lives. She also works as a therapeutic musician, playing her harp at the bedside for patients in hospitals, nursing homes, and in hospice care
Ben Bennington, who was born in the north of England, is an engineer by profession who began playing guitar at 16 and has played with swing bands, blues bands, rock and roll bands, and various folk groups over the years. He currently plays with a local folk group and with an Irish singer as well as Celtic with Harp & Soul.
Rebekah Hardy has played oboe and other woodwind instruments since childhood, thanks to the guidance and encouragement of her musician parents. Since moving to the Eastern Shore, she has performed with a variety of bands and orchestras in the area.
Nevin Dawson studied viola at Penn State University while earning a degree in Forestry and has played with many symphonies and chamber ensembles. He teaches violin, viola, and cello at Music Life in Chestertown, and currently plays with Shore Strings, the Londontowne Symphony, The Pam Ortiz Band, Harp & Soul, and Ricky Walls and the North County Pickers.
Bob Ortiz creates contemporary furniture and promotes the arts through his business, Robert Ortiz Studios. He also performs regularly with The Pam Ortiz Band.
Singer-songwriter, Pam Ortiz, performs regularly with her five-piece ensemble, The Pam Ortiz Band. She has released several albums of original music over the years, most recently, Rattle Them Chains. In 2014 she collaborated with poet and playwright, Robert Earl Price, to produce a concert performance of their original musical, Red Devil Moon, inspired by Jean Toomer’s Cane. This year they took the show to New York City for the New York International Fringe Festival.
As a singer/songwriter, Barbara Parker draws inspiration from the local music scene and has been influenced by country, folk, and classic jazz. Her original music fuses these genres to create something other. She is also a painter and has been a writer, jewelry maker and gardener. Her art and her music each inspire the other.
The Mainstay (Home of Musical Magic) is the friendly informal storefront performing arts center on Rock Hall’s old time Main Street. It is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit dedicated to the arts, serving Rock Hall, MD and the surrounding region. It is committed to presenting local, regional and national level talent, at a reasonable price, in an almost perfect acoustic setting. Wine, beer, sodas and snacks are available at the bar.
The Mainstay is supported by ticket sales, fundraising including donations from friends and audience members and an operating grant from the Maryland State Arts Council.
For information and reservations call the Mainstay at 410-639-9133. More information is also available at the Mainstay’s website https://www.mainstayrockhall.org.
Upcoming Mainstay performances include:
Dec. 19 Mainstay Monday with Lester Barrett, vocals
Jan. 13 The John Jorgenson Quintet
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