| "Dr. Vanessa Sheldon is the consummate performer and teacher. She’s expressive and precise in her performances, and patient in her role as teacher." Ken Glaser, producer and videographer. When most people think of the harp, it is the instrument of the angels that comes to mind. A delicate, beautiful instrument of an ethereal world. But the harp is an instrument of endless possibilities. Have you ever heard ragtime, Harlem Nocturne, or The Pink Panther performed on the harp? The concert harp is considered the world's most difficult instrument to play. With 47 strings and 7 pedals, each of which has three positions, the odds of playing a wrong note are insurmountably higher than playing the right one. But this is the magic of the harp: to make it all look easy, and to hide the pedals with a long, flowing skirt! I enjoy performing solo repertoire, and while I do play the traditional, angelic music that the harp is famous for, I am equally adept in jazz and popular styles. I am also very interested in discovering and promoting new music for the harp, whether it is a new composition, or had been reincarnated as an arrangement or transcription. In my doctoral dissertation, "Franz Liszt and the Harp," I have transcribed four of Liszt's solo piano pieces that have never before been performed on the harp. While I continue to work with the music of Liszt, I have also transcribed works by other Romantic composers such as Beethoven, Schubert, and Chopin, as well as working as an arranger and composer. Most recently, I have expended my interests in transcription by venturing into more contemporary popular music, as well as looking farther into the past with Renaissance compositions. As a chamber musician, I have performed with countless ensembles, even in a trio with piccolo and bass drum! More common pairings include harp and voice, flute, violin, cello, and guitar. Of course almost any instrument sounds beautiful when paired with the harp, so I'm always willing to give new combinations a try! |
| "In addition to the concert harp, I play the Celtic harp as well as the clarsach. The Celtic harp, pictured to your right, is obviously a much smaller instrument, but the main difference is that there are no pedals, so pitch changes are controlled by levers across the harp's neck. This means that more chromatic repertoire is much more difficult, or impossible to play. It is a more intimate and somewhat softer instrument, but has just as many stylistic capabilities as the concert harp. |
| The word "clarsach" is a Gaelic term for the ancient Celtic harp, which, although looking very similar to a modern Celtic harp, is extremely different in the fact that the strings as made of wire, traditionally bronze or steel. To play this harp requires dampening certain strings after they are played, so as to keep a clear tone quality. Most of the music I play on this instrument is traditional Celtic music, although I believe holiday carols sound particularly beautiful as well. When I perform on this harp, many people remark that it sounds like bells, or even a dulcimer. |
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