“One of 10 contemporary Artists rethinking Harp music.” Pitchfork

THREE PIECES FOR GHOST TREES

CONCERTO FOR LEVER HARP & CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Harper, composer and producer, Maeve Gilchrist is described by the Irish Times as:

“the epitome of a new generation of adventurous harpers, pushing the boundaries of her chosen instrument so that it feels both ancient and utterly contemporary….a composer, producer and arranger – a snapshot of a musician at the top of her game.”

In this groundbreaking new 20-25 minute piece written for Celtic Harp and Orchestra, Maeve Gilchrist will explore this Ancient instrument as a sound both timeless and strikingly new. Weaving together melodic material rooted in her native Celtic Isles, rich polyrhythmic textures and extended instrumental techniques, Maeve showcases the full sonic-range of an instrument once deemed so powerful in the stirring of people's spirits that it was outlawed in Ireland. In this series of 3 movements, the harper is in conversation with an old Sycamore tree:

“May I rest in your roots?” she asks,

“You may rest in my roots, but I’ll grow around you in the night and carry us both deep, deep in the ground where one root touches the next and our network is infinitely strong and vast”

“May I climb in your branches?'' she asks,

“You may climb tenderly but remember to shield your eyes from the sun as we move towards the sky to bask in it’s rays and create energy for the body and the soul”

“May I burn your branches to fuel our fires and keep my community warm?” she asks,

“I am your community” says the tree, “ Keep me safe and I’ll protect you through the passage of time. As limbs fall there will be fuel, come winter there will be tinder, come summer there will be fruit. As the weaker trees fail there will be wood for the taking. Take that wood and create an instrument that sounds as pleasing as the wind in my branches. The melodies will sing the grief of forest lost with harmony that heals and inspires and with each heart touched, a new leaf will grow.

This is how it must be.

Now, in symbiosis with the unparalleled colors of Orchestra, this collaboration will illuminate the harp as a fierce voice in contemporary music while bringing the audience on an immersive musical journey celebrating the interconnectedness of life, from its roots to the tips of its branches.

MVMNT I: The life it carries. Zoom in: The bustle and the intensity of an interconnected community. Urgent, chaotic at times and connected to a forward moving purpose. The need for other.

MVMNT II: Where the branches touch the sky. Zoom out: the beauty of the space which nature creates for itself and the intersection between ecosystems. Air, light and breath. Receiving what is.

MVMNT III: The master’s harp. The connection between mankind and the natural world. Climbing up into the branches, feeling the rough texture of the bark, smelling the sap, sheltering neath the leaves and using falling limbs to create lasting, living memories of this most perfect of creations.

BIO.

See Artist page here: www.efperformances.com/maeve-gilchrist

• Celtic Harp (amplified with some subtle electronics)

• Flute, Oboe, English Horn, Clarinet

• Trumpet, Trombone

• Timpani

• Violin I/II, Viola, Cello, Double Bass

  (20 plus conductor & soloist)