Press Bio for Alison Vardy - Celtic, Latin and World Harpist

Alison is an exciting, creative performer on the Paraguayan and Celtic harps. She has a warm personality, captivating her audience with the beauty and grace of the harp. Her repertoire is broad; from Classic Celtic and rhythmic South American to her own polyrhythmic compositions and improvisations based on musical traditions from around the world.

Alison started playing the harp while living in rural New Zealand. She taught herself in the folk tradition and has a passion for multicultural melody and rhythm. Her concerts and her recordings are a colourful tapestry of sound and mood that are both exciting and relaxing. In 1993 she built her 36-string Paraguayan harp in a luthier's workshop in Victoria, Australia. In concerts she performs on this, as well as a 36-string Nova Celtic Harp made by Sandpiper Instruments of Oregon, U.S.A.. The tone of both instruments is rich and warm, well suited to Alison's creative arrangements and expressive playing.

Returning to Canada from New Zealand in 1998, Alison now works full-time as a professional musician, performing and teaching regularly on the Westcoast and in the Pacific Northwest. She has been the recipient of arts awards and has produced two popular CDs, "Harping On" and "Apasionada".

Comment from Alison's Recent Gulf Islands Tour

luscious round-the-world tour - News Leader

a complex embroidery of sound… runs, trills, triplets, glissandos

with the confidence of a seasoned player ….

Vardy is a master of the technique of the harp - Island Tides

Combining the talents of an exceptional musician with the

technology of a sound engineering partner, Alison Vardy transcends

the usual concept of a concert performance. Vardy is generous with

anecdotes and information about her instruments and tunes along with

offering pure, ethereal sound- Gulf Islands Driftwood

Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your music. I'm

that Seattleite who bought your CD Friday evening.

Best $20 Canadian I've ever spent! - James R. Illman

RECORDINGS

1997 - Harping On - CD only production, recorded and produced in New

Zealand - the 13 tracks of solo harp music include original compositions,

South American melodies, Celtic medleys and more (56 plus minutes of

playing time).

2000 - Apasionada : Solo Harp - recorded in Victoria B.C. by John Ellis,

produced by Alison Vardy, 16 tracks of original harp music , plus traditional

and contemporary world music (65 minutes)

2001 - CDs now available over internet at www.alisonvardy.com and

www.blizzardrecords.com

INSTRUMENTS

Alison's main performance instrument is a 36-string Paraguayan harp that she constructed at luthier Andy Rigby's workshop in NSW, Australia. This harp features on her newest CD, Apasionada.

In concert performances she also plays a 36 string Celtic harp made by John Westling of Sandpiper Harps in Oregon. This gorgeous sounding harp features on Apasionada.

Her 30-string gut and nylon Celtic harp made by Kim Webby of New Zealand, and with her Paraguayan harp are both featured on Alison's first CD, Harping On.

Alison also performs on Apasionada with a 33-string Walter Bresch Celtic Harp of White Rock, B.C.

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Toronto Conservatory of Music - GradeVIII with Honours - Piano
First Australian Harp Festival - selected performer in Canberra,ACT
National New Zealand Arts Council - Professional development grant to attend and perform at the International Folk Harp Conference in Washington, U.S.A..
World Music Workshop - selected participant - B.C. Festival of the Arts, Victoria

PERFORMANCE HISTORY

Alison performs at many public, private and corporate events. The following is an abbreviated list of her engagements since starting to play professionally in New Zealand and then moving to Sidney, B.C., Canada .

First Australian Harp Festival, New South Wales, Australia

International Folk Harp Conference, Olympia, Wash.

Television New Zealand (TVNZ) Nature Productions

Concert Tour, South Island, NZ

Seattle Northwest Folklife Festival

Filberg Festival - Courtenay, B.C.

Dancing Man Festival - Gabriola Island, B.C

Island Folk Festival - Cowichan Valley, B.C.

Port Alberni (B.C.) Musicfest

B.C. Festival of the Written Arts, Sechelt

B.C. Festival of the Arts, Victoria

Hornby Island (B.C.) Arts Festival

Musicfest - Victoria, B.C.

Folkfest - Victoria, B.C.

Latin and Caribbean Festival - Victoria, B.C.

Sunshine Coast (B.C.) Concert Tour

Gulf Islands (B.C.) Concert Tours .

Pacific Institute of Celtic Performing Arts - Shawnigan Lake, B.C.

2001 B.C. Governor General's Awards - Government House

2001 Provincial Premier's Conference - Victoria, B.C.