| AnnaLee Foster, an Oregon native and folk harper of Irish/Scots roots, was already working in the Pacific Northwest as a harper, Certified Music Practitioner and Hospice palliative music volunteer, when she auditioned and was accepted by the Irish Harp College to study for two years under Dr. Janet Harbison, recognized as one of the world’s premier Irish harpers and one of the driving forces behind the resurgence of Irish harp music. While studying at the Irish Harp College she earned performance distinctions and was certified as a music teacher by Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the traditional Irish music society. Ms. Foster performed and toured through Ireland and Europe with the Irish Harp Orchestra as an orchestra and ensemble musician and as a voice soloist; worked as a staff musician for weddings and professional receptions at a four-star hotel; played in castles, concert halls and cathedrals; performed sacred music for church services and provided palliative music in hospitals, nursing homes and centers for the developmentally disabled. Ms. Foster has returned to Oregon to found the Heritage Harp Center to promote the enjoyment of Irish traditional music through public and private performances, and to teach harp students of all ages who are interested in learning traditional Irish music through private instruction and communal group “session playing” using the original methods developed by the ancient Irish Bards and developed into modern music curricula by Dr. Janet Harbison, Director of the Irish Harp Orchestra and Irish Harp College. |  |
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