Annual Harp Gatherings

What a blast!
Many harp guitar players finally met after years of corresponding and some found out about other players they did not know existed! The Gathering was hosted by Stephen Bennett in Williamsburg, VA.Gregg Miner did a presentation on the Knutsen brand and I on the Larsons. Players from coast-to-coast, builders from the U. S. and England, a repair man from Belgium, and others of varying interests took part in the Friday night jam, the Saturday workshop and we all enjoyed the Saturday and Sunday concerts, and now Williamsburg and vicinity knows that Steve is not the only harp guitarist!!
Click on the images below to enlarge

Had a great Harp Guitar Gathering in Williamsburg, VA again. Steven Bennett who did another splendid job of emcee for the event again presented it. The fun started Friday night with a jam session, which concluded sometime in the morning! Many players, luthiers and a few historians such as Gregg Miner, (also a player,) and myself contributed to the program. Saturday's events included an exhibition of instruments, presentations about the harp guitar, and the evening concert. Sunday provided more playing time for the peers before the afternoon concert. The concerts were well attended and all had a good time! The next "Annual Gathering" will be held September 3, 4, in Salem Oregon. For more on this event, plus a wealth of information, see www.harpguitars.net , web master, Gregg Miner.

This delightful event officially began with a Friday night concert at the Portland State University, Portland, OR. There were a dozen players on the program for this performance, and again for the Saturday night show in Salem at the Willamette University venue...
continue to see photos-->

The fourth annual harp guitar gathering, HGG IV, was in Naples, Florida, Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2006, hosted by Andy Wahlberg. The event was well attended for the workshops and the Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon concerts. The workshops included lectures on composition for harp guitar, performance techniques, builders with new construction styles and ideas, a history of the harp guitar going back centuries, and a slide presentation showing many aspects of the Larson brothers contributions to the world of the harp guitar by yours truly. The camaraderie of the assembled folks from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan has become an event to look forward to each year soon after the last gathering has concluded! The next gathering, HGG V, will be held in Williamsburg, VA, October 27-28, 2007, and will be hosted by Stephen Bennett. A glimpse of all these subjects can be seen on the attached links on this page.

Bob, the grandson of Carl Larson, talks about his years of research on the Larson Brothers' instruments and lives. With Carol's help, Bob wrote, edited, printed, published and sold the first two books in the series.

HGG V, 2007, Williamsburg , VA
Hosted by Steven Bennett
Yes, this was the biggest gathering yet! This year was dubbed, “Evolution of the Harp Guitar”, as evidenced by the fancy cake enjoyed by all at the after party and also the meaningful bumper sticker given so that none shall forget this joyous occasion! There was a pre-event jam at the Ashland Coffee and Tea in Ashland, VA Friday night, informative workshops on Saturday and Sunday dealing with all aspects of our favorite topic, and the fantastic concerts Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. There were so many performers that each two + hour concert had a fresh slate of players. Look for a notice at www.harpguitars.net for info on the fall, 2008 Gathering in Lawrence, Kansas to be hosted by Andy McKee.