----------------------------------------------------------------- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE through Dec. 31, 2007 CONTACT: Michael Belcher / publicity@hipharp.com / 781-483-3556 ----------------------------------------------------------------- "INVENTION" CONNECTS FAMILIES during the HOLIDAYS Hip Harpist's PBS Special on DVD brings true family entertainment home NATIONAL: This holiday season, families with a non-football contingent have an inspiring new way to spend family Tube-time. Hip Harpist Deborah Henson-Conant's all-original PBS Special "Invention & Alchemy" on interactive DVD takes viewers into the inventive, quirky mind of a harp-slinging composer and the 80-piece orchestra who inhabit her unique imagination. Since it appeared on PBS earlier this year, ÒInvention & AlchemyÓ has won awards, including a Grammy Nomination, and appeared on TV stations across the U.S. The DVD version goes far beyond the 60-minute TV Special, combining education, entertainment and interactivity Ñ a combination that doesnÕt just cross-generations, but connects them. Henson-Conant, a dynamic composer/performer, looks as unusual as she sounds. Her long hair streaming with ribbons, she slings on her electric blue harp, sings, tells stories and takes the viewer deep inside her own imagination, and closer than the front row of the orchestra. But this is no staid and stodgy orchestra -- these musicians meet their imaginative soloist measure for measure with styles from Blues to Flamenco and a show that fuses music, theater, humor and virtuosity. The musicians even LOOK like theyÕre having a blast! They dress in lab coats for a music-science experiment, the conductor turns into a Sultan for an Arabian tale, the timpani and harp duel in the back of the orchestra before intermission Ñ and for the encore, ÒGarbageman," percussionists come downstage center for a garbage can tribute to a most unlikely muse. The DVD includes nearly two and a half-hours of footage, all of it shot in Hi-Definition, "the kind of lush production that was made to sell 60-inch plasma screens and Blu-ray disc players" according to Film & Video / StudioDaily.com. The 11 segments of the DVDÕs feature program play like a movie, or can be viewed scene-by-scene like a book of musical short stories. The DVD also includes over 45 minutes of special features, including interactive ÒWhite RabbitÓ icons, especially intriguing to kids, that take the viewer backstage for casual, intimate segments, one-on-one with the composer - segments that give insight into the process of composing and producing the music. "Invention & Alchemy" is a contemporary reinvention of the kind of entertainment that existed before the specialization of ÒkidsÓ and ÒadultÓ entertainment -- when classical greats like Leonard Bernstein popularized orchestral music for a new generation, the Marx Brothers mixed comedy and music, Danny Kaye brought music, song and story to the orchestra stage and Victor Borge had stuffed-shirt audiences laughing out of their seats. Seeing Henson-Conant in action, itÕs easy to understand why NPRÕs Scott Simon described her as ÒThe love child of Andre Previn and Lucille BallÓ The Grammy-Nominated companion CD was designed to play like a combination radio play and soundtrack, and includes stories, music and even some sing-along moments. The CD was created especially with car-trips in mind, so for folks who have to drive to their holiday destinations, itÕs a great listen. ÒInvention & AlchemyÓ is available on CD and DVD at online outlets (Amazon, CDBaby, etc.) and also direct from the artistÕs site, HipHarp.com. EDITORS: Hi-res photos, cover art and press materials at http://www.HipHarp.com/publicity.html FOR MORE on Deborah Henson-Conant or to purchase her music, visit http://www.HipHarp.com. FOR A/V CLIPS of the DVD/CD ÒInvention & AlchemyÓ: http://www.InventionAndAlchemy.com