I love hearing about musicians using my music in creative ways – and Blandine Pigaglio,  a harpist and teacher at the Conservatoire Populaire in Geneva has created an extravaganza around my “Baroque Flamenco”  that she’s premiering next week.

Blandine wrote me a lovely email – and because it’s after 2AM as I write this, I’m going to leave it exactly as it is and not worry about changing one thing – and if you, my readers, don’t find her english utterly charming I will whack you with a harp string (a very small one).

Blandine wrote:

I’m a huge fan of you since a loooong time, and I was so happy to read your mail so enthusiastic ! (Sorry about my english by the way…)

Every week, with my students at the Conservatoire Populaire in Geneva, we begin the class listening to a harp CD to make them discover ancient triple harp, venezualian harp, contemporary music, jazz harp and … you of course ! They love your CDs every time, just as me.

Baroque-Flamenco is such a great piece, and the way you edited it, is amazing : you invite people to be free with it, to give it a life in their own, and that’s great !

I played it in one millions ways in concert – with viola da gamba and flute with my trio Pigaglio with my sisters, at the Toulouse baroque festival “Passe ton Bach” / in harp duet with my friend in Harpe en Scène / in solos with a perruque … with always a different story – and every time it’s a very successful piece !

I already did an audition of my students around your piece, 3 years ago in another music school in Switzeland.

But this time is a bigger version, with flamenco dance and viola da gamba and more surprises…

I first choose a repertory of early spanish and european music and of spanish pieces. My students, from 8 to 35 years old, chosse what they want to play.

Then I wrote a story depending of their pieces.

Then they draw the illustrations for the Kamishibai that will be projected as a “décors”.

We worked on duet harp & viola da gamba, we actually studied them with the great Arianna Savall during a master-class !

And on spanish pieces, we mixed them with flamenco choregraphies, with the great flamenco teacher.

We add some big group improvisations and graphics scores (when the harps moved in a guitar, when heros travel in space and time…), some duos, trios, and ensemble (they will play for exemple “How Do Haendel in Latins Rythms” composed by Ortiz on the Haendel Concerto).

And we finish the whole concert by the real Baroque-Flamenco, with 8 harps, 1 viola da gamba, 2 flamenco dancers !

If you’re in Geneva at 7PM next Wed. March 23rd, entrance to the show is free at the Studio Gabrielle De Agostini, CPMDT, rue François D’Ivernois 7.  It will be a wonderful collaboration of harp, early music and dance.

(Wow!  Sez me – I wish I could be there to see it!)

Do YOU play the harp?  Do you play “Baroque Flamenco” and want to take it to a whole new level?  Or do NOT play it yet and really  WANT to?

I created a 4-week online teaching intensive, “Baroque Flamenco – Beyond the Page” so that harpists all over the world can learn the piece and its unusual techniques directly from the composer.  Some in the course have never played the piece, and others are there to work directly with the composer on expression or improvisation.  “Baroque Flamenco Beyond the Page” is available at-your-own pace all year.  Once a year I guide the entire Hip Harp Academy student membership through the class with live Q&A chats.  Check out Hip Harp Academy to see the current live schedule.