Virtuoso harpists to perform free concert

Longtime Coeur d'Alene harpist Leslie Stratton is returning to the Lake City to perform a free concert with The American Harp Quartet. The concert will take place Sept. 11 at 7 p.m. at the Kroc Center Auditorium, 1765 W. Golf Course Road, Coeur d'Alene.

The American Harp Quartet is composed of four of the top harpists in the country, each hailing from a different region. They come together for week-long sessions of intense rehearsal to prepare for their growing concert schedule. The quartet prides itself on surprising audiences with musical selections ranging from Chopin and Liszt familiar classics to favorites such as "The Man I Love," "I Got Rhythm" and "In the Mood." The four harps combine to create fully orchestrated versions of much-beloved music. Composer and arranger Willi Huber Maerz, of Munich, Germany, arranges music for the AHQ to highlight the capabilities of the harps and showcase the talents of the four performers.

Leslie Stratton, a Coeur d'Alene resident for 23 years, recently moved to Dayton, Ohio, to become more active in the new Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, a unified organization involving the Dayton Symphony, Opera, and Ballet. Stratton is known for organizing harp festivals in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane. These programs have drawn as many as 55 harpists from the Pacific Northwest, the culminating event being a concert with all festival participants. Also known as a soloist and orchestral player, Stratton has been featured across the country with orchestras, in solo recitals, and on chamber music series.

Ellie Choate is one of the most renowned harpists in Southern California's vital musical scene whose musical versatility has afforded her the opportunity to touch virtually every area of music-making. She is as likely to be found in the opera or symphony orchestra as on stage backing headline artists. Ellie has worked "behind the scenes" on the musical scores of numerous major motion pictures and recordings, and on camera for movies and television shows. She is an active soloist and chamber musician playing for events and concerts all across Southern and Central California, as well as producing a critically acclaimed series of CDs, and is certified as a therapeutic harp practitioner. Ellie is on the applied music faculty at UC Irvine, CSU Fullerton, CSU Long Beach and Riverside Community College, and maintains a busy private studio.

Delaine Leonard is a vibrant musician and innovative educator in Austin, Texas, whose performance has been described by the composer Ned Rorem as "luscious in texture, poignant in evocation." She currently teaches at the University of Texas Butler School of Music, Southwestern University, Winthrop University and Austin Metropolitan Suzuki Harp Studio; where many of her students have gone to national and international recognition. Leonard is the founding director of the Young Texas Harp Ensemble, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing access and opportunity for harp study to students of diverse populations. She has performed with orchestras, opera companies and chamber groups throughout central Texas, and is a veteran of regional tours with national touring acts. Leonard just completed a two-year term as president of the American Harp Society, and is the co-author of the ASTA publication "A Harp in the Schools."

Jacquelyn Venter is an active performer and teacher whose performance has been described as "lovely, meditative and exquisitely played." Dr. Venter has been featured as a guest artist with the Grammy award winning choir ensemble, Conspirare. Their album "Samuel Barber: An American Romantic" debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard Charts. Venter had an active career in Iowa as principal harpist for the Waterloo/Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Dubuque, South East Iowa, and the Central Iowa Symphony Orchestras. She has held faculty positions at Luther College, the UNI Suzuki School, University of Texas String Project, Longhorn Music Camp, Round Rock Independent School District, and served as director of the Young Texas Harp Ensemble. Having recently relocated to Sacramento, she is currently serving on the music faculty of William Jessup University and maintains a private studio.

The concert is being sponsored by the Jeanne Holmberg Charitable Trust. Jeanne Holmberg and her husband owned Holmberg Printing in Coeur d'Alene and were known for their active promotion of the arts in the community. The Holmbergs were involved in the creation of Coeur d'Alene's "Art on the Green"; the Best of Show award is called the "Holmberg Award." The Jeanne Holmberg Charitable Trust was created to promote classical music events, dance performances and theater productions.