Darlene Walton Releases New CD

If you are looking for a harp CD with that little something extra special, check out Darlene Walton's new CD, The Harp and The Rising Sun. Darlene is a gifted harpist with a sure and clear technique. But more than that, her arrangements and medleys are beautiful, haunting, and unusual. For instance, her arrangement of Morning Has Broken transitions smoothly and eloquently into Oh What a Beautiful Morning. The same is true of her arrangement of Edelweiss and My Wild Irish Rose. But what we think really sets this CD apart are her haunting arrangement of God Bless the USA and her original composition Mark's Mosaic.

Mark's Mosaic is a tribute to her son, Mark, that expresses several different musical moods, yet is tied together with one loving and sprightly melody line. Darlene calls this line Mark's Theme because it reminds her of his loving and indomitable spirit. She composed this piece to express

Darlene wanted to create a CD that was entirely produced in Rising Sun. It was recorded at Barrettworks Studios, well-respected recording facility located in the beautiful rolling hills right outside of town. The photographer who took the cover photo is a very talented local artist. The picture was taken right at the edge of Rising Sun as it meets the mighty Ohio River. And, of course, the harp Darlene plays was made here in Rising Sun by William Rees.

If you would like to hear some truly exceptional original harp compositions, as well as some unusual and artful arrangements of old favorites, you may obtain Darlene's CD by calling Harps on Main at 812-438-3032.

Putting a Public Face on WRI

The retail harp gallery for William Rees Instruments, LLC, which shares our Main Street location here in Rising Sun, is called, Harps on Main. Harps on Main is, essentially, our public face in the Midwest. Harps on Main always has our harps available for play and generally several available to be taken home on the same day you visit, which is a big change from our past order only basis. You can still, of course, order a custom harp at the time of your visit and many harpers do. Either way, all of the models are here, usually in several different wood selections, and six days a week (Monday through Saturday) you can come in and play them between 10AM and 5PM. On Saturday, you get that extra hour because we are open until 6PM. If it is important for you to be able to talk with William while you are here, do be sure to call in advance. William has a complex travel schedule and is often gone, especially on weekends.

On the weekdays, the shop is almost always up and running and you are welcome to come back into the clean build area and into the viewing booth for the big shop so that you can see harps actually being made. Someone from the gallery staff, usually our wonderful harp teacher, Darlene Walton, can give you a guided tour but if you would like a really detailed harp building tour, feel free to ask for William, Pamela or Bryant. We all love to talk harp whenever we can. If you are the quiet type, we do have a self-guided tour brochure which will guide you through the harp process using large numbers posted over each of the stations in the shop.

In addition to harps, Harps on Main carries harp accessories, harp and Celtic music and all kinds of gift items. Indulge your Celtic jewelry craving or find something special to wear while doing your therapeutic harp work. We import fine Irish linens and yummy Irish treats. Glass specially etched with Celtic knotwork and harp pins designed especially for our gallery

Harps on Main is also the part of our business that sponsors all of the concerts. We have two stages here. The one immediately adjacent to the gallery seats sixty while the upstairs "Main Stage" seats two hundred. If you think you might want to coordinate your visit to Rising Sun with one of our concerts then just check the concert schedule and find out what will work best for you. If you are coming for a concert and wish to stay the night, Rising Sun really is blessed with wonderful Bed and Breakfast's . During 2002, on the first Friday of every month, all of the local art galleries stay open late in the evening and we always have a concert. Our First Friday Concert Series is very relaxed and reservations are only needed for special events (like our February Sweethearts Concert). The First Friday Concerts are usually at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 and the cost is generally around $3 per person. Concerts vary from the Firelytes Steel Drum Band (June) to the Adagio Trio (November) and the music is invariably first rate.

Without any encouragement from us at all, Rising Sun also features a Scottish style golf course, The Links at Grand Victoria, which we think fits well with our general theme and we understand is a really enjoyable course to play. There are a number of art galleries here with us on Main Street and a couple of nice, higher end antique stores. The gift shop right next door to us is lovely and there are several others in town as well. Rising Sun is tiny, extending only about four blocks from Main Street in each direction and it has a really charming Victorian ambiance that cannot help but to relax you. Visiting for the day is a bit like going back to a slower more gracious time. Rising Sun is a smiling, waving kind of place, which is part of why we decided to relocate here ourselves. It is an easy place to be and an easy place to enjoy. We hope to see you at Harps on Main!

Rees' Invade Rising Sun!

We made the move across country, in June of 2000, in a caravan of rented trucks, our van and Garen's pick-up. Our unimaginably gracious friends, Bob and Judith Malinzak, did herculean work driving as did both of William's sons, Bryant and Garen. Garen had not yet seen Rising Sun, so he had not yet decided if he was going to make the move along with us and continue his full-time position as our artist. Bryant came along just to see where his dad was moving... and because we begged him to drive.

Garen ended up deciding that Rising Sun would be okay and he made the move himself about a month later. Once in Rising Sun, Garen put his four years of work for us into action and he took over the art department completely, allowing his father to make only occasional suggestions and changes. Garen inherited his painting skill from his father and has nurtured it himself since he was very young. Garen's style has always been ornate, delicate and very detailed. He often works for hours, using a brush that has only a bristle or two, just to get the right expression on the face of an angel that a customer has ordered on their harp. He has refined his father's technique for painting Celtic knotwork so that it looks deep and three dimensional, like the very best kind of airbrushing work... except that Garen does it with a brush he specially designed. Originally, Garen was considering also going to art school, an idea we support, but he recently spoke with two art school graduates who were working as waiters. Since he is

In May of 2001, Bryant gave William a call and asked if a long standing job offer was still open. Bryant had worked for William for a year while he was in high school but he had been out in the world for a long time and the idea of coming into the family business had started to sound good. Bryant wanted a future and to get the next part of his life underway. An extremely talented musician, Bryant brought with him some retail management experience as an added bonus. By June of 2001, he began his apprenticeship with his father in the shop. Learning the ins and outs of building harps. As further evidence that he was ready to get his adult life really underway, Bryant and Garen bought an eight year old house on five acres and have plans to subdivide it this year and get a second house started in about two years. In the meantime, they are adding on to the current house so that there will be a little more room for Bryant's new wife, Natasha. Bryant is clearly one of those people who sets his mind to something and then does it all the way.

Of course, there is nothing in the whole world that could possibly have made William happier than to have both of his boys in the business. It is his dream come to life. In about ten years, he can now see himself retiring and knowing that his life's work will be safe in the hands of the next generation of Rees'. Keep you eye out for a change in the name of the company. Expect to see Rees Harps, LLC in the not too distant future. Life is good.

"... I'd Like to Thank the Academy..."

Had the year 2001 only consisted of the first eight months, it still would have been a year to remember in the annals of William Rees Instruments, LLC. Though the blessings that came into our lives in such unexpected ways were truly insignificant in comparison to to the events of the last quarter of the year, they were genuinely wonderful regardless and we wanted to share them with you in part because we are so thankful to have been their recipients.

The biggest news is that in the Fall, we closed Harps on Main for the day and took everyone to Bloomington, Indiana for the day so that as a group we could receive the Indiana State "Main Street Business of the Year" Award for 2001. All across the country, different communities, from Oakland, California to little Rising Sun, Indiana, participate in a nationwide program focused on restoring and revitalizing often abandon downtown areas. Indiana has an especially strong program and, in fact, it was their program that recruited us to Rising Sun in the first place. Once a year every Main Street program nominates a business in their area to the State Program for Business of the Year. Somehow, against many very, very large companies and very large cities, little Rising Sun managed to come up with Indiana's winner for 2001, Harps on Main. We were stunned. We were honored for our role as the anchor business in the revitalization of Historic Downtown Rising Sun. In California, we were not even a speck in the eye of a speck. In Indiana we are the Business of the Year and our Congressman, Baron Hill, has already been here to take a tour. We feel immeasurably blessed and thankful.

Earlier in the year we were also honored as the Ohio County recipient of the "INvision Southeast Business and Industry Award" for 2001 awarded on behalf of the Indiana Senate by our State Senator, Johnny Nugent. Again, we were thanked for our selection of Rising

In 2001, we were also selected from tens of thousands of tourist related businesses as a Midwest AAA "Travel Treasure" and, of all things, especially to anyone out there who knows what a terrible gardeners William and Pamela are, the garden plot which we maintain between the sidewalk and the street in front of Harps on Main somehow managed to win the town Adopt-A-Plot Program Award. I guess when you're hot, you're hot!

Last, and certainly not least, at most of the art shows William attends, awards are given in various art categories. In 2001, William and Garen, who now juries into the shows with his father because he is doing virtually all of the artwork on the harps, won a Best of Category at the Brookside Art Annual in Kansas City, MO, an Award of Excellence in Wood at the Detroit Art Festival in Detroit, MI and placed third in Three Dimensional Media at the Port Clinton Arts Festival in Highland Park, IL.

When William and I first arrived here, we threw ourselves into both our business and the community. We were asked to serve on a variety of Boards and we accepted. William serves on the Tourism Board, a Board which is both important and wealthy in this tourism-oriented town. Pamela accepted positions on the United Fund Board and The Commission on Small Business established by our Congressman, Baron Hill. ... just so we are sure to have something to do in our spare time.

The author, Barbara Kingslover, has a new book of essays out, Small Wonders, in which she address the kinds of small wonders that ornament our lives and make facing the much larger matters in this world possible. For us, the first eight months of 2001 were, indeed, a small wonder for which we will always be thankful.

Laurie Riley, Harpist and Healer Performs at Harps on Main

Harps on Main is honored to host the healing sounds and insightful teachings of innovative harpist Laurie Riley. The internationally known performer comes to Harps on Main to share her rare talents in a special concert series on Friday, August 3 and in a series of unique workshops on Saturday, August 4.

Laurie Riley treats the audience to the spectacular dimensions of her instrument, the double harp. On this form of harp, which is strung with two parallel lines of strings, Laurie can in effect, accompany herself. Laurie's selections span a range of musical genres including traditional harp pieces and music from around the globe to the contemporary works of her own composition. Listeners are surprised by her stylistic interpretations and by her ability to express such wide musical diversity and a deep range of sounds using only two hands.

All of Laurie's work integrates music, health and healing and is expressed through many venues. In addition to performing and teaching, she is co-founder of Music for Healing and Transitions, an organization devoted to sharing the power of music in the healing process with the medical community and the public. Her musical service to patients and workers in the medical field is based on healing through the passive and active listening of harp music. Her book "Body, Mind and Music: A Practical

In a special performance, Laurie Riley will share her many talents in three demi-concerts on Friday August 3 at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30 PM. The concerts hosted by Harps On Main, are one of the "First Friday" monthly events celebrating Rising Sunšs growing arts scene. On the first Friday of the month, visitors come to the river town resort to tour the galleries and shops, listen to live music, have dinner and enjoy the atmosphere of the quaint riverside resort town. Tickets for the Laurie Riley concert are $2.50 and guests are welcome to attend one, two or all three concerts for the same ticket price.

On Saturday, August 4, Laurie will share her wealth of musical and healing knowledge in three unique workshops for harp players at any skill level. At 10 AM, harpists will learn methods to experience greater ease while playing through Techniques to Prevent Discomfort. At 1 PM, Developing the Left Hand will encourage and support students in developing agility and musical dexterity. At 3 PM, An Overview of Therapeutic Music brings the understanding of the power of music to encourage healing during recovery and for those in transition. These unique workshops are offered at $35 for one, $55 for two or all three for only $75.

Harps on Main is located at 222 Main Street, Rising Sun, Indiana. For information and directions to the August 3 " 4 Laurie Riley concert call Wm. Rees Instruments 812-438-3032, or stop by at traditionalharps. com.

Tina Tourin Brings Her Harp Home

On Friday, 24 November 2000, Harps on Main tentatively opened part of the harp gallery to visitors for the first time. Though the rehabilitation of the building was still months from its February 2001, completion on the following Tuesday night, the 28th of November, internationally known harpist, Tina Tourin blessed our building and her audience

William built Tina's harp originally as a special showpiece and had not ever intended to sell it. From the outset it seems however that those strings were meant for Tina. She pressed William to sell her the harp on many occasions and when he finally relented we all felt the need to touch this harp and wish it well before it left Oakhurst, our California home. Some harps become members of your family. Then, there it was again, singing in our new harp home in Rising Sun. Singing to the building's old ghosts, new audience and to its maker. Sixty people came to join us that night. Sixty people and one harp.

Grammys, Movies and More

On Grammy Sunday, in March, we, at Wm. Rees Instruments, watched the broadcast and waited for just one category, Best New Age Album. When the album by Paul Winter & Friends, "Celtic Solstice" was announced, there were smiles all around. Carol Thompson, one of Mr. Winter's "Friends" used her Rees Glen Aulin harp for the recording. We aren't listed in the liner notes, so the only way we have of expressing our general excitement is by sharing it with you. Yippie Skippie from all at Wm. Rees!

The other news along the same line is that Carol has released a new solo album which features both her Rees Glen Aulin and her triple harp. This album is really, really good and we have been listening to it almost daily in the shop. We have been successful purchasing it at Virgin Records but imagine that any record store with a good Celtic section will be carrying it. Recorded on the Dorian label, the

Also in 1999, harpist Donelle Page used a Rees Glen Aulin to lay down the harp tracks for two different soundtracks for Hollywood films. Donelle normally uses her pedal harp but borrowed a Glen Aulin from her friend and our customer, Kelly Darpinian, for use in these soundtracks. Now, Donelle has her own Aberdeen Meadows harp on order with us. Our favorite part of this story is that Kelly told us that the sound engineer expressed his very distinct pleasure with the Glen, in comparison to other harps he had recorded, because of the balance of the voice. Apparently, it made his job easier, which is music to our ears!

Most of our harps lead fairly normal lives but every so often we hear about an exciting or amazing moment. We not only like sharing them with you but would love to hear back from you too. If you have had a great moment with your harp (even if a Grammy was not involved), we would very much love to hear about it and, when possible, to pass your moments on to others.

Still Hoosier WannaB’s

As you may know, we had intended to relocate to Rising Sun, Indiana in November of 1999. Well, we watched Christmas come and go and continue to remain residents of California. We have experienced construction delays which were wholly unexpected. Fortunately, these delays were in no way a result of the immaculate work of our wonderful contractor, Dann Ross. Instead, they are paperwork matters and are enough to drive even the strong unto the fringes of insantiy.

We leave California at the beginning of June and arrive in Rising Sun about four days later. Our offices plan to be closed 27 May through 19 June. With luck, we would then have the new harp gallery, which we have named "Harps On Main", open in October. We are still planning an Opening Gala with concerts, workshops and the like. So, if you are interested in coming, send us an Email and we will make sure you receive an invitation.

Visitors to "Harps On Main" will be able to take a self-guided walking tour through the lutherie. The woodworking shop will have a clear booth where folks can safely stand to watch harps actually being made and in the clean area, visitors will be able to get up close while a lot of the fine handwork is being done. Upstairs, we will have our offices and then, in the extra 2000 sq. ft. a fine art gallery where we will show, and sell, the work of a number of our friends from the fine arts circuit.

Historic Rising Sun, Indiana is located just about twenty miles south, and a little west, of Cincinnati, Ohio. This is a picturesque, charming small town which is close enough to a big city that we never have to go without, less than a half hour from an international airport and in which Hyatt has built a resort, concert pavilion, Championship golf course and numerous other amenities to support the more than 300,000 tourists who come and stay each month. Located in the rolling hill country of Southern Indiana, Rising Sun is nestled in woods that are soft and green all Spring and Summer and then ablaze with Fall color. The weather is fairly temperate for the Midwest, more like Kentucky than like Northern Indiana, and the humidity is the same as the San Francisco Bay Area.

Rising Sun is a great place to visit and you will not have any problem finding us when you are there because we are located right on Main Street. Our building, 222 Main Street, is a two story, 7000 sq. ft. brick building built in 1891. The harp gallery will face the street and we will show not only all of our harps but we promise an absolutely unique collection of harp gifts as well. Then, behind the harp gallery still on the street level, we will have a performance area. We plan to regularly host small acoustic concerts and harp events. Behind the performance area begins first the clean construction area, painting, carving, sharping levers etc. and then, the big woodworking shop.

We could not be more thrilled about this move if we tried and even though this next year is going to be challenging we look forward to every minute of it.

Click here for more about historic Rising Sun, Indiana.

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