Liza Wallace (https://www.lizawallace.com/ <https://www.lizawallace.com/> ) was one of the original members of the Bay Area Youth Harp Ensemble and performed with the group until she left the Bay Area to pursue her conservatory education at Indiana university. Since then. Liza has volunteered her time and talents for MCMF on numerous occasions. We are so proud of Liza’s many accomplishments as a professional harpist and harp teacher in the Los Angeles area, and are thrilled to be able to support her work through the Young Musicians Foundation (https://ymf.org/ <https://ymf.org/> )
In September of 2020, MCMF generously awarded the Young Musicians Foundation a grant to provide a harp composition course in commemoration and celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the Festival of Harps. The harp composition class began in November 2020 and will culminate in May 2021 with a total of 12 classes. The class is offered to the six members of the YMF Community Music Academy Harp Ensemble who play Dusty Strings harps as well as Harpsicles which YMF was able to obtain with funding from MCMF. The class is taught by Teaching Artist and harp composer Liza Wallace and examines three distinct styles of harp composition: Venezuelan Joropo (Arpa Llanera), Irish Celtic music (Irish lever harp), Son Jarocho of Veracruz (Arpa Jarocha). Students have been composing melodies, bass lines, and harmonic progressions. In May, students will choose their favorite assignment to expand into a larger composition and will record their work during the summer of 2021. Community Music Academy has been able to continue with live Zoom instruction during this challenging time and will have a live Zoom concert in May during which the harp ensemble members will perform their compositions.
