Somerset Folk Harp Festival
With the motto "Narrow Your Focus - Expand Your Horizon", a multi-day folk harp festival with a focus on the hook harp has been held in the USA since 2001, currently (2013) in the state of New Jersey . The festival is a meeting place for professional and recreational harp players from all over the world. There are concerts as well as courses of various styles for beginners and advanced learners. Furthermore, numerous harp makers exhibit their instruments, there are sheet music and all kinds of accessories for the harp. Another special feature is that potential harp buyers can "blindly" choose their preferred harp: The individual harps are played behind a curtain and can only be judged by their sound.
The festival was founded by Gerry Serviente . Originally thought it in the years in which the Harp Con of the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen to have paused to take place. However, the first Somerset Folk Harp Festival was such a success that it was decided to hold it annually. The name is derived from Somerset (New Jersey) , where the festival took place for the first few years. With one exception in San José (California) , it always performed on the east coast.
Regular instructors include Maeve Gilchrist , Alfredo Rolando Ortiz , Kim Robertson , Angel Tolosa , Louise Trotter and numerous others.