About Singing Harp
Singing Harp is a storytelling theater company dedicated to presenting classic stories in dramatic and musical forms. Our goal is to illuminate the many layers of meaning in these stories, inspiring our audience to appreciate this tremendous material.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Singing Harp was founded by harpist-composer Alyssa Reit to recreate great literature such as the fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, ancient Irish sagas, Greek myths, and stories from the Arabian Nights. The productions have a simple, elegant, intimate style, full of fun and enchantment, all accompanied by original harp music. Our settings stimulate the imagination and provoke questions, while retaining both the integrity and magical quality of the traditional versions.
The troupe has a performance history ranging from schools and storytelling festivals to a month long engagement at Edinburgh, where we received rave reviews. In our home base of the NY Tri-state area we have become a popular favorite at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, and we recently received a grant from the Westchester Arts Council and NYSCA to host our own storytelling series.
Our performers represent a diverse collection of talents, and each person has been chosen for their breadth of life experience as well as the love of the ideas presented in the stories. Company members have been trained at such illustrious institutions as the Juilliard School, the Berklee School of Music, the Royal Academy in London, and Trinity College in Dublin, as well as including a former lead dancer with the Paul Taylor Dance Co. We create our productions organically and collaboratively, drawing from each person’s inspiration and unique understanding; no two shows are ever alike.
We are planning premiere productions of Rumpelstiltskin and an Arthurian legend as part of our 2008--09 season. Going forward, we plan to expand our offerings with international tales from other great traditions. Upcoming projects include collaboration with a Japanese storyteller, a story arts festival, and a series of interfaith storytelling retreats for teens.
[Photo: Daniel Haskins]
