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MAGIC HILL YULETIDE LETTER 2003
Dear Friends,
As the quiet mists of autumn hearken the approach of winter, our
memories stroll humbly through 25 full years of Yuletide performances
with our family and friends! Not one of our five children has missed
a single year with the exception of Brittany, our youngest, who
is now a senior at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.
She was brought into the world in time to appear as the fairy princess
at the 4th annual concert, thereafter an integral part of the ever-evolving
Yuletide story. Now three generations strong, with a third grandchild
on the way, our task is made more joyous, yet also pressing in
the midst of a world trembling with conflict. Help us to kindle
the light of renewal and joy, to cast fear aside and transform
the darkness!
We invite you to join us in this grand festival of Celtic music
and dance, verse, eurythmy, storytelling, juggling, and singing
together. You may even choose to don a colorful costume and enter
the merry Yuletide procession through the hall! From our recent
travels to Ireland this fall we bring fresh inspiration to our
music and a poignant Celtic tale with our harps, dulcimers, whistles,
fiddles, pipes and all! We are delighted to share selections
from our new CD, "Where Dragons Dance" -- so come with
dancing spirit to our Yuletide gathering place where many paths
converge to enter a magical realm, celebrate our common humanity,
and hail the coming of light!
More News:
For those of you who have
followed our family and our work through the years, and anyone
interested in perusing more details ‘behind the scenes’ of
Magical strings, read on…
Our Children - Without regard to chronology
or preference, the following is an update on the Magical Strings
offspring: Marshall, (harp player and one of the twins behind
the CD table at Yuletide) and his wife Abby are expecting their
first child in late November. They live on a beautiful Rhode
Island farm, which we will visit at the conclusion of the Yuletide
season to see our third grandchild! Twin brother and business
partner Morgan (they design and build beautiful structures together
in the East), who will be playing whistles and piano at Yuletide,
is anxiously waiting to hear which medical school his wife Lara
will choose, which will determine where they will reside next
year. Geoffrey (fiddler and scientist) continues to enjoy teaching
and running the electron microscopy lab at Central Michigan University
while wife Erin works diligently on her Ph.D. in historical archeology.
3-year-old Kailey is singing and dancing throughout the day preparing
for Yuletide! Their family spent a week with us here on Magic
Hill this summer, helping on the farm, having tea parties on
the new grassy terrace under the holly trees, and taking in the
beauty of the Northwest. Brenin our son who plays his soulful
cello at all of our concerts and recordings lives close by with
his wife Sara, leader of the Raney Irish Dancers, and their adorable
3-year-old Rowan. Rowan and Pam once a week spend a morning together
at a little Waldorf inspired nursery school in Seattle. Meanwhile,
Brittany is practicing away in Houston where we will be on November
15th for her senior violin recital,
a culmination and celebration of four years Rice University’s
Shepherd School of Music! She graduates in May of 2004 -- our
last one to complete her college years! We look forward to her
special solo at this year’s Yuletide; she will be at every
concert!
| Ireland Trip - Seven inspiring days this
September took us from Co. Clare to the Ring of Kerry and
Ballinskelligs Bay, where we were nurtured by our ‘spiritual
home’ of Cill Rialaig, close to where Pam and I spent
our artist residency a few years ago. This place has inspired
many of our compositions over the years, from “Crossing
to Skellig” to our newest “Where Dragons Dance”.
We brought two of our student instruments, a harp (sold in
Ireland the first day we arrived!) and dulcimer. John at
Custy’s Traditional Music Shop in Ennis (with whom
we left the harp at the end of our trip) was exceedingly
kind and helpful to us. He pointed the way to a great pub
session that first night, at which I joined in with the little
harp and played to my hearts content! |
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| The next day we explored the Burren, and experienced the
most stunning sunset drama over the sea that went on and
on with an ever-changing fiery display. In the course of
our travels we reconnected with Irish friends, and realized
that we had been away from this magical land far too long!
Nearing our last day, at the ancient Cill Rialaig monastic
site, I stood with the Oladion harp, recording the sound
of the wind blowing through the strings, creating the most
haunting music imaginable! It was there, overlooking Ballingskelligs
Bay that we began work on a new composition, which we are
preparing forYuletide. |
Our Studio Recording Experience was something unique in
all our years of creating albums, as we had a narrow window of time
to get the four of us (Brittany and Brenin with Pam and myself) into
the studio, compelling us to record all of the quartet tracks live
together. After recording the basic tracks, we were then free to
add a few ‘overdubs’. One of my favorite moments, when
Brenin was creating an innovative cello part to one of our traditional
Irish jig medleys, was a comment that came from Brittany as she and
I were standing outside the control room: “Daddy, you’re
not going to let them get away with THAT are you?” We have
worked with engineer/producer/musician/genius Billy Oskay for many
years, but this was our first time in his new world-class ‘Big
Red Studio’ in picturesque Corbett, Oregon near
the Columbia Gorge with a view of Mt. Hood. The combination of beautiful
surroundings and state-of –the-art equipment created a dream-inspired
joyous experience for us. This mood is reflected in the music you
will hear on the CD. (See the studio slide show on the ‘Dragons’ homepage).
4th Annual Summer Harp Camp - Thirty
students gathered this August on Magic Hill to study
Celtic harp and hammered dulcimer, frequently gathering
under the shade of the apple trees outside the studio
in the balmy weather. On the parting day, profound
words were shared in a wide circle, expressing a
sense of community and a vision for working peacefully
in the world. Brenin helped create the gourmet vegetarian
meals over the long weekend (one of the big draws
of harp camp!). Unbeknownst to all of us, he was
also spending the last few days with Boris, our handsome
14-year-old golden retriever who came into our family
as a playful puppy thanks to Brenin. He had been
slowing down for sometime, and was mostly confined
to the back porch, as it was difficult for him to
walk. To our surprise, he came down to join everyone
during our festive evening around the campfire in
the pasture. We didn’t know that it was to
say goodbye. The next day, just as the last camper
left, Boris took his last breath in Brenin’s
arms, and we tearfully laid him to rest on top of
Magic Hill overlooking Puget Sound. Tristy, our other
14 year old Golden is lonely without him, but finds
consolation with Galoes and Gahmuret, our beautiful
twin black kitty cats, and the family of deer who
delight in sharing our bountiful harvest of apples
this fall.
Harps, Lyres, Waldorf Schools and Classes
- Pam and I have once again entered our
fall time of teaching. Pam works with a young class
that comes to Magic Hill once a week to paint and
play the lyre and then goes to Seattle to teach
a lyre class at the Brightwater School in Seattle.
I travel to Seattle, Bellevue and Tacoma each week
for harp classes with our School of Magical Strings.
I am currently building 15 harps for students and
patrons. During this whole year there has been
no shortage of orders in spite of the economy.
My other harp-making friends tell me the same thing,
and we all agree that during difficult times people
find a way to do the things that bring more meaning
into their lives. There is a steadily growing interest
in the harp, and particularly in the new field
of thanatology, music for healing, for which the
harp is a natural and significant part. The world
is longing for healing and peace.
You are
All in Our Hearts this Yuletide -
Now we are enjoying our preparations for
the Celtic Yuletide season of concerts, for
us the most significant time of year with
our family and friends. It is a way to bring
joy, healing, and peace to the world; to
see that we are not alone, but one humanity
on a beautiful yet fragile orb, and so we
tread gently to feel the needs of another,
and stride boldly to part the veils of ignorance.
It is the work of transformation and redemption
from the humblest of places, and it only
works when we seek to work together.
In Peace,
Philip and Pam Boulding
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