HarpersMary

LEARN TO PLAY HARP THIS SIDE OF HEAVEN TM

With a style ranging from delicate to hard-driving, prominent Washington DC metro area harp teacher Mary Fitzgerald captivated international audiences as a wonderfully talented Celtic harper and singer. She played for presidents, prime ministers and princes during her career as the Navy's chief White House support musician. Mary distinguished herself as the only Navy Band soloist to perform inside the White House, regularly appearing at high-visibility events including President George Bush Sr.'s Luncheon for Nelson Mandela, President Bill Clinton's St. Patrick's Day parties three years in a row, and a private dinner Vice President Al Gore hosted for Russian Prime Minister Chornomyrdin.

Mary is accepting new students, all ages (adults, too!), all levels, beginners welcome.
Phone: 301-352-3690 email: celticharp1@mac.com

Mary’s credentials include:

- US Navy Band recordings from 1978 to 1998. Regular appearances at White House, Blair House (the President’s guest house), State Department, Capitol, Pentagon, CNO Quarters, Smithsonian, DC, MD & VA historic houses & buildings. Quite literally played for the people who ran the planet! It was my job.
- worked with renowned area Celtic artists including Grace Griffith & Cathy Palmer on Connemara's Wammie Award winning CD, Siren Song, with Dirty Linen magazine remarking that Mary’s harp playing was "the shining moment..."
- The Arlington Journal declared "...Fitzgerald's harp gives the pipes a run for the money..." on IONA's charming and best CD, The Sound of IONA, as well as on IONA’s 20-year anniversary compilation, Celebration of 20.
- Mary was a founder of the group MoonFire with fiddler Cathy Palmer, and is the principal harper on her Fiddler Play the Light CD.

Mary played rare Civil War songs & haunting Celtic tunes in concert with Bluegrass stars Bill Emerson, Wayne Taylor, Mike Stein and Keith Arneson of Country Current, and has given workshops addressing stylistic and ornamentation practices of Celtic harp music. She founded & ran the popular Celtic Harp Competition for the Southern Maryland Celtic Festival for several years, and has judged harp competitions as well.

Mel Bay has published Mary’s new harp music edition of O’Carolan Tunes for Harp :
The definitive edition of 24 tunes by renowned Baroque era Irish harper Turlough O’Carolan, carefully and exactingly transcribed, edited and fingered. Ornamentation is fully written out to facilitate playing Chord symbols have been added for improvising left-hand parts, or inventing an entire two-handed accompaniment as a friend plays the melody!

BA, Music Performance, St. Mary’s College of Maryland, 1977. Recipient, Mattie M. Key Award in Music.

Member: American Harp Society; Music Teachers National Association; Music Teachers Association of Bowie; American String Teachers Association; International Society of Folk Harpers & Crafters; Scottish Harp Society of America; Washington Area Folk Harp Society

Email Mary Fitzgerald at celticharp1@mac.com

Resources:
- HarpSource: Where to find Harps, Harp Kits, Music, Strings, Harp Publications, etc.
- New Student Form (coming soon)
- Mary Fitzgerald’s “Honest ABE” Eb Lever Harp Tuning & Key Change Chart
- Hospice Harp
- Harp Hopes & Happenings - Harp Students’ Dreams, Events, Achievements, Inspiration
- Harp Beginner Books & Tune Websites (coming soon)
- Celtic Ornaments (coming soon)

(last updated June 25, 2010)
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CELTIC HARP TEACHER

RETIRED WHITE HOUSE HARPER

CHIEF MUSICIAN, US NAVY CONCERT BAND, RETIRED

US OPEN & NATIONAL SCOTTISH HARP CHAMPION

RECORDING ARTIST WITH
IONA, CONNEMARA
& MOONFIRE