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Updated June, 2007
The Jew's Harp Guild
Statement of Activities
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What we Do!
Charter and Activities
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1. The NORTH AMERICAN JEW'S HARP FESTIVAL (NAJHF)
The main activity of the JEW'S HARP GUILD
will be organizing,publicizing and producing
the NORTH AMERICAN JEW'S HARP FESTIVAL.
The festival began in July 1992 and was originally named the
"Sumpter Valley Jew's Harp Festival". The current name was
adopted in 1994. For the first three years (1992-94) the
festival was held in Sumpter, Oregon; from 1995 to 2002 it was held
in Richland, Oregon. Festival organizers expect; 2003 and 2004 in
Bay City, Oregon (on the coast). Future locations will appear on
the website.
The festival has been produced by its founders
and a core group of volunteers. Costs have been offset through
private donations and festival sales (T-Shirts, Hats, Raffle
Tickets).
The festival's focus is the music, history and culture of
the Jew's Harp, an ancient musical instrument found literally
worldwide. We believe it is the only annual event in the North
America with this particular focus.
From the start, the event has also attracted players of
other unusual or uncommon instruments.
The festival itself consists of three days of workshops,
discussions, performances, jam sessions and singalongs.
Past workshops have included:
Presentations of collections of Jew's harps from around the
world (Austria, Siberia, Bali, Pakistan, etc.)Jew's Harp
playing techniques. Lectures/demonstrations on experimental
mouthbow, Chinese percussive instruments, musical saw,
didgeridu, mountain dulcimer, Clackamore , and giant
chorded zither.
Topics of future workshops depend on who attends the
festival, but could include workshops on the construction of
bamboo and metal versions of the Jew's harp, how to play the
mouthbow or musical saw. And always "how to play Jew's harp"
workshops.
Performances have included all of the aforementioned
instruments as well as voice, guitar, piano, banjo, spoons,
Autoharp, nose flute, and many more.
Musical styles have been eclectic as well, with traditional
fiddle tunes, folk, improvisation, blues, classical, rock'n'roll,
and even Tuvan-style meditative music represented. All types of
music are encouraged.
Attendees have included Tadagawa Leo, an authority of the
instrument from Japan, and Desiree Dyk, an aficionado from the
Netherlands. Both planned their trips to the States (in 1992 and
1993 respectively) specifically around the festival. Aron Szilagyi
(Hungary) and Roland Bades (from Wimmer Maultrommel,Austria) have
also attended. Other participants have come from Oregon, Washington,
Idaho, California, British Columbia, Colorado, Arizona and Louisiana
and Australia.
Nearby camping, and no alcohol sales on the grounds have combined
to make it a popular family event.
2. NEWSLETTER
PLUCK-N-POST
PLUCK-N-POST is the Official Newsletter of the Jew's Harp Guild.
Three to four issues of PLUCK-N-POST will be published each year
includding double-issues featuring news and pictures about grand
events).Online versions appears on this website at the same time.
The first issue of PLUCK-N-POST was distributed in January 1997.
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