Harp Summit - Park Stickney

Rüdiger Oppermann & Park Stickney
Harp Summit
Press Materials
PARK STICKNEY OVERDRESSED LATE GUY PRODUCTIONS™
USA: 163 Amsterdam Ave. #153, NYC NY 10023 TEL +1/ 212 969 8672
EUROPE: 3, rue de l’Orangerie CH-1202 Genève TEL-FAX +41/ 22 734 25 61
EMAILpark@jazzharp.com WEBwww.jazzharp.com
PARK STICKNEY OVERDRESSED LATE GUY PRODUCTIONS™
USA: 163 Amsterdam Ave. #153, NYC NY 10023 TEL +1/ 212 969 8672
EUROPE: 3, rue de l’Orangerie CH-1202 Genève TEL-FAX +41/ 22 734 25 61
EMAILpark@jazzharp.com WEBwww.jazzharp.com
Contents
Rüdiger & Park Blurb
Page 2
Rüdiger Short Bio
Page 3
Park Short Bio
Page 3
Rüdiger Long Bio
Page 4
Rüdiger Discography
Page 5
Rüdiger CV
Park Long Bio
Page 6
Page 7-8
Park CV
Page 9-10
Rüdiger & Park Blurb
What happens when you put two virtuoso harpists, each of whom has changed the
face of their instrument, together on the same stage? Rüdiger Oppermann and
Park Stickney answer this question with their new duo.
In concert and in their CD "Harp Summit" you hear: Rüdiger Oppermann,
Germany's Celtic Harp master, innovator and world-traveling ambassador of
crossover harp music, meets maverick jazz harpist, Park Stickney (New York).
Together, this “brotherhood of extreme harp” pushes back the limits of genre and
style, blazing new musical paths into previously unharp-ed territory. Blues riffs
howl over bass grooves, ornate melodies dance with a swinging ease,
experimental sounds blend with jazz standards; in short, a packed punch of
musicality and virtuosity on 100 strings. Park's simply unbelievable footwork
liberates the harmonic potential of the electric concert harp, which meshes
perfectly with Rüdiger's Celto-Bluesy solo sound. Standards like Miles Davis' "So
What", Duke Ellington's "Caravan", and Sting's "Message in a Bottle" are
interspersed with original pieces (such as Oppermann's "Tarantella", "Cool
Harmonics" and "Fragile Balance") plus African musical bows, and ethnic and
electronic sounds. Their debut concerts at the World Harp Congress in Geneva
and at the Frankfurt Internationalen Harfenfestival brought standing ovations.
Now these two exceptional musicians play together regularly, bending the limits of
their genres with delight, virtuosity and sensitivity. A world-class duo...an earopener for all those who thought the harp was dull... and a must for all friends of
the harp and fans of Oppermann and Stickney. A joy for eye, soul and ear!
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 2
Rüdiger Oppermann Short Bio
Rüdiger Oppermann, born 1954, is Germany´s foremost celtic harp player. He
began playing the harp in 1973 and has since virtuosically surpassed all existing
standards on this instrument. His High-Headed Irish Harp or Clairséach is strung
with 38 gold-plated bronze strings. With an elaborately carved column and unique
mechanism on each string for the use of bending notes (as in the blues), Rüdiger
has constructed an absolutely personal instrument. The technical capabilities of
this harp combined with Rüdiger’s improvisational free style have transformed the
Celtic Harp into a melodic instrument full of expression and power. His
transformation from celtic bard to crossover world-musician is well documented
on 43 CD publications. www.rudigeroppermann.com
Park Stickney Short Bio
A jazz harpist based in New York City and Geneva,Park Stickney's slick technique
and maverick style have brought him awards and distinction as one of this art's
forerunners. A highly-acclaimed soloist, as well as founding member of various
NYC -based ensembles-- from chamber music to jazz and beyond--he is a leading
exponent of the harp's diversity in various genres. Currently he is also involved in a
number of projects in Europe, among which are duos with German electro-celtic
harpist Rüdiger Oppermann, and Italian bassist Dino Contenti, and a visiting
professorship in jazz harp at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 3
Rüdiger Oppermann Bio (long version)
Rüdiger Oppermann, born 1954, began playing the Celtic Harp in 1973 and has
since virtuosically surpassed all existing standards on this instrument. Rüdiger
has been an untiring inspiration to the Celtic Harp scene, playing hundreds of
concerts on harps of all sizes and shapes with his unique, improvisational free
style. He has also brought many harpists from all over the world together in
International Harp Festivals and Harp Compilation CDs and as President and
Founder of the Folk-Harp-Society in Germany. With early musical training on the
piano and cello, Rüdiger taught himself to play the harp, furthering his musical
studies through extensive travels in Africa, Ceylon, India, Indonesia, Afghanistan
and Turkey. In all of these places he learned local instruments and acquired an
understanding of diverse and contrasting “worlds of music” Rüdiger lives in
Alsace, France, with his wife, (classical harpist Cynthia Mowery), and their 3 sons.
Instruments he plays in concert include some ethnic harps from Africa
(Adungu / Valiha / Mouthbow) and two Celtic Harps he designed and built himself:
The small Medieval Harp, is made of 500 year-old oak with 28 nylon strings and a
carved lion head ; the form and size being similar to the harp played by the
troubadours in the middle ages in Ireland, France, and Germany. The taller HighHeaded Irish Harp or Clairséach is strung with 38 gold-plated bronze strings. With
an elaborately carved column and unique mechanism on each string for the use
of bending notes (as in the blues), Rüdiger has constructed an absolutely
personal instrument. The technical and musical capabilities of this harp combined
with Rüdiger’s special virtuosic muffling have transformed the Celtic Harp into a
melodic instrument full of expression and power: the wire-strung harp at the
pinnacle of its development.
His transformation from celtic bard to crossover world-musician is well
documented on 43 CDs (17 original publications and 23 samplers). “.....eat your
harps out, purists, Rüdiger Oppermann blows away your preconceptions.. ”
(Herald, Edinburgh) “ Oppermann’s harp playing is spectacular, lightning-fast, and
processed through a guitarist’s bag of effects....the harpist pulls some magic out
of an ancient instrument that he’s trying to drag into the future. “ (John Dilberto,
Echoes).
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 4
Rüdiger Oppermann Discography
1974
1981
1983
1984
1985
1985
1986
1987
1988
1988
1990
1990
1990
1990
1991
1992
1992
1993
1994
1994
1995
1996
1996
1996
1996
1997
1997
1997
1997
1997
1998
1998
1999
1999
2000
2000
2000
2001
2001
2001
2001
2002
2003
2004
Live in Ingelheim (Sampler/SongBird)
Zongo (Lark in the Morning)
Der Fliegende Teppich (Selbstverlag)
Silberfluss live (Selbstverlag)
Live at Findhorn (Findhorn Records)
Reise nach Harfistan (Wundertüte)
Silberfluss (Wundertüte)
KlangWelten (Sampler/Wundertüte)
Neues aus Harfistan (Wundertüte)
Rosen und Dornen (Wirkstatt)
KlangWelten (Sampler/Network)
Harp Attack Live (Selbstverlag)
Durchs Wilde Harfistan (Wundertüte)
Troubadix Rache (Single/Wundertüte)
Changing Tide (Harp Attack/Shamrock)
Same Sun, Same Moon (live) (Shamrock)
Rudolstadt Festival (Sampler/Rudolstadt)
Unchain my harp (Biber)
Rendez- vous 2 (Sampler/Biber)
Acoustic special (Sampler/Shamrock)
Planet soup (Sampler/Ellipsis arts)
The Art of Harp, Vol. 1 (Sampler/Shamrock)
From Worldbeat to Blue Note (Sampler/Shamrock)
It's only Kraut (Sampler/Profolk)
Das vertonte Dorf (SBW Russbach)
Sanddorn, Musik für TanzTheater (Rigolo )
Karawane (Shamrock)
Harpestry (Sampler/PolyGram)
The Art of Harp, Vol. 2 (Sampler/Shamrock)
Music for friends (Sampler/Network)
Celtic Harpestry (CD, Video, PolyGram)
Fragile Balance (Shamrock)
Spirit of the Steppe (Naturaufnahmen / Shamrock))
The Art of Harp 3/4 (Doppel-CD, Shamrock)
Songs of the wind (Windharp, Bauer)
KlangWelten
(Sampler / KlangWelten Records)
Weit die Füsse tragen....(KlangWeltenRecords/wirkstatt)
Contemplations on the earth (Sampler, Biber)
Bauer's Best (Sampler, Bauer Verlag)
KlangWelten 2001 (KlangWeltenRecords)
KlangWelten 2002 (KlangWeltenRecords)
KlangWelten 2003 (KlangWeltenRecords)
Harp Summit (Duo Oppermann/Stickney) (KlangWeltenRecords)
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 5
Rüdiger Oppermann CV
Rudiger has played at: The Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco, Alte OperFrankfurt,
Liederhalle Stuttgart, Kölner Philharmonie, Lismore Castle, World Music Festival
Budapest, Kunsthalle der BRD Bonn, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Jazzhaus Freiburg,
Musikhalle Hamburg, Glocke Bremen, Residenz München, KonzerthausKarlsruhe,
StiftskircheTübingen, Lutherkirche Marburg, Bärenzwinger Dresden, Moritzbastei
Leipzig, Volkshaus Jena, HdK Berlin, Passionskirche Berlin,Kongresscenter
Innsbruck, Keltenmuseum Hallein, Stadthalle Heidelberg, Rosengarten
Mannheim , Schlosskirche Pforzheim, Konzerthaus Tananrive Madagaskar,
Konzerthuset Aarhus/DK, Festival der Derwisch Musik Konya/Türkei, Universität
Istanbul, Stadtheater Hildesheim, Meisterklassenpodium Musikhochschule
München, Madagaskar Jazz Festival, Tanz- und Folkfestival Rudolstadt, Rittersaal
Schloß Marburg, Harp Festival Monterey/USA, Metropol Wien/A, Breminale
Bremen,Findhorn Arts Festival, Festival Istanbul/TR, Jazz Festival Krakau/PL,
Theaterprojekt Together Kopenhagen/DK, Kampnagel Theater Festival Hamburg,
Stadttheater Würzburg,Theaterfestival Györ/Ungarn,Theaterfestival Llubiljana,
Frankfurter Hof Mainz, Arpa Fest Bergamo, Cuneo, Ventimiglia, Torino, Milano,
Perugia, Festival Interceltique Lorient/F., Pantarium San Francisco/USA,
Solistenakademie Baden-Baden, Hortens Kleine Nachtmusik ZDF,
Frauenmünster Zürich/CH, Europäische Harfenwoche Strasbourg/F, Tafelhalle
Nürnberg, Sankt Katharinen Hamburg, Festival de Musique Dinan/F, Münster
Basel/CH, SWF Notenschlüssel, SWR Wunschbox, Stadtheater Lodz/PL,
Traunsteiner Harfenwochen, Harfenfestival Karlsruhe, Festival of Harps San
Francisco/USA, KonservatoriumLyon/F, Musikhochschule Würzburg, Edinburgh
Harp Festival/GB, Kulturzentrum Addis Abeba, Nairobi, Harare, Internationales
Musikfestival Khartum/Sudan. He has given Seminars, Workshops and Lectures
on Celtic harp, Modal Music, Improvisation. Harp Construction, and Structures
of African Music at: Lyon/FConservatory, Ethnomusicology Institute Harare,
Zimbabwe, University of Corvalis, Oregon/USA, Universität Hildesheim, Universität
Istanbul/TR, Center for Self Healing San Francisco/USA,Wirkstatt Karlsruhe,
Freies Musikzentrum München , Summer Music Celebration Mendocino/USA,
Harfenbau Kurs DJH, Goetheinstitutes at Nairobi, Harare, Addis Abeba,
Tananarive , and Khartum Rüdiger Oppermann ist "nebenbei": Harfenbauer,
Initiator und Künstlerischer Leiter der Klang Welten Festivals, Gründungsmitglied
und Vorsitzender der Harfenistenvereinigung "Freundeskreis Harfe", Mitglied der
Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen/USA und Tellenourien Vreizh-Harpistes de
Bretagne/F, Initiator und Künstlerischer Leiter Internationaler Harfenfestivals.
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 6
Park Stickney Bio (long version)
How many jazz harpists does it take to play a game of basketball?
All of them, including Park Stickney who, although he claims that it wasn’t his plan
at the age of 10 to become a world-traveling jazz harpist, did, in fact, embark on that
path then by competing in the first International Jazz and Pop Harp Festival.
Since then, after finishing his studies at the Juilliard School in New York, he has
traveled across Europe, Asia and the U.S., as a soloist and teacher, as well as
with a variety of ensembles whose music ranges from jazz to classical to rock.
Stickney has toured Hong Kong, India, and Sri Lanka four times with harpist
Daphne Hellman (1995-98), taught and performed at the Umbria Jazz Festival in
conjunction with the Berklee School of Music (1998), given workshops and
concerts in Scotland for the Edinburgh Harp Festival (2004, 2000, 1991), the
Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival (1996), and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
(1998, 1996). In France, he has taught and given concerts at the Academy of
Pierre Jamet in Gargilesse (1999, 1997), the “Journées de la Harpe.” in Arles, and
the Festival de Harpe in Avesnois. Stickney was a guest soloist at the Soka Harp
Festival in Japan, the first two Caribbean Harp Festivals in Puerto Rico, the
Kansas City Festival of the Harp, and the 2002, 1999 and 1996 World Harp
Congresses.
He has taught and performed in Germany at Harfentreffen Mosenberg (19982004), and the Süddeutsches Harfentreffen, Violau (2004, 2002, 1999). In the fall
of 1999, he was invited by electro-celtic harpist Rüdiger Oppermann to perform 25
concerts in Germany as part of his International Harp Festival. Stickney returned to
Germany the following year, this time for a 10-concert solo tour. As Rüdiger and
Park found themselves constantly jamming together at harp festivals, they decided
in 2003 to form an “official” duo, by making the critically acclaimed CD “Harp
Summit” (“Two players at the top of their game share their complementary skill and
empathy with the music.”- The Harp Column), touring Germany and Korea, and
performing at the Edinburgh Harp Festival. This collaboration has continued in
Rüdiger’s 2004 Klangwelten tour, which also features musicians from Gambia, the
Cook Islands, India, and Mongolia.
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 7
Park Stickney Bio (long version)-continued
2002 saw the beginning of a long-term collaboration with the Italian bassist Dino
Contenti. In duo, and with other musicians (drummer Manhu Roche, guitarist
Moreno D’Onofrio, violinist Rrok Jakaj, saxophonist Claudio Fassoli,) they have
given numerous performances, primarily in Italy (Asti, Torino, Milano, Bergamo,
Palermo, Verona, etc.), but also in Switzerland, England, Germany and Spain. This
duo in turn led to two other groups, “Sixty-three Strings”, a quartet made up of
Stickney and Contenti plus guitar duo Manomanouche, which plays the music of
Django Reinhardt, and the “PDF trio” with violinist Florence Fourcade.
Two new recent projects are a collaboration with Swiss flutist Regula Küffer, with a
program entitled “Mozart & More,” which combines classical and jazz works in an
improvisational setting, and a DVD with the rock group “Crash Test Dummies”
filmed in Minneapolis in October 2004. Stickney also appears on the group’s
recent CD “Songs of the Unforgiven.”
An active teacher, Stickney is visiting Professor of Jazz Harp at the Royal Academy
of Music in London. He has given masterclasses at the the Juilliard School, the
Chopin Conservatory in Warsaw, the Hochschule für Musik und Theatre in Munich,
the Barcelona Conservatory, the Ecole de Jazz et Musique Actuelle in Lausanne,
and in Italy in the Conservatories of Torino and Pesaro, and has been on the faculty
of the International Jazz and Pop Harp Festival since 1995. He also teaches
privately in Geneva and New York.
Stickney recorded his first CD “Overdressed Late Guy,” in 1995, which was
followed by a sequel “Action Harp Play Set” in 1999. He is currently preparing a
third solo CD tentatively titled “Still,Life with Jazz Harp” for release in early 2005.
Stickney holds degrees from the Juilliard School (Professional Studies 1992;
Masters of Music, 1991) and the University of Arizona (Bachelor of Music Cum
Laude, 1988). His teachers included Nancy Allen and Carrol McLaughlin. He
plays the Lyon & Healy Electro-acoustic harp, and is inordinately fond of blackcherry yogurt.
November 2004
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 8
Park Stickney CV
Selected Concerts/Masterclasses/Workshops
Contenti/Stickney Duo, 2002-present, double-bass and harp duo, concerts in Italy,
Spain, UK, Switzerland, trio-recording with Manhu Roche, drums
Ecole de Jazz et Music Actuelle, 2002, Lausanne, 3-day workshop
Warsaw Conservatory of Music, 2002, Poland, workshop, concert
Royal Academy of Music, 2003, 2002, London, workshops, concerts,
2003 appointed visiting Professor of Jazz Harp
Harfentreffen Mosenberg, 1998-2004, Germany, workshops, concerts
The Juilliard School, 2001, New York, workshop
II Encuentro de Arpas, 2001, 2000, Spain, workshop and concert
Rencontres de Harpe Celtique, 2003, Dinan, France, workshop and concert
Barcelona Conservatory, 2003, Spain, workshop and concert
Munich Hochschule für Music Und Theater, 2003, Germany, residency and
concert with Dino Contenti
Caranas 108, 2004, Sardinia, solo concert
Offbeat Harp Festival, 2001, Antibes, France, workshop and concert
Jazz Harp at Daphne’s, 2001-present, New York, an ongoing jazz harp class
“Action Harp Tour,” 2000, Germany, 10 solo jazz concerts
Edinburgh Harp Festival, 2004, 2000, 1992, Scotland (faculty)
International Harp Festival, Germany, 1999, 25 concerts
Süddeutsches Harfentreffen, Violau, Germany,2004, 2002, 1999 workshop
Munich Masterclass, Germany, 2001, workshop
Salvi/Lyon & Healy Jazz & Pop Harpfest, Faculty,2004, 1999, 1997, and 1995;
Showcase Artist 1991
American Harp Society Conference, soloist, jazz concert 2004
Festival de la Harpe, Avesnois, France, 1999, master class and recital
Trinity Church Concert Series, 2003, 2002, 1999, 1998 solo jazz recitals, classical
harp & flute recital, trio recital (harp, flute, cello; all Beatles program)
Festival d’Été/Académie Internationale de Harpe Pierre Jamet, Gargilesse,
France, 1999, 1997, jazz harp workshops and concert
“Journées de la Harpe.” Arles 2004, 1998
Umbria Jazz Festival, 1998, Perugia, Italy, taught jazz harp workshops as part of
the Berklee School’s summer program
World Harp Congress, Geneva, 2002, lecture, 2-day advanced jazz harp workshop,
première performance of original work for harp ensemble “Ça Avance,” solo and
duo performance (with Rüdiger Oppermann); Prague, 1999; Tacoma, Washington,
1996, solo jazz performances
Festival Internazionale delle Arpe, Isolabona, Italy, 1998 concert
Queen Elizabeth 2, Cunard Line 1998, harp & flute recitals
Festival de Haute Provence, France, 1997, jazz harp trio performance
Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Scotland, 1998, 1996, jazz harp trio and classical flute &
harp performances plus workshops
Daphne Hellman, Asia Tours 1995-98, duo-concerts in Hong Kong, India, and Sri
Lanka; co-produced her compact disc “Hellman’s Angels Gala;” performances at
the Village Gate in NY
Festival of Harps, Berkeley, California, 2004, 1998, concert
New York Harp Ensemble, 1997, Asia Tour: Taiwan and Hong Kong; White House
performances 1993 and 1997; “Musical Memories,” recorded in 1991. Budapest,
for Hungaraton
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 9
Park Stickney CV - continued
Baltimore Harpfest 1997, solo concert and workshops
Lincoln Center Institute 1994, “Suites for Harp” touring solo school program
Soka International Harp Festival, 1992, Tokyo, Japan, solo concert
Disney All-American College Orchestra, 1986, Florida, harpist
Crash Test Dummies, 2003 performed on CD “Songs of the Unforgiven”, 2004
album release concert/DVD taping
Klangwelten Festival, 2004, 30 concerts on harp and pump-organ, Germany
Masters of Harp Tour, 2004, concerts in Germany and Korea
Mozart & More, 2003-present, flute/harp duo with Regula Küffer, concerts in
Switzerland
Sixty-three Strings, 2003-present, quartet with Dino Contenti and Manomanouche
guitar duo
Musical Theater
“Wicked” Broadway, substitute, 2003-present
“42nd Street” Broadway, substitute, 2003-present
“Thoroughly Modern Millie” Broadway, substitute, 2002-present
“The Producers” Broadway, substitute, 2001-present
“Beauty and the Beast” Broadway, substitute, 1994-present
“A Christmas Carol” Broadway, substitute, 1998-present
“State Fair” 1996: harpist for original Broadway production and cast album (DMG
Records)
“1776” 1996, Broadway, substitute
“The Fantasticks” Off-Broadway, substitute, Harp & Piano, 1990-2002; 3-month
Japan tour, 1992; cast album, 1993 (DMG Records)
Awards
1990 1st Prize, Ruth L. Close National Harp Competition
1989 L. Vichey Memorial Scholarship, The Juilliard School
1985 1st Place, International Jazz Harp Competition
Education
Juilliard School (Professional Studies 1992; Masters of Music, 1991)
University of Arizona (Bachelor of Music Cum Laude, 1988)
Geneva, November 2004
Stickney & Oppermann Press Materials - Page 10