Rebecca Blair

Rebecca Blair’s career as a musician and teacher has been both rich and varied. Her musical studies began in the classical realm with the clarinet, culminating in 1996 when she graduated with a Masters degree in performance and musicology from the University of Victoria. Since then, she has focused her interest on Celtic music and improvisation on the harp, attending many Celtic harp workshops all over North America and Ireland where she studied with such notables as Kim Robertson and Sharlene Wallace.

Rebecca’s approach to playing and teaching the harp draws on her classical background and combines it with her passion for Celtic music. Her teaching philosophy focuses on balancing disciplined technique with improvisation and creativity. Rebecca has offered workshops through Early Music Vancouver and the De Danaan School of Irish Dance, and she holds regular harp workshops at Place des Arts in Coquitlam which attracts people from all over the province. She is active in the Vancouver folk music scene, performing around the lower mainland as both a soloist and with groups such as Triskelion. Rebecca works as a freelance musician, playing at many special events, her audiences have included the President of Ireland and the International Bar Association. She has also applied her skills as a studio musician where her playing has been featured on CD’s such as the Maenads, and Orra Chan by Teresa Doyle. Rebecca keeps a busy schedule of teaching and performing, as well as studying Irish dance. Visit her website at www.dancingharp.com.

Teaching Thursday

Minimum age: 10 (unless students have at least two years of piano background and can read treble and bass clef)