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Nancy Hurrell 


Concerts & Events




September 25, 2018. 12:15pm Recital. Na’ama Lion, medieval flute, Jussi Reijonen, oud, Nancy Hurrell, medieval harp, Mike Williams, percussion. Medieval and Ladino traditional music.
King’s Chapel Recital Series, Boston

July 19-22, 2018.  Somerset Harp Festival, Parsippany NJ. Nancy Hurrell Workshops and Concert. http://www.somersetharpfest.com/


May 2, 2018. 6:30-8:00pm. Griffins, Angels and Swans: Harps in the MFA Collection
Lecture-demonstration by Nancy Hurrell. Sponsored by the American Harp Society, Boston. This is a rare opportunity to view the exquisitely decorated harps in the Boston MFA collection, several normally held in storage. Harp historian Nancy Hurrell will show eight European harps dating from 1700 to 1900, including a recently acquired Pleyel harp, c.1900, adorned with a splendid gold swan on the top. The talk covers harp decoration, construction and mechanisms, as well as the type of music played and the harpists who played them. Hurrell will demonstrate period music on several instruments.
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston    http://www.mfa.org/
Free museum admission after 4:00pm



March 17, 2018. 4:00pm. Ensemble Musica Humana Concert: Turlough O’Carolan- A life in song. 
Elks Lodge, 1321 Ocean St., Marshfield. https://www.ensemblemusicahumana.com/

March 5, 2018. 11:00-noon. Musical Instrument Demonstration: “The Curious Instruments of Edward Light.”  
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston
Local performers Olav Chris Henriksen and Nancy Hurrell talk about the history and repertoire of several unusual hybrid string instruments designed by English musician and inventor Edward Light during the early nineteenth century. Among the instruments from the MFA’s collection that were designed by Light and are demonstrated are a guitar-harp, harp-lute-guitar, and dital harp.

Re-Soundings- Sit inside the music. Cappella Clausura with instrumentalists Na’ama Lion, medieval flute, Jussi Reijonen, oud, Nancy Hurrell, medieval and Renaissance harps, Mike Williams, percussion.
January 27, 2018. 8:00pm Lindsey Chapel, Boston
January 28, 2018. 4:00pm Eliot Church of Newton
Thursday, November 16, 2017, 6:00-8:00pm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 100th Anniversary of Musical Instruments Collection. Nancy Hurrell will perform period music on a Royal Portable Irish Harp by John Egan and an Edward Light Dital Harp, both from the 1820s, in the Art of the English Regency Gallery, one of eleven spaces with live music played that evening on historical instruments from the collection. www.mfa.org 


Friday, September 22, 2017. 5:30pm Opening Reception for Nótaí/Notes: Music and Ireland Research Symposium sponsored by Boston College and NUI Galway
Harp demonstration: “Key Changes: John Egan and the Revival of Ireland’s Harp” by harp historian Nancy Hurrell. John J. Burns Library, Boston College.
The John J. Burns Library owns two rare Portable Irish Harps by Dublin’s leading nineteenth-century harp maker, John Egan (fl. 1797-1829). Egan’s iconic shamrock-adorned harp was a nationalistic product in post-Union Ireland, and at a time when harp playing was dying out, the newly-invented chromatic model enabled a new harping tradition to continue in Ireland. Hurrell will play a two-hundred year old Egan harp from her own collection. http://libguides.bc.edu/burns/notai




April 29, 2017. Historic New England Gala at opening of Eustis House Museum. Nancy Hurrell, concert harp. https://www.historicnewengland.org/property/eustis-estate-museum-study-center/

April 16, 2017 Easter Brunch at the Boston Harbor Hotel. Nancy Hurrell, concert harp, provided by Gilded Harps and Music Management.  http://www.bhh.com/dining
ReSound Concerts. Cappella Clausura with guest instrumentalists Carol Lewis, Vielle, Na’ama Lion, flutes, Nancy Hurrell, harps and Mike Williams, percussion.
January 21, 2017 at 8pm        Lindsey Chapel, Emmanuel Church
January 22, 2017 at 4pm        Eliot Church, Newton


November 6, 2016. 3:00pm. Historical Harp Concert: Harp Music from the Royal Courts 
Loring-Greenough House, Jamaica Plain, MA 
http://loring-greenough.org/event/sunday-concert-nancy-hurrell/    


September 30, 2016. Otis House 100th Anniversary Event. Nancy Hurrell, harp.
Historic 1796 Harrison Gray Otis House reception by Historic New England.

September 23, 2016. 7:00pm. Ensemble Musica Humana Concert: Turlough O’Carolan- A life in song.  Opening concert for Pioneer Valley Early Music Festival.
United Congregational Church of Holyoke.
 http://www.ensemblemusicahumana.com/ 

July 23, 2016. Lecture: 'Striking Harps in Castles and Museums.' 
Conference of the Historical Harp Society, Connecticut College, New London, CT.  
http://historicalharpsociety.org/2016-workshop-conference/

March 7, 2016. 11:00-noon. MFA Gallery Talk: The Irish Harp
Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave, Boston
Nancy Hurrell will discuss the history, construction, and musical role of the Irish harp in the 18th and 19th centuries. Using harps from the Museum’s collection, period repertoire will be demonstrated on a replica of the MFA’s famous “Bunworth” cláirseach made by John Kelly (1734) and a Royal Portable Irish Harp made by John Egan (about 1823). Hurrell will also demonstrate her own Egan harp (about 1820) for comparison of both tone and decoration.

RESOUNDINGS Concerts with Cappella Clausura vocal ensemble and Nancy Hurrell, harps, Na’ama Lion, medieval flute, Carol Lewis, vielle and Mike Williams, percussion. Music from Hildegard von Bingen and Renaissance composers to modern works.
January 16, 2016. 8:00pm. Lindsey Chapel, Emmanuel Church, Boston.
January 17, 2016. 4:00pm. Eliot Church, Newton. www.clausura.org

October 2 & 3, 2015.  Hildegard von Bingen Ordo Virtutum. Ensemble Musica Humana with Nancy Hurrell, medieval harp  http://www.ensemblemusicahumana.com/
First Churches of Northampton, 129 Main St, Northampton MA
Friday, Oct 2, 8:00pm
Saturday, Oct 3, 8:00pm

August 19-25, 2015.  Historical Harp Society of Ireland Summer School in Kilkenny, Ireland
Lecture Aug 24: ‘A Patriotic Present’- John Egan harps for the Irish Harp Societies
The design and decoration of the six surviving Egan society harps, Byrne’s harp and an extant Drogheda society harp are viewed in historical context.

August 15, 2015. Harp Ensemble at Maine Highland Games

August 9, 2015.  Turlough O’Carolan- A life in song. Ensemble Musica Humana
House Concert. Northampton, MA.  http://www.ensemblemusicahumana.com/

SOUNDINGS Concerts with Cappella Clausura. Hildegard to Stravinsky. Choir, medieval flute, percussion, and Nancy Hurrell, harps.  http://www.clausura.org/
Sat, Jan. 31, 2015. 8pm  Lindsey Chapel / Emmanuel Church, Boston 
Sun, Feb. 1, 2015. 4pm  Eliot Church of Newton, Newton Corner


October 12, 2014, 2:00-5:00pm. Harp and Clarsach Ensemble Workshop with Nancy Hurrell London Clarsach Society and Sue Rothstein. The Free Church Hall, Northway, London, England. Book by emailing Sue Rothstein: suerothstein@ntlworld.com  

October 8, 2014, 4:00pm. RAM Lecture: "From Irish Icon to Royal Instrument: John Egan's Winged-maiden Harp" 
Royal Academy of Music Museum, London, England
An illustrated talk on Egan and the Academy's rare golden harp. Museum Piano Gallery, Royal Academy of Music. Details:  http://www.ram.ac.uk/events?event_id=2889

October 3–5, 2014. The Clarsach Course at Benslow Music in England. Tutors: Danielle Perrett and Nancy Hurrell. Traditional music course for harpers, fiddlers and singers in Hitchin, Hertfordshire. http://www.benslowmusic.org/    

July 31-Aug.3, 2014. Somerset Folk Harp Festival in Parsippany, NJ. Nancy returns as a performer/ presenter. http://www.somersetharpfest.com/  

Tuesday, June 24, 2014. 7:00pm. Turlough O'Carolan: A Life in Song. Ensemble Musica Humana. St. Peter's Church, 838 Mass Ave, Cambridge. $10 at door. http://www.saintpeterscambridge.org/worship/music

Friday, June 20, 2014. 7:30pm. Turlough O’Carolan: A Life in Song. Ensemble Musica Humana, The Old Meeting House, Montpelier, VT. The 8th Annual Vermont Carolan Festival. http://www.carolanfestvt.com/  

Hildegard von Bingen’s Ordo Virtutum. Ensemble Musica Humana. Medieval morality play with singers and vielle, flute, organetto and medieval harp. First Church in Cambridge.
April 4, 5 & 6, 2014. Info and tickets: http://www.ensemblemusicahumana.com/ordo-virtutum.html

March 9, 2014. 2:00pm. Irish Harp Concert with Pilgrim Celtic Harp Trio. Brewster Ladies Library. 1822 Main St., Brewster, Cape Cod.

February 19, 2014. 6:00, 6:30 & 7:15pm. MFA Spotlight Talk: "Lions, Unicorns and Shamrocks: Egan's Royal Portable Irish Harp". Nancy plays her 1820 Irish harp in the new Art of the English Regency Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. www.mfa.org

Website by Simon Chadwick

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