[Harp Notes] Australia l Distinguished Speakers l Valentine's Day Harp l Chocolate!

Friend, • What Carolyn Is Up To: Home to Australia! • Upcoming Events: Performance At The Distinguished Speaker Series With Peter Greenberg • Feature Article: Valentine's Day: The Most Romantic Instrument For The Most Romantic Holiday   • About Carolyn: Meet The Artist • Carolyn Recommends: "Vitamin C" - The Mignon Chocolate Shop! Please add "carolyn@pacificharps.com " to your white list or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!      Home To Australia!  The trip to Australia is 18 hours long - and worth every one!  As I'm sure many of you have read, there have been major floods all across much of the country, yet thankfully I and my family were fortunate to be safe from them.  I travelled back to Melbourne at the start of the year and stayed for three weeks.  Kathy and I had a wonderful time visiting my family and going to favorite haunts, seeing friends and going to the theatre.  We all went down to the coast for a few days and saw this kukaburra in the bush - so lovely!  The sunsets were amazing and the coastline spectacular.  I highly recommend this lovely country to a nyone who loves to travel - just be sure and let me know so I can fil you in on the must-see places! Performance At The Distinguished Speaker Series With Peter Greenberg  This February 22nd, Carolyn will be playing at Pasadena's Distinuished Speaker Series!    This tradition began in 1997 so that audiences could have opportunity to experience and learn from remarkable individuals who have changed the world and shaped our lives, and this month the speaker is Peter Greenberg. The event begins at 8pm, and you can find more information including ticket prices at www.speakersla.com.  About Peter Greenberg: The Emmy Award-winning travel editor for CBS News and the author of the New York Times best-selling Travel Detective book series, Greenberg is the nation’s preeminent travel expert. The consummate insider, Travel Weekly has named him on of the 33 most influential people in the travel industry, along with Al Gore and Sir Richard Branson. The consummate insider when it comes to reporting the travel business as news, no other journalist brings his level of expertise and extensive experience to the travel process. Currently he is the host of the nationally syndicated “Peter Greenberg Worldwide Radio Show”, which broadcasts each week from a different remote location around the world. He is heard on more than 150 radio stations. See more at www.speakersla.com .          Valentine's Day: The Most Romantic Instrument For The Most Romantic Holiday  Everything is perfect - the light of the candles on the table, the flowers, the food - and the beautiful, ethereal and elegant music drifting through the air from the golden harp being played softly in the corner.  This is exactly what your Valentine's Day could look like this year!  Every holiday has its own meaning and ambiance, and Valentine's Day - the most romantic of holidays - is the day specifically set aside for us to show our loved ones just how much we care.  What a fantastic idea!  Throughout history and namely Hollywood, the harp has been considered one of the most romantic instruments - just take a look at this list of romances that wouldn't have been the same without the harp. Gone With The Wind Gone With the Wind boils down to a story about a spoiled Southern girl’s hopeless love for a married man. Gone With the Wind opens in April of 1861, at the palatial Southern estate of Tara, where Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) hears that her casual beau Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) plans to marry “mealy mouthed” Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Havilland). Despite warnings from her father (Thomas Mitchell) and her faithful servant Mammy (Hattie McDaniel), Scarlett intends to throw herself at Ashley at an upcoming barbecue at Twelve Oaks. Alone with Ashley, she goes into a fit of histrionics, all of which is witnessed by roguish Rhett Butler (Clark Gable), the black sheep of a wealthy Charleston family, who is instantly fascinated by the feisty Scarlett.  The movie’s famous action continues from the burning of Atlanta through the now-classic closing line, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” Sleepless In Seattle When Sam Baldwin’s wife dies, he decides to move to Seattle with his son, Jonah. When Jonah sees how sad his father is, he calls a radio psychiatrist, who dubs him Sleepless in Seattle cause Jonah says he can’t sleep. He starts to talk about his wife and women over the country hear his tale and one woman Annie who lives in Baltimore can’t help but fascinated by his tale. Annie despite being engaged can’t stop thinking of Sam and soon tries to find all she can about she even goes to Seattle to see him. And once she gets off the plane, Sam who was in the airport to see someone off, sees her and can’t keep his eyes off her.  Letter From An Unknown Woman Perhaps the finest American film from the famed European director Max Ophüls, the film stars Joan Fontaine as a young woman who falls in love with a concert pianist. Set in Vienna in 1900, the story is told in a complex flashback structure as the pianist, Stefan Brand (Louis Jourdan), comes upon a letter written to him by Lisa Berndl (Fontaine), a girl who has been in love with him for years. Stefan is in the process of fleeing Vienna on the eve of fighting a duel. As he prepares himself for the nocturnal journey, the letter arrives. As Stefan sits back in his study to read this letter, it turns out to be a confession of unrequited love from Lisa. Don't wait - book your harpist for Valentine's Day today!  It's our pleasure to make your day the most special it can be.  Happy Valentine's Day! See http://mubi.com/lists/6707 for more movies that include the harp.    Australian harpist Carolyn Sykes has been performing in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States for the past 30 years.  She came to Los Angeles fifteen years ago to study for her Masters Degree at the California Institute of the Arts.  Since then she has established her private teaching and performing studio Pacific Harps, teaching, supplying harps and performing in orchestras, on concert stages and for special events, both locally and abroad.  Carolyn plays solo, as well as with other instruments such as flute, bass, violin and string ensembles and vocalists. Visit Carolyn's website at  www.pacificharps.com for more information on lessons and harps, her harp retreat in Mexico, and much more! "Vitamin C" - The Mignon Chocolate Shop! This family business was established in 1910 in Kharkov, Ukraine. It was established by Hovsep Ter-Poghossian Sr. in a modest middle class neighborhood. The business started as a bakery with white bread and baguettes being the main products, but as the business grew rapidly, the bakery portion was added and other baked goods and sweets were served to the community. Now it serves Old Town Pasadena as one of the best little chocolate shops where you can choose from an array of collections or build your own!    Visit them online at www.mignonchocolate.com, or in Old Town at the address below. Mignon Chocolate Boutique 6 East Holly Street Pasadena, CA 91103 USA Email: Pasadena@MignonChocolate.com Phone: 626-796-7100 Fax: 626-796-7788 Store Hours: Tues-Sat 11am-7pm Sun 12pm-5pm Mondays Closed                                                          www.pacificharps.com  @ Copyright Pacific Harps

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[Harp Notes] Our Holiday Wishes l Harmonies l The New Year Around The World l Recipe Book

Friend, • What Carolyn Is Up To: Happy New Year From Pacific Harps • Upcoming Events: HarpNotes' New Face - Harmonies! • Feature Article: 5 New Year Music Traditions From Around The World   • About Carolyn: Meet The Artist • Carolyn Recommends: Recipe Book: The Essential Chicken Noodle Soup Please add "carolyn@pacificharps.com " to your white list or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!      Happy New Year From Pacific Harps As 2010 draws to a close, we're reflecting back upon what this year has brought us - the challenges, the successes, and the things that have made us grow and will keep us growing into the new year.  One of the things that comes to mind in all of this is this very newsletter.  Creating and expanding it into a wonderful form of connection with all of you has been so rewarding and inspiring, and we want to thank you for all your great comments, communication and participation in this part of the journey.  We wish you all the most fantastic of new years.  We'll see you on the other side!  HarpNotes' New Face - Harmonies! Coming soon!  HarpNotes will be changing to “Harmonies” - the official newsletter of the new agency Music For Events!  We are so very excited about this new venture, and watching all the pieces come together has been such an amazing experience.  So many different aspects are involved with putting all of this together, and we can’t wait to share it with you!  The website will be up and running soon - and you will be the first to see it!  Keep an eye out for it at the start of the New Year!      5 New Year Music Traditions From Around The World All over the world we celebrate the New Year - and all of us incorporate music in a very important way.  Check out these neat and different ways in which cultures around the globe use music to ring in the New Year! In New York City, the 11,875-pound (5,386-kg), 12-foot-diameter (3.7-m) Times Square Ball located high above Times Square is lowered starting at 11:59 p.m., with a countdown from :10 seconds until :01, when it reaches the bottom of its tower. The arrival of the new year is announced at the stroke of midnight with fireworks, music and a live celebration that is broadcast nationwide. Kohku Uta Gassen(?????), more commonly known as simply K?haku, is an annual music show on New Year’s Eve produced by Japanese public broadcaster NHK and broadcast on both television and radio, nationally and internationally by NHK's networks and some overseas (mainly cable) broadcasters which bought the program. The show ends shortly before midnight (when NHK switches to a frenzy of "Happy New Year" greetings from around the nation). New Year's Eve in Suriname is called Oud jaar, or "old year". It is during this period that the Surinamese population goes to the city's commercial district to watch "demonstrational fireworks".  These celebrations start at 10 in the morning and finish the next day. The day is usually filled with laughter, dance, music, and drinking. When the night starts, the big street parties are already at full capacity. The most popular fiesta is the one that is held at Café 't Vat in the main tourist district. The parties there stop between 10 and 11 at night, after which people go home to light their pagaras (red-firecracker-ribbons) at midnight. After 12, the parties continue and the streets fill again until daybreak. During the Hmong New Year celebration, the Hmong ball tossing game pov pob is a common activity for adolescents. Boys and girls form two separate lines in pairs that are directly facing one another. If a player drops or misses the ball, an ornament or item is given to the opposite player in the pair. Ornaments are recovered by singing love songs (hais kwv txhiaj) to the opposite player.  In recent times, in such areas as China, the young lovers have been seen to carry tape players to play their favorite love songs for one another. During Lao New Year, there are many spectacles including traditional Lao music, mor-lam, and lam-wong (circle dancing). During the daytime almost everybody is at the temple worshipping, hoping to have a healthier and happier life in the new year. During the evening, people of all ages go to the wat for entertainment. Many thanks to the phenomenal www.wikipedia.org fr providing this information!     Australian harpist Carolyn Sykes has been performing in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States for the past 30 years.  She came to Los Angeles fifteen years ago to study for her Masters Degree at the California Institute of the Arts.  Since then she has established her private teaching and performing studio Pacific Harps, teaching, supplying harps and performing in orchestras, on concert stages and for special events, both locally and abroad.  Carolyn plays solo, as well as with other instruments such as flute, bass, violin and string ensembles and vocalists. Visit Carolyn's website at  www.pacificharps.com for more information on lessons and harps, her harp retreat in Mexico, and much more! Recipe Book: The Essential Chicken Noodle Soup  Ingredients 1 gallon water 1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces 1 large onion, peeled and halved 3 bay leaves 10 whole black peppercorns 2/3 bunch celery, leaves reserved 1 pound whole carrots 3 tablespoons chopped lemon grass (optional)   1/4 cup chicken bouillon powder 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/3 bunch celery, chopped and leaves reserved 1 (8 ounce) package dry egg noodles Directions Place chicken and water in a large pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer, skimming fat as needed, 30 minutes. Place the halved onion, bay leaves, peppercorns, whole celery, whole carrots and lemon grass in the pot and simmer, covered 1 hour. Strain broth and reserve chicken. When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and cut meat into bite-size pieces. Return strained stock to pot over high heat, and stir in chicken base, chopped celery and chopped carrots. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Chop celery leaves and stir into pot with the noodles. Simmer until noodles are cooked, about 10 minutes more. Stir in chicken and heat through. Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com! Have A Wonderful Holiday! www.pacificharps.com  @ Copyright Pacific Harps

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Harp Notes] Agency Launch! l Queen Mary l Thanksgiving Tips

Friend, • What Carolyn Is Up To: Launching LA's Newest Agency - Music For Events! • Upcoming Events: Back At The Queen Mary • Feature Article: A Stress-Free Thanksgiving: 10 Tips For An Easier Holiday   • About Carolyn: Meet The Artist • Carolyn Recommends: Gift Shopping At Ten Thousand Villages Please add "carolyn@pacificharps.com " to your white list or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!      Launching LA's Newest Agency - Music For Events! After much anticipation and dedication, Pacific Harps is now ready to take our next step - expanding under a new name into a full-service music agency for the Los Angeles and surrounding area!  Music For Events is a boutique music service that works closely with their clients to create not only the musical vision they imagine for their event, but also to ensure the success of their entire event through our network of event professionals.  We are a premier music agency that is also readily equipped to assist our clients with any other event needs they may have.  Music For Events website will launch in early December, so keep an eye out for us - we are excited to serve you!   Back At The Queen Mary I am excited to announce that the harp has been reinstated to The Queen Mary for the month of December!  This beautiful ship boasts decks with Art Deco build-ins and rich wood paneling, seven restaurants, shops, and an extensive Sunday brunch with the harp as the centerpiece!  This gorgeous venue is one worth the drive to Long Beach any day of the week.  Come see me any Sunday (or more than one!) this December onboard - I'd love to show you around!     A Stress-Free Thanksgiving: 10 Tips For An Easier Holiday   There are plenty of small steps you can take to reduce holiday stress.       1. Arm yourself with a plan: Sit down and make a guest list. From the number of guests, plan your menu. Then you can create a complete shopping list and decide if you're doing all of the cooking or if others will be bringing dishes. Take inventory at least two weeks out of your dinnerware, kitchen tools, and gadgets, spices and other staples in your pantry, and don't forget to count chairs! 2. Shop early: Grocery stores get more packed the longer you wait, plus you run the risk of some of your needs being sold out. Try to do your shopping early morning or late evening at least one week before the big day. 3. Make-ahead magic: Plenty of side dishes, desserts, and breads can be made ahead of time. This frees up your counter space and your to-do list. If you do have to make several dishes on Thanksgiving, try to distribute them evenly between the stovetop, the oven, and the microwave. 4. Perform a test flight: If you're making a side dish for the first time or using ingredients that you aren't familiar with, try them out beforehand so you'll be prepared for success on Thanksgiving Day. Ditto if you're serving a new wine or using new equipment, like a brand new oven. 5. Manage the little ones: Keeping the kids occupied takes time as well. Having a group of kid-friendly DVDs on hand is a no-brainer, but don't stop there. Kids can help in the kitchen with cookie decorating or in the dining room with setting the table. 6. Shrink the menu: With the size of the feast on most of our tables, it really isn't necessary to load your guests up on dips, snacks, or appetizers. A platter of cut fresh vegetables should do the trick. 7. Turkey duty: As the place where all eyes are focused, preparing a perfect Thanksgiving turkey carries a huge amount of stress. The most important thing: don't forget to defrost the bird. In the refrigerator is the best method, but will take longer. You can also submerge the turkey in cold water to speed thawing. Keep the bird basted as it cooks and let it stand for at least 30 minutes after it comes out of the oven to keep it moist. 8. Quick fixes: Purchasing store-bought desserts and adding your own flair is a great timesaver. Defrost a frozen pumpkin pie, top with streusel, and bake. Or simmer cranberries in orange juice and a little sugar just until they pop and spoon over purchased pound cake. 9. Plan an after-dinner activity: Plan something for the family to do after dinner. Pre-purchase movie tickets for the opening blockbuster and fold them in your napkins. Have your yard staked out for a game of flag football. Your guests will love having the planning done for them. 10. Don't sweat it: The true secret to being a gracious host or hostess (and keeping your own sanity) is to not let small problems ruin the day. If one of your side dishes burns, simply toss it out and enjoy the bounty you do have. If the turkey burns, order take-out. And don't forget to laugh.  If you like this article, visit www.allrecipes.com for more tips and tricks!      Australian harpist Carolyn Sykes has been performing in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States for the past 30 years.  She came to Los Angeles fifteen years ago to study for her Masters Degree at the California Institute of the Arts.  Since then she has established her private teaching and performing studio Pacific Harps, teaching, supplying harps and performing in orchestras, on concert stages and for special events, both locally and abroad.  Carolyn plays solo, as well as with other instruments such as flute, bass, violin and string ensembles and vocalists. Visit Carolyn's website at  www.pacificharps.com for more information on lessons and harps, her harp retreat in Mexico, and much more! Gift Shopping At Ten Thousand Villages  I love this shop!  Ten Thousand Villages is an exceptional source for unique handmade gifts, jewelry, home decor, art and sculpture.  Textiles, serveware and personal accessories representing the diverse cultures of artisans in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Middle East are available at this unique shop, ans as one of the world's largest fair trade organizations, the company strives to improve the livelihood of tens of thousands of disadvantaged artisans in 38 countries!  Product sales help pay for food, education, healthcare and housing for artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed.  You can visit the shop in Pasadena, or for those of you across the country, visit the link to find a store near you or shop online.  So if you aren't quite sure where to start your shopping this year, this is a great place to begin!  www.tenthousandvillages.com  Ten Thousand Villages in Pasadena: 567 South Lake Ave Pasadena, CA 91101 626-229-9892  www.pacificharps.com  @ Copyright Pacific Harps

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[Harp Notes]Carolyn's Concert l Harp for the Holidays l Luggage Scale

Friend, • What Carolyn Is Up To: Another Great Venue: The Terranea Resort • Upcoming Events: Carolyn's Concert & New Album "Joyful Mind ~ Tender Heart" • Feature Article: Harp Music & The Holidays!   • About Carolyn: Meet The Artist • Carolyn Recommends: A Better Way To Weigh That Luggage Please add "carolyn@pacificharps.com " to your white list or address book in your e-mail program, so that you have no trouble receiving future issues!      Another Great Venue: The Terranea Resort This beautiful venue in Palos Verdes not only has spectacular views of the coast, but the set and lighting of this event - the fantastic work of a company called EventWorks - were lovely!  The venue itself is surrounded on three sides by the Pacific Ocean with a view of Catalina Island, on the site of the old “marine land”.  Wow! www.terranea.com www.eventworks.com  Carolyn's Concert & New Album, "Joyful Mind ~ Tender Heart" I am excited to announce that on October 23rd at 7pm, I will be giving a concert in Joshua Tree at The Integratron with world renowned healing violinist Dian Booth!  Diane has played with the BBC in their chamber as well as radio orchestra, and currently resides in central Australia.  The harp and violin combined are known for their phenomenal sound, and the concert will be made up of all improvisation with these two beautiful instruments.   We will also be releasing our new album “Joyful Mind ~ Tender Heart”, to follow our "Archipelago" album.  I hope to see all of you there!!  About The Integratron: The Integratron is an acoustically perfect tabernacle sited on a powerful geomagnetic vortex in the Mojave Desert.  Scientists who study the building call it "a mass battery" and a "magnetic room".  Its creator, George Van Tassel, was an aeronautical engineer and test pilot who worked for Lockheed and today, with its amazing architecture, sound chamber and high energy, the Integratron still stands and is maintained by a group that offers public tours and much more - take a look at: www.integratron.com     Harp For The Holidays! It's hard to believe the holidays are just around the  corner, yet we only have seven weeks until Chanukah, and just eleven weeks until Christmas and Kwanzaa!  Each of these holidays is vitally important within their cultures.  Chanukah is the Jewish holiday also know as the "Festival of Lights", that commemorates the rededication of the temple in Jeruselum in 165BC.   Christmas celebrates the birth of the baby Jesus, the central figure in Christianity, and Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration that honors universal African heritag e, community, and culture.   In our beautifully diverse and wonderfully free country, we get to learn about and celebrate all of them!  Music is not only a great addition to the holidays, it can actually define the tone of the season.  As soon as you hear the familiar holiday music you know what time of year it is and your spirits lift.  It is the one thing that can instantly transport us from being in the rest of the year, to the festive year ending and new year beginning.  It signals in the winding up of the old and the fresh start that we all look forward to with the new year beginning.  In LA it also lets us know that it is winter, in case the weather itself doesn’t remind us!  The harp is not only beautiful, but completely versatile in its ability to sound great with all these genres being performed.  Just be sure to book the music for your holiday party soon as the calendar fills up quickly!    Australian harpist Carolyn Sykes has been performing in Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States for the past 30 years.  She came to Los Angeles fifteen years ago to study for her Masters Degree at the California Institute of the Arts.  Since then she has established her private teaching and performing studio Pacific Harps, teaching, supplying harps and performing in orchestras, on concert stages and for special events, both locally and abroad.  Carolyn plays solo, as well as with other instruments such as flute, bass, violin and string ensembles and vocalists. Visit Carolyn's website at  www.pacificharps.com for more information on lessons and harps, her harp retreat in Mexico, and much more! Travelon® Luggage Scale with Tape Measure   We've all done it when preparing to travel - step on the scale, step off the scale - pick up our luggage, step on the scale and attempt to read the number over the bulky, heavy, awkward bag we are praying isn't over fifty pounds.  How about avoiding this whole process, not to mention avoid being charged at the airport for overweight or oversized luggage, by using an amazing little contraption called the luggage scale?  The compact and portable scale weighs luggage up to 75 pounds, and all you have to do is hook your bag and lift the scale.  The dial stops and locks for easy reading and can be reset to zero with a simple twist to weigh another bag. Not only that, but it also features a tape measure that checks your luggage's dimensions up to 39"!  This handy device is even affordable - Bed Bath & Beyond sells it for $10.  www.pacificharps.com  @ Copyright Pacific Harps

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