Lyre Association of North America
Threefold Lyre Ensemble with Saeko Shibayama is continuing for both experienced and brand-new lyre players, bringing warmth and light-filled lyre tone in this darkest time of the year!
All are welcome! Come and play the lyre in this Advent season!
Read MoreSince 2007, LANA has published 14 volumes of Soundings journals and Music Supplements. All of our members received these volumes as they were published, and some of the original print copies of journals and music supplements are still available for purchase in the LANA Store.
We would now like to expand access to this rich collection of articles and music materials, while at the same time creating the ability to search for their content via our website. To facilitate both these objectives, we are publishing a summary of the content of each volume, including an index of the related music supplement along with a link to the LANA Store for purchase of these downloadable versions. In time, we will have all the volumes of Soundings and their music supplements available for download in the store.
Our members will still receive exclusive access to new journal volumes and supplements at time of publication.
Catherine Read continues the biography of Christof-Andreas Lindenberg, focusing on his life after a serious car accident in 1974, highlighting his contributions to music therapy, including his work in Camphill communities, and his pivotal role in founding the Lyre Association of North America and promoting the lyre’s therapeutic applications.
In this second installement of his lyre tutor, Christof-Andreas provides practical lessons for the technique of playing the modern lyre. He introduces foundational exercises for finger placement and stroking techniques to help players develop a comfortable and expressive playing style. He also highlights to unique role of listening to create and refine tone production. This essay provides a valuable resource for both beginners and experienced players, offering insights into the lyre’s potential for musical and spiritual expression.
In this article, Robert Grace explores the therapeutic applications of the planetary scales, linking them to human health and well-being. He describes how each planetary scale corresponds to different aspects of the human organism, such as the metabolic, rhythmic, and neuro-sensorial systems, emphasizing their ability to awaken life forces and balance the body, soul, and spirit. He provides a structured method for engaging with the scales, including pre-hearing, active playing, and inner listening, integrating anthroposophical principles with music therapy and offering profound insights into healing through sound.
Introduction – About Playing Music for Those Who Have Died
Musical “Verse” for Harmony in One’s Destiny – A Meditative Approach
Approaching Death (In another room from where the dying person is lying)
For Serious Moments
For the Unconscious
Active Listening
Tunes in Mindfulness of the Crossing the Threshold I – Part A by Zoltán Kodály Singübung; Part B by Christof-Andreas Lindenberg
Tunes in Mindfulness of the Crossing the Threshold II - Part A by Zoltán Kodály Singübung; Part B by Christof-Andreas Lindenberg
For a Child that Died at Age 12
Accompanying Those Who Have Died
Reading for the Dead When Reading for the Dead
The Friends Gone Before
Lyrist John Billing
Japanese lyrist Michiko Natsumoto has shared that international lyrist John Billing is in the midst of some ongoing health challenges. She requests support for him from the Japanese and international lyre community. In Japan, the crane is a symbol of good wishes, and she has suggested that we fold origami cranes for him, which he loves, sending prayers and good wishes to John with each fold of the paper.
Example of Japanese Paper Folded Cranes
You can read more about John’s situation on the John Billing Welcome to Japan page on Facebook.
Dear friends of the lyre,
In case you missed it, the Board of the Lyre Association of North America, wishes to share with you our 2025 Michaelmastide Lyre Notes. In this issue you’ll find many reflections from our lyre community.
Please enjoy our quarterly newsletter!
Catherine Read, Editor Lyre Notes
Choroi Pentatonic Lyre
Choroi String Oil
In preparing for the start of the 2nd grade children's pentatonic harp class at the Waldorf School, I care for the strings each year. Here’s how: Using a special cleaner, which you can order through Choroi or go to the local music store and get string oil, wipe the strings with a soft cloth. (Look at the cloth…. Yuck!! You can see how dirty the strings are!) You would be surprised how much better the lyre strings sound when they are clean!!
If there is a string that sounds funny, loosen it to see if there is dust at the bottom or the top of the lyre where it touches against a piece of wood. Then bring it back to the desired pitch. Also look to see if the string is touching where the string is wound onto the peg at the top, or only lightly touching the string against the wood. If it is only lightly touching, it will create a buzz; it needs to have a firmer touch. See if that does the trick. Check on the wound strings if the winding is loose; in this case the only thing to do is replace the string. (Restringing will be left for another discussion.) Dust off the lyre, tune, and in most cases you are ready to go. You can do this with your own lyres. Have fun!
Autumn 2007 marked the inaugural issue of a new journal dedicated to the lyre and music related to anthroposophy. Since this first release, the Lyre Association of North America has published eleven more issues of Soundings.
Volume 1, No. 1 celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Lyre Association and features a biography of Christof-Andreas Lindenberg and his contributions to our lyre impulse in North America.
The opening article of Vol 1, No 1 details the early life and musical journey of Christof-Andreas Lindenberg, one of the principal founders of the lyre work in North America. In Part One of this interview with editor Catherine Read, we follow Christof-Andreas’ musical path from his childhood home through post-World War II Waldorf school experiences, where he learned violin, clarinet, and piano, before taking up the lyre in earnest during his early years of working with children with special needs in a Camphill community in Scotland.
For the second article, we are very pleased to reprint the first installment from a series of essays Christof-Andreas has crafted as a tutor of the new instrument of the lyre. In this opening installment, he discusses the historical context and significance of the lyre as a modern musical instrument, and how the lyre represents a shift away from traditional instruments against the backdrop of the musical landscape of the early 20th century. He goes on to introduce the reader to the practical steps in learning to play the lyre effectively, including proper handling and positioning of the lyre, the importance of touch and movement, and the connection between the player and the instrument.
In our final article of this premiere volume of Soundings, Sheila P. Johns and Channa Seidenberg share an idea inspired by the 2006 International Lyre Conference in Belfast, N.I. The authors discuss the need to develop a supportive community among lyre builders and lyre players in order to exchange needed dialogue that will allow the builders to create instruments that best serve the needs of the players. After acknowledging the isolation of lyre builders and the challenges they face, the authors propose the creation of a Lyre Builders’ Fund to support builders financially and spiritually.
They go on to outline the philosophical principles guiding the lyre community, rooted in anthroposophy and the Threefold Social Order, emphasizing that economic support should enable creative work rather than serve as mere payment for services. They further suggest that lyre players and teachers consider that we have a moral imperative to support lyre builders for the future of the lyre in the world.
Michael Stands Now at Our Door – Channa A. Seidenberg
Michaelmas – Words by A.C. Harwood; Music by John Clark
In Autumn St. Michael – Music by John Clark, text by Anke Weihs & Morwenna Bucknall
Raise Up Thine Eyes, traditional Welsh melody – Verses 1 & 2 by Anke Weihs, Verse 3 and the arrangement by Merwin Lewis
Maria Walks Amid the Thorn (Maria durch ein’ Dornwald ging) – Traditional words and melody; arrangement by Esther Schwedeler
In Dulci Jubilo – Original Latin & German words by Heinrich Suso; 14th century melody;
Limu leimen – Traditional Swedish Air, arrangement by Esther Schwedeler
From the Suite in D, No. 3 for strings by J.S. Bach, adapted for lyres
Accompanying Those Who Have Died – Christof-Andreas Lindenberg
It is the hope of our Soundings editorial staff to continue to receive contributions of substance from our worldwide readership for future editions!
Email: lyrists@gmail.com for more information.
The annual meeting of the Anthroposophical Society of America will be held in Detroit on the weekend of October 10–12. A lovely opportunity has arisen to include some lyre music in the opening evening!
Conference Registration link
Please contact me if you or other lyrists you know are planning to go to this meeting and would be interested in joining me to create a small lyre ensemble for this occasion on Friday, October 10th. It would be wonderful if we could share some music that we already know and love!
Additionally, this would give the Society members a chance to hear and possibly support the lyre as we raise funds for our special international lyre gathering at the Goetheanum next summer.
Please contact me if you would like to participate: nancycarpenter@detroitwaldorf.org
Musically yours,
Nancy Carpenter
Michael with Lyre Beckoning - David Newblatt
Michaelmas is upon us! And the fourth Lyre Notes publication for 2025 will be coming out soon.
Please consider contributing a story or narrative of your experience with the Lyre in Michaelmas time. Also, and importantly, we will be describing the wonderful LANA Lyre Conference that took place at Camphill Copake in August with Master Teacher Christian Giersch. We would love to hear anything you have to contribute about your experiences of the conference, both playing and listening.
Please send your email contributions by September 20th to Catherine Read at catherine@carter-read.net. Please either include the text in the body of your email, or attach a Word document.
Looking forward to your wonderful contributions!
Catherine Read
Editor, Lyre Notes
Click on Image to View 2024-2025 Annual Report
The Board of the Lyre Association of North America is very pleased to share with our members and friends our 2024-2025 Annual Report, which highlights the activities of our association from April 2024 to the end of March 2025. All of our Board members have responsibility for different areas of LANA’s multi-faceted work that spans our Cultural, Rights, and Economic Realms, and you will hear from each one of them accordingly in the report linked in the image to the left.
Our Annual Report serves as our summer issue of Lyre Notes, and looking toward our autumn Michaelmas-themed issue, we warmly invite all members and friends to consider submitting an update on lyre activities in your area, brief reflections on your experience attending our 2025 Lyre Conference, or brief reflections on lyre-related themes by September 20th. All Lyre Notes contributions should be sent to Catherine Read at catherine@carter-read.net.
We hope you will each enjoy reading through this accounting of the working of the LANA Board over the previous fiscal year!
Catherine Read for the LANA Board
The Board of the Lyre Association of North America is very excited to welcome master lyrist Christian Giersch from Germany to Copake, New York, where we will work together with the theme ‘Let the Tone Come Alive!’ during the five days of our upcoming August conference. Lyre players of all levels are encouraged to join us as we explore this theme together. This conference will be, in many ways, a preparation for the historic 100-year anniversary of the birth of the lyre that will be celebrated at our International Lyre Conference in Dornach, Switzerland in the summer of 2026. We are most fortunate this summer to have the opportunity to work directly with one of the master lyre teachers in Europe, who also happens to be one of the organizers of next summer’s international conference! For further details, see last week’s LANA blog. Register TODAY at the following link to still receive our EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!
Our guest lyre master teacher and composer, Christian Giersch, has gifted us a further piece of music that will form a part of the full group repertoire for our upcoming lyre conference. Adding to the several other pieces composed for the 2026 International Lyre Conference, participants in our upcoming Summer Lyre Conference will get to enjoy a sneak preview of this majestic 8-bar canon for lyres in 10 parts, which serves as the prelude for a powerful sung 3-part round on the text Unitas en Sonum Est, translated roughly from the Latin as “Unity in Sounding” All participants will find this glorious Canon and Round, which builds from a single line of eight tones to richly textured full harmony, to be both compelling and easily accessible for all!
Follow the link below to download the music:
Lyre 2025 Conference Registration
This week, our LANA Blog will feature a deeper glimpse of our master teacher, Christian Giersch, who will be leading our 2025 Summer Lyre Conference in August. In the articles below, you can read reflections from one of Christian’s students, Board member Saeko Shibayama, followed by a short autobiography by Christian himself. Following these two ponderings, we are pleased to announce the formation of an American Lyre Ensemble for our international lyre conference in 2026!
Last week to register for the summer Lyre Conference!
Saeko Shibayama, Nyack, NY
Christian demonstrating the lyre to visitors at Schloss Seehaus in August 2024
I first met Christian Giersch in the summer of 2018 at the International Lyre Conference in the city of Zeist in the Netherlands. At that time, I was still new to the lyre, and it was quite memorable for me to experience over 250 people from around the world playing the music Christian had composed and conducted for this occasion (A Dance of Peace). The plenum lyre orchestra for the conference reminded me of the flute orchestra I experienced as a high school student, making me realize that, just like with the flute, there are different ranges of the modern lyre, such as descant, soprano, alto, tenor and bass lyres, but unlike with the flute family, many lyres looked quite different, design and shape-wise. I also liked the inclusive gesture that this music had an easy part that could be played by virtually anyone.
At that time, I lived in Brooklyn, New York, and I was not able to find a single lyre player, let alone a teacher, in the metropolitan NYC area. But I was able to obtain a copy of Paths of Sound – Images of Listening, a lyre instruction book co-authored by Christian along with Gerhard Beilharz and Martin Tobiassen, and I self-studied it. Immediately, I became fascinated by the very different and unique pedagogical approaches of these three composers, all of whom became great sources of inspiration and important teachers for me over the years.
paths of sound - images of listiening - Available in the LANA Store
Studying this important book, I was especially struck by Christian's poetic and imaginative approach to music playing that so beautifully blends hands-on tips for specific lyre playing techniques (such as exercises for the seamless use of the right and left hands, and learning to know the right timing for damping the strings) with his gentle way of assisting in the cultivation of one's musical sensibility in general. Even the title of each one of the 18 exercises is intriguing, curious and evocative, and I still remember six years later how I felt when I studied some of these exercises. For example, No. 8 is titled as "You are Gone, but I Still Love You," and according to Christian, it is an exercise to experience "the movement you execute before [making musical sound], that is actually the music itself." (Paths of Sound, p. 10.) No. 14, on the other hand, is an exercise with a humorous title, "Two [People] who Do Not [Understand] Each Other, Or?" meant to help in the exploration of dynamics on the lyre. No. 15, "In the Evening" invites us to "listen to softly ringing bells in the cooler air, [when] someone is calling from afar." The effective use of the interval of the major second sounds like ringing bells, and when one can picture that in the music one is playing, the imagination becomes endless.
Overall, the biggest characteristic in Christian's lyre teaching is his strong emphasis on the importance of learning how to sing on our instrument, i.e. how to sing a melody. Anyone who plays a musical instrument knows that this is one of the most important aspects in playing music, and we all need to learn to execute this by finding the best way to use our physical bodies to play our respective musical instruments, be it the piano keys, lyre strings, or violin bow, while using imagination and our listening capacity to assist with such highly specialized physical movement.
So like any other fine music teachers, Christian advises us to "hear the next phrase in advance" and "listen before we make sound." In order to learn to achieve such singing quality in one's lyre playing, In Exercise 9, titled "Playing–Listening–Silence," he asks us "to take time" in playing melodies. I still remember vividly how different and refreshing it was to play Exercise 9 on the lyre. Having played the piano and the flute all my life as an amateur musician, I felt humbled at first that there are not so many tones on the lyre and that these were quite simple melodies, yet when I played this exercise again and again, observing Christian's instruction, I found myself experiencing each single tone as a living being, it was something I had never experienced qualitatively with the piano or the flute, that I could feel the presence of the sound and the melody I was playing on the lyre.
After I finished studying this book, I did not wait too long to start going to Germany to study with Christian and Martin Tobiassen in person. Since 2019, I have gone to Christian and Martin's Summer Lyre Academy for Artistic Playing of the Lyre nearly every summer, except for 2020 when traveling overseas was impossible. Every year, we have gathered in this music-friendly, privately owned castle near Würzburg and stayed there for one week, while working on various solo, ensemble, and plenum pieces, which culminate in a public sharing on the last day. Over time, I have worked on various musical pieces under Christian and Martin's supervision, but what I have found most admirable in working with Christian, especially when he conducts our plenum pieces, is his "awakening and consolation" approach in selecting music.
The modern lyre is a new musical instrument, having been born in Dornach in 1926, and not only its sound, but its music is relatively new. Every year at the Academy, we have explored original lyre music by mostly anthroposophic composers such as Jan Nilsson, Volker Dillmann, and Lothar Reubke. A most memorable experience for me was to play Christian's own piece, "12-tone Canon," the sounding of which was so new and eye-opening that once I learned it, it was impossible not to hear it in my head for a long time. When presenting lyre music in a concert, Christian always combines such pieces that require some new attitudes toward listening with more classical pieces (hence "consolation"). For the latter group, every year we play pieces by such composers as Bach and Händel, mostly in four voices. One summer, Christian conducted us playing Mozart's "Priests' March" from the Magic Flute, which was delightful, as well as Samuel Barber's "Adagio," for which we as a group practiced to sing a melody together, like a snail movement. He also brought us classical pieces by lesser known composers such as Fanny Hensel and Wesselin Stojanoff, and every summer we have some surprises. I strongly believe that this practice of presenting both experimental, original lyre pieces along with classical pieces needs to be explored more here in the US, where I feel not many people actually know that a small lyre orchestra can play such a wide variety of music.
Christian teaching students at the Lyre Summer Academy in August, 2024
It should be noted that Christian’s unique and versatile musical approach has been so respected and recognized that a number of professionally trained musicians have began performing the modern lyre in concert halls in towns like Leipzig and Dresden, featuring some of these pieces we explore together with Christian and Martin in the summer, sometime as an ensemble with other musical instruments such as the violin, viola, and flute, both modern and period-instruments. I witnessed many examples of such fine performances of the modern lyre at the “Eurythmy-Lyre Festival III” at Goetheanum in October 2024.
Members of the Summer Lyre Academy, July-August 2024. Christian Giersch standing; Saeko Shibayama third from the left.
Last, but not least, it would need to be said that most of the lyre players in the world know Christian for his "Kleines Gebet in Klang für Leier round um die Erde," which he composed in the spring of 2020, when the world became an isolated place. Under the movement of the Lyre Mantle, we all played this piece in different parts of the world, imagining that even though humanity was experiencing a lockdown, the lyre sound was traveling and connecting us spiritually.
In this spirit, Christian has already composed a new piece, "A Mantle of Time and Sound," which will become the seed of a larger plenum piece he has been working for the "100 Years of the Lyre Impulse" – A Lyre Centennial International Conference that will be held at the Goetheanum in Switzerland from July 29 to August 2, 2026. For all of these reasons, it will be a very special summer for us to welcome Christian here in the US, as a guest teacher at the Lyre Association of North America's annual conference in Camphill Village Copake, in New York, from August 15-20, 2025. Anyone who is interested in Christian's way of promoting music out of anthroposophy and through the modern lyre will be welcome (registration is still open; a lyre rental service and travel scholarship are available; we will also offer a children's program simultaneously). We will also have a final concert on the evening of August 19, which will be open to the public, so I hope that the lyre sound and music can reach many people this summer in New York!
My Path to the Lyre
Christian Giersch playing the bass lyre at Schloss Seehaus in 2021
As I grew up in a Lutheran parsonage, singing and playing the piano and organ were the most important musical experiences of my childhood. Starting around the age of 14, I regularly accompanied my father on his walks to the village churches in the area to play the organ for church services. This happened under the conditions of the atheistic regime of the German Democratic Republic. The churches were poor, the organs old and out of tune, the congregations small. What inspired me back then was the music of J.S. Bach and free improvisation – both of which I still love to this day.
At the age of 21, after an unsuccessful attempt to escape from communist East Germany, I was imprisoned for 11 months. During this time, in a completely unmusical environment, I had my first intense experiences of pure inner listening to music. However, I had not learned to write down these musical experiences.
After I came to the freedom of West Germany with the help of the West German state, I was finally able to study church music. The organ was my main subject, but I was lucky enough to meet a spiritual teacher in piano who worked with me on the essentials of sound. From this teacher, Dora Metzger, I learned to understand and work on the connection between breath and movement with inner and outer sound. I was also able to talk with her about my experiences of inner listening.
I have to say that I learned the essentials of playing the lyre on the piano back then, when I didn’t even know the lyre yet!
During this time of my studies, I also came into contact with anthroposophy. Through Rudolf Steiner, I found the gateway to a truly great understanding of what music is. Without him, I might not have remained a musician.
The first time I heard lyre music was at a Christian Community service at Christmas time in 1977. I had the feeling that this sound expressed the supernatural truth of tones, and immediately the impulse was there: I want to learn this! It was not easy to find teachers, but I was subsequently able to build on everything I had learned through the medium of the piano from Dora Metzger.
Since that time, I have been a constant student of the lyre. This instrument is always about making the acoustic sound transparent for the movement of the supersensible or “etheric” sound.
This is a new musical quality that we must gradually develop in our time in order to avoid becoming more and more spiritually, mentally, and physiologically numb, which is the direction we are being subtly pushed in our modern materialistic world.
An Invitation to Members and Friends for the 2026 International Lyre Conference
Dear LANA Members and Friends,
One year from now, in late July and early August of 2026, lyrists from all over the world will gather at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland for an international celebration in honor of the centenary of the lyre. During the next year, and beginning formally with our 2025 Lyre Conference in just a few weeks, members and friends will be hearing much more about the exciting musical activities planned for this special occasion.
Reproduction of the First Modern Lyre
A prime spotlight for our 2026 gathering will be prepared concert offerings from different countries. The organizing committee expressed the wish to have the participation of the US in such an offering, and we are pleased to share that Christina Porkert, Saeko Shibayama, and Sheila Johns have agreed to be the organizers for the preparation of an America Lyre Ensemble to perform at our international conference next summer.
Participation in this ensemble is open for the consideration of any members or friends who are committed to traveling to Dornach for the conference, who are able to solidly learn the program of music being prepared, and who are willing and able to be present at the rehearsals that will be scheduled.
We will have an initial meeting during one of the post-lunch times in our upcoming conference in Copake, though it is not necessary to be at this organizing meeting in order to be a part of the ensemble. We will read through some music and discuss more details at that time, but we are aiming for a group of 12-14 at the most, and we are planning to schedule rehearsals for the whole group three times during the upcoming year – two of which will be mandatory for all participants. It will also be necessary to have a good spread of ranges in order to be able to form a balanced ensemble.
If you would be interested to learn more or to participate in this initiative, please contact Christina Porkert at cep@fairpoint.net before August 15th when our 2025 Conference begins.
Warm Regards,
Sheila Johns Christina Porkert Saeko Shibayama
This year, LANA’s Summer Conference will once again be held in beautiful Copake, NY. We are very excited to welcome Christian Giersch from Germany who will work with us on the theme ‘Let the Tone Come Alive!’ during the five days of the conference. Lyre players of all levels are encouraged to join us as we explore this theme together. This conference will be, in many ways, a preparation for the historic 100-year anniversary of the birth of the lyre, which will be celebrated at our International Lyre Conference in Dornach, Switzerland in the summer of 2026. We are most fortunate this summer to have the opportunity to work directly with one of the master lyrists in Europe who also happens to be one of the organizers of next summer’s international conference!
What follows here are Christian’s vision for our time together, highlights of our planned activities, and our daily schedule. Please DO NOT MISS the important message to ALL LANA members and friends that follows the link to the daily schedule below!
Christian has elaborated on the conference theme and his intentions for our time together in the following short description:
The wonderful sound of the lyre can lead both listener and player to the experience that musical tones, intervals, and rhythms are more than mere physical phenomena. They want to be experienced and formed like living beings. Only then does their inherent strength to create peace and community unfold. I have worked with this theme for decades as a teacher and performing artist and would like to share my experiences with you. By means of basic practical exercises (suitable for lyrists of any skill level), through moving together, playing the lyre (with and without sheet music), through singing, and listening, we will come closer to the living essence of music: Let the tone come alive!
The conference will open with Registration on Friday afternoon, August 15th, followed by LANA’s Annual Member’s Meeting and official Opening Evening that will feature performances by local musicians and other lyrists, and with a talk and musical offering by Christian.
The conference will then run for the subsequent four full days of Saturday, August 16 – Tuesday, August 19th.
Daily workshops include plenums, Strömendes Gestalten improvisation, Honing Lyre Skills and small group workshops according to skill level.
On Monday evening August 18th, Christian will give an interactive ‘Sound Workshop’ concert.
There will be a public sharing of music for the community on Tuesday evening, August 19th.
The plenum, evaluations, and closing will take place on Wednesday morning, August 20th.
See the plan for our daily schedule at the following link:
Early Bird Deadline is July 15th . . . Register NOW!!
IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:
The planning for this conference started the very week after our 2024 Summer conference. We were able to engage Christian as our Master Teacher, we obtained a commitment once again from Camphill Copake for our venue, and we secured dates – all by the end of the year, which is earlier than we have ever had such details in place for an upcoming conference.
Unfortunately, a little more than one month out now, our enrollment is much lower than we had expected or imagined. We are moving forward, past obvious financial concerns, because we feel strongly that meeting together will be an important spiritual deed as we form an American nexus in preparation for our much-anticipated international lyre conference in 2026. We ask that anyone who is planning to attend the conference and may not yet have registered to please do so as soon as possible so that we can plan appropriately. We both welcome and need your participation!
We would also like to support the attendance of those who might need to travel from a distance with a discounted tuition or scholarship, but at this moment, we are not sure we will meet the basic costs of hosting the conference. So, if you yourself are not able to attend, we ask you to help us by considering a donation of $50 to LANA so that we can welcome anyone who has not yet registered because of travel-related expenses.
It must be acknowledged that we are in a time of tremendous upheaval and change on numerous fronts, both nationally and globally, and we recognize that the resulting feeling of overwhelm can make it feel easier and perhaps safer to just stay home. But we also know very well the soul nourishment we receive when we come together in person to play, to move, to sing, and to create. The warmth of camaraderie and music-making together is something that simply cannot be experienced online. Such in-person encounters to create something together under the guidance of a recognized master teacher can have a deep healing effect, affirming our sense of shared humanity and the creative purpose of our existence through artistic work together.
If you are planning to attend the international conference in Dornach, this summer’s work will be an ideal preparation. If you are not able to attend the international conference next year, then this summer’s work will be as close as you can get to the kind of experience we will have there, including playing some of the music that has been expressly written for that conference! Please consider if it really could be possible for you to join us, register today, and encourage others in your circles to do the same. Remember that we always welcome beginners, and that some financial aid IS still available!
We sincerely hope that you can join us!
The LANA Board / Conference Committee
Many thanks to Christian for sending us another piece of music that we will play together during our summer conference in preparation for its presentation at our 2026 international Lyre Conference in Switzerland! In what follows, Christian describes the inspiration behind his piece and how it is to be played.
All people share the experience of the earth’s daily passage from day to night. This cycle unites us as humanity and, at the same time, allows us to witness the relationship that the different cities, countries, and continents in which we reside have to one other. Every location is at the same time eastern, western and central, depending on which direction it is seen from. The conference in Dornach is intended to bring together people from all parts of the world under the signature of the new sound of the lyre. It is as if all times of the day will meet in one place at the same time to search for a great harmony of the future.
Based on this image, the composition, “A Mantle of Time and Sound” was created. Its four parts are dedicated to the four divisions of the day: morning to midday, afternoon to evening, night to midnight and midnight to dawn. The middle voice represents the path of human beings. It can be played on soprano and alto lyres and can also be sung. The upper voice is only for soprano lyres (and advanced players) and was composed with the air and light-beings of our atmosphere in mind. The lower part (alto and bass lyres) gives voice to those beings who accompany us on and beneath the earth. The capital letters indicate individual tones (not chords). They can be played “ad libitum” by beginner lyre players or they can also be played with bells and other metal instruments. After several repetitions, the last tone “a” concludes the piece. An asterisk (*) underneath a tone is a damping indication: Please mute when the next tone sounds.
This music is part of the Plenum-Gesamtkunstwerk that is to be created in Dornach in 2026.
Christian Giersch, February 2025
Follow the link below to download the music:
Our summer youth camp kicks off on Saturday, August 16th! We are delighted that master teacher Veronika Roemer will once again lead our youth program in an exciting exploration of music with instruments, singing, and games. The “We Love Music” camp is being held in conjunction with the LANA Summer Lyre Conference and is designed for young people aged 9 to 16. The program fosters a deeper connection with music and encourages friendships through music-making.
This year’s camp runs from Saturday, August 16th to Wednesday, August 20th (9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) with an evening performance for the community on Tuesday, August 19th. Camp participants will spend the morning session together with Veronika, developing music skills and creating community. Lunch and a group activity will be provided on the Camphill Copake campus following the morning session. In the afternoon, the young people will join the adults to participate in the lyre conference with master teacher Christian Giersch in preparation for the Tuesday evening performance.
We encourage any young person who may be thinking of attending the 2026 World Lyre Conference at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland to join the “We Love Music” camp this year. This is an incredible opportunity to learn from two master teachers, Veronika Roemer and Christian Giersch, and to experience the power of musical community.
Please note that we are aware of the overlapping dates of the “We Love Music” camp and the Christian Community youth camp in northeast Pennsylvania. If your child will be attending the Christian Community camp and is also interested in the “We Love Music” camp, please let us know. Contact Julia Elliott with questions: juliabelliott@gmail.com
We hope to see your child at the “We Love Music” camp!
LANA friends Undine Killian (IL) and Elliott Chamberlin (MD) have organized a meeting of Christian Community musicians on the East Coast. See details below:
CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY MUSICIANS MEETING ON THE EAST COAST – IN SPRING VALLEY, NY
LET'S CONNECT, SHARE, EXPLORE AND PLAY TOGETHER!
When: FRIDAY, 6/27, 7:00PM – SUNDAY, 6/29, 1:00PM
Accommodations: Holder House, Homestays or Hotels
COST: $100 participation fee (incl. 4 meals from Sat breakfast till Sun breakfast and covers facility costs)
Please register by emailing: Undine Killian, ukillian@posteo.de
with your name, instrument, city, and dietary needs. Thank you!
Our Summer Youth Music Camp will be held again at Camphill Copake with master teacher Veronika Roemer. Please join us as we explore the world of sound with percussion and wind instruments made from metal, wood, clay, and stone as well as string instruments (psaltery and lyre). Participants are welcome to bring instruments that they would like to share with the group but no previous musical experience is required or necessary.
Our youth program will offer a wonderful foundation for any young people who are interested in attending the 2026 World Lyre Conference at the Goetheanum next summer!
Contact Julia Elliott for more information.
