Kimberton Regional Lyre Workshop

/

L to R: Lyrists Margo Ketchum, Samantha Embrey, Veronika Roemer, Molly Halliday, & Sumin Dai

It was a diverse group that assembled at Margo Ketchum’s home in Kimberton on April 4 for a regional weekend workshop: Our ages stretched from 17 to 83; our homes ranged from Long Island, NY to Crozet, VA; our experience of lyre playing varied from well over 30 years to only a few years: and our lyres were created in five separate workshops. Yet, under Veronika Roemer’s leadership, we quickly found common ground in making music together.

In addition to Veronika and Margo, the group included Molly Halliday, Sumin Dai, and me. Mostly, we played the sheet music that Veronika had previously sent us. There was a wonderful variety – music by Bach, Beethoven, and Telemann as well as music written for the lyre by Christian Giersch, Martin Tobiassen, Lothar Reubke, and Max Gross. Each piece posed its own set of challenges and prompted technical tips for lyre playing. For me, the most memorable tip was “flesh on the strings” – i.e., use the full finger pad to produce a full tone on the upper strings of the lyre. For the lower strings, on the other hand, we learned that the tips of the fingers are best.

As a musicologist, I have to note that, thanks to Veronika’s transcription, it was likely the first time that Bach’s B-flat minor prelude and fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Volume I, had ever been performed on the lyre! It was beautiful music that worked well on the lyre, despite its five flats!

Interspersed with playing sheet music were sessions of improvising, each session introducing a different approach to improvising. In one, for example, we took turns around the circle, continuing the thread begun by the person next to us. In another, we overlapped melodies –someone improvised a melody and another person joined in, the first person stopped and a third joined it, and so forth.

I suspect the rewards of the weekend varied somewhat for all of the members of the group but that we all found joy in overcoming our personal challenges and in making music together.

J S Bach Goldberg Variations

/

Book Review: JS BACH NINE CANONS from the GOLDBERG VARIATIONS BWV 988

  • FOURTEEN CANONS on the first eight notes of the ground of the GOLDBERG VARIATIONS BWV 1087

  • Arranged for lyres or other instruments by J S Clark

    Reviewers Note: After volunteering to review this new music edition set by JS Clark, I realized that all of the pieces are for two or more voices.  Because I do not have lyre colleagues nearby, I was only able to play the single lines.  John Clark’s introduction to this collection and how he came to compile it is fascinating, and much more interesting than anything I could say.  That said, I highly recommend finding other musicians and working through the content.

John Clark’s INTRODUCTION:

See in LANA Store

Sometime in the mid-1990s I was asked to contribute lyre music to a conference held in Emerson College, Sussex on the theme of Cosmic Music. I contacted a few friends, all of whom were very able players, and we performed the Nine Canons that run like a red thread through the Goldberg Variations. This was the beginning of the lyre ensemble called Naked Piano that went on to perform a wide variety of music, both contemporary and classical, for several more years. 

Printed in Bach's lifetime as the final part of his Clavier-Übung series, the Aria mit verschiedenen Veraenderungen or Goldberg Variations, as they came to be known, were not always as popular as they are in our time. Although the Goldberg Variations had been recorded before, both on harpsichord as well as on piano, it was Glen Gould's first recording in 1956 that brought the music to the attention of a wider public and allowed it to be gradually seen as part of the standard keyboard repertoire. 

In spite of my very modest keyboard ability, I had a very deep interest in Bach's music, and for many years I had explored it not only on piano but also on lyre with other friends and colleagues. I found myself particularly drawn to the Goldberg Variations because of the (now widely discounted) story about their origin, related by Nikolaus Forkel (1749-1818) in his seminal work on the life of Johann Sebastian Bach published in 1802. He describes how the Variations were commissioned by Count Hermann Carl von Keyserling who was the former Russian Ambassador to the court in Dresden and who had a very young protégé, Johann Gottlieb Goldberg (1727-1726), who had been a pupil of Bach. The Count was frequently ill and had many sleepless nights: 

"Goldberg, who was living in his house, was obliged to pass the night in the next room at such times and to play something to the Count during his insomnia. Once the Count mentioned to Bach that he would like to have some keyboard pieces from Goldberg with a delicate and lively character such as might cheer him up during his sleepless nights." 

Perhaps this description of the music as having a "delicate and lively character" piqued my interest, since this description could equally be a characterization of the tone and timbre of the modern lyre. Perhaps I was also intrigued that one member of the same Keyserling/Keyserlingk family had been involved with Bach, and another member, hundreds of years later, in 1924, with the inauguration of a new organic approach to agriculture proposed by Rudolf Steiner. 

It also has to be said that, as a music therapist, I had a professional interest. Was Bach trying to create a composition for the Count that could alleviate his insomnia therapeutically? At the hand of the lovely song by Henry Purcell, An Evening Hymn, I was well aware of the belief current in that time, that during sleep, as the body lay in the bed, the soul would repose in the arms of God. Were these variations, with their nine canons, a musical journey through the heavens of Dante, a substitute for the nightly heavenly journey the insomniac Count could not make? Moreover, was the structure of the 32 movements of the Goldberg Variations perhaps inspired by Dante's Paradiso with its 33 chapters? Was there a hidden 33rd variation? These and many other questions led me to create and offer a series of three lectures about the Goldberg Variations. 

No manuscript holograph copy of the Goldberg Variations has ever been found, but in 1974, Bach's own printed copy came to light in Strasbourg. In it, on a blank page at the end of the copy, he had added 14 short perpetual motion puzzle canons based on the first eight notes of the ground of the Aria. 

It is widely thought that these fourteen canons, found at the end of Bach's own printed exemplar, represent a signature to this final part of the Clavier-Übung, in cabbalistic number-letter substitution with the letters B-A-C-H (2+1+3+8)-14. 

The second part of this edition has a performing score in six parts with the solutions to the canons divided into four movements. Metronome marks are suggestions only. 

J.S.Clark
2024 Monassa, Ireland

2025 Spring Lyre Notes

/

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 Spring Lyre Notes. In this issue you’ll find all the registration information for both our Summer Lyre Conference “Let the Tone Come Alive!” as well as our Youth Music Camp in addition to some timely reflections from our lyre community.

  • Letter from the Editor

  • Seasonal Inspiration: Veils – Margeret Collinson from Morning Prayers

  • 2025 Summer Lyre Conference 2025: Descriptions, Registration Links, Music, Schedule

  • 2025 Summer Youth Music Camp: Description and Registration Link

  • From the Archives: Listening to What You See

  • Workshop Review: Listening through the Sacred Silence

  • Festival Reflection: The Easter Occurrence and Johan Sebastian Bach

  • Music for Good Friday: The Seven Last Words from the Cross by John Clark

  • Music for Easter and Every Day by Christof-Andreas Lindenberg

Please enjoy this quarterly issue!
Catherine Read, Editor Lyre Notes

Read as a booklet online or download as a PDF

Regional Lyre Weekend with Veronika Roemer

/

Regional Lyre Weekend
April 4–6, 2025
with Veronika Roemer

Verronika Roemer (on the Right) with participants in the 2021 Kimberton Regional Lyre Workshop

An opportunity for lyre players to make music together: improvise, learn a few new pieces, strengthen your technique, and have joy!

Dates: Friday 4/4/25 at 7pm, Saturday 9AM – 7 PM, Sunday 4/6/25, 9AM –12 noon
Location: 2237 Kimberton Road, Phoenixville, PA 19460 

Cost: $60 for the whole workshop to be paid at the beginning of the gathering; $20 for children, who may join the workshop on Saturday between 2:00 and 5:00 pm

Food: Please bring or plan to purchase your own snacks/lunch/dinner. Kimberton Whole Foods is a short walk away.

This workshop is for any player, regardless of skill level. Upon registration, you will receive material to prepare for the weekend. Children and youth who have been introduced to the chromatic lyre are welcome on Saturday from 2:00 – 5:00 pm.

Veronika Roemer has many years' experience of working with groups of mixed abilities. Sessions include singing, improvising, and playing from sheet music. Music is chosen according to the players' abilities and often arranged to fit the need. 

For any questions and to register, please email: vbrtnstn@gmail.com.

Appeal for Korean Lyrist Hong Chang Kim

/

Dear friends in our worldwide lyre movement,

My name is Miranda Markgraf, and I am a eurythmist of Korean descent, currently living in Berlin. I am writing today to ask for the help of our colleagues throughout the world to support the Korean lyre teacher and anthroposophic music therapist Hong Chang Kim. 

Hong Chang Kim with a student in His Music Therapy studio

Those who have attended previous international conferences may remember Hong Chang Kim. And some of you may have heard that he suffered a grave misfortune at the turn of the year in South Korea. Due to a defect in the heating system of the monastery where Hong Chang spent New Year's Eve, he suffered severe carbon monoxide poisoning and third-degree burns. He fell into a coma for 10 days. We are relieved and grateful that he is awake again, but even today he is still in a sensitive condition and is hospitalized in a Seoul hospital. His condition requires around-the-clock care and there are still several surgeries and skin transplants ahead of him. So far, only a part of the burned skin and muscle tissue has been removed. Hong Chang Kim can barely speak or move at the moment. Due to a stroke last year, he is already under both physical and financial strain. Hong Chang’s visit to the Buddhist temple where the tragic accident occurred also has a lyre history, as Hong Chang taught the monk of the monastery to play the lyre when he was still a child monk…..

Hong Chang Kim with Lyre Colleagues, including Susanne Reinhold on the left

I, myself, have had professional and private contact with Mr Kim for about two years, but colleagues Susanne Reinhold and Joachim Lentz have known him for a much longer time and have shared the following history of Hong Chang’s work with the lyre.

Hong Chang became acquainted with the lyre when he came into contact with anthroposophy and Waldorf education through introductory seminars for Waldorf education in South Korea. To learn more, he traveled to Germany, learned the language, brought his small family to Germany, and studied both Waldorf education and anthroposophical music therapy. The lyre became increasingly important to him. He traveled to Wolfgang Friebe for lessons, attended lyre meetings, and visited Pär Ahlboom in Sweden. The lyre became his main instrument. Back in Korea, he set up a small lyre school, represented
lyre instruments from Sweden in Korea, later worked intensively with Horst Nieder, and organised many workshops with teachers from Germany, such as Pär Ahlbom, Andreas Lehmann, Susanne Heinz, and Susanne Reinhold. 

Students at Youth Lyre Conference

Hong Chang Kim and Joachim Lentz at International Youth Conference

He taught many groups of children, introducing them to the pentatonic children’s lyre in a very lively way that inspired them to take up the chromatic lyre, so that he was able to take them on trips to lyre conferences, e.g. to Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic, to Haus Arild in Germany, and to Jeju, an island in South Korea. At Haus Arild, a boarding school for socially handicapped children run by lyrist Joachim Lentz, Hong Chang brought 7-8 well-prepared young lyre players to join in a youth lyre conference in both 2017 and 2018, creating, in this way, an international atmosphere in the boarding school so that the local students, some also coming with Martin Tobiassen, could experience that there were young lyre players on the other side of the world...

Hong Chang Kim and Martin Tobiassen at International Youth Conference

Here follow two videos from these occasions with Hong Chang conducting his students, who had prepared these pieces to share with the German friends at Haus Arild. 

Hong Chang leading youth lyrists Video #1
Hong Chang leading youth lyrists Video #2

Hong Chang Kim with Susanne Reinhold and Korean Colleague

Hong Chang later combined a music therapy training program with the lyre impulse in collaboration with Susanne Reinhold, led two students to an external degree under the umbrella of the Musiktherapeutische Arbeitsstätte Berlin, and finally completed a four-year further training course in music therapy with seven students last summer, which is currently undergoing the recognition process at iARTe.

Local friends and colleagues in South Korea visit Hong Chang regularly. They raised some money to maintain Maria Music Therapy Room in Seoul. A colleague, the Waldorf teacher Ms. LangJoo Park, is carrying a large part of his care privately. But unfortunately, it's not enough. Since there is no statutory health insurance in Korea and medical costs, operations, medication, care, and hospitalization have to be paid privately, Mr. Kim and those close to him who feel responsible are now facing increasing costs.

It is difficult to forecast the future, but it’s very probable that the treatments in the hospital need to continue for several months and Mr. Kim's medical costs are currently of around 7,000 euros per month. The monthly rent for his Maria music therapy room is close to 1,100 euros. So the costs are currently at 16,200 euros for this January and February. When March is over, it is estimated to be around 24,300 euros. 

We are reaching out to the world lyre community to consider joining us to support this devoted lyre teacher and anthroposophic music therapist to whatever extent you are inspired and able.

In the U.S., all donations will be collected until March 30th in the donation account of the Lyre Association of North America which will then send the collected funds to the German account where 100% will be passed on to Mr. Hong Chang Kim in Korea. Depending on the current situation, we will either end the fundraising campaign or continue it if necessary. In any case, we will keep you informed about the progress. 

If you would like a donation receipt, please include your full donor address in the intended purpose when making the transfer, in addition to the keywords "Help for Hong Chang Kim".

Dear friends, please forward this information to anyone who may be interested to help. Hong Chang had many plans to bring new impulses from anthroposophy to Korea: the lyre, music therapy, singing therapy, external applications, death culture - all linked with the great desire to create a basis for anthroposophic medicine in Korea and to work together with it.

Let us hope that he will be able – at least in a reduced form – to continue working on these impulses.

Thank you very much and best regards, 
Miranda Markgraf and friends of Hong Chang Kim

Summer Music Camp for Youth

/

WE LOVE MUSIC!

Summer Youth Music Camp in Copake, NY in conjunction with the
2025 LANA Summer Lyre Conference, for ages 9 – 16 

Dates:  Saturday, August 16th through Wednesday, August 20th 
Time:  9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
With a performance on the evening of Tues, August 19th

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!  

Registration will open soon.
Contact Julia Elliott (juliabelliott@gmail.com) for more information.

Calling for Stories! Copy Deadline March 5 . . .

/

Easter this year, as cosmically determined from the equinox, full moon, and day of the week, is the latest that is possible for this festival:  April 20.  On April 19, 1924 Rudolf Steiner lectured about the Easter festival in Dornach, Switzerland. This, and the subsequent three lectures, would be the last time he would speak publically on this topic.  This year, in 2025, Easter falls on a date near the one of Steiner's final lectures on the Easter festival that relates to the evolution of the mysteries.  Perhaps we may have a particular resonance with those lectures this year. 

We celebrate Easter in the spring now, which, in temperate zones, is the renewal of plant life after the sleep of winter.  Each time that Easter comes around (and we must be particularly conscious about the time, as it is not a fixed date), we have a chance to renew our awareness of death, coming out of death, and the mystery of the Christ events at the time of Golgotha. And we are also aware that the Resurrected Christ continued to work with the disciples. 

In this time leading up to Easter, please send me your stories and accounts of playing and/or listening to lyre music around the time of Easter.  Music gives us the potential to be aware of the spiritual world and, also, to give something back to the spiritual world, especially in the form of  the freed tone of the lyre. 

Please send your contributions for our Spring Lyre Notes by Wednesday, March 5, which is the beginning of the 40 days before Easter. I look forward to hearing from you!

Catherine Read
Editor, Lyre Notes  

Lyre Music for St. Patrick’s Day

/

If you are looking for Irish music to play for St. Patrick’s Day, check out our LANA music store here.  We have books of Irish music arranged for lyres by John Billing, John Clark, Anna Prokhovnik Cooper, Beatrijs Gradenwitz and Cecilia Unsworth.  Most of the collections offer music for ensemble and also solo players, and you’ll find some of the most beautiful Irish melodies arranged by the best composers of lyre music. 

Many of John Billing’s music books are available on our website in both physical and digital format.  There’s still plenty of time to order books to arrive for your St. Patrick’s day enjoyment. 

If you are looking for personal recommendations, please see reviews of many of the books here.  And feel free to reach out with questions – we are always happy to help!

2025 Summer Lyre Conference with Master Lyre Teacher Christian Giersch

/

AUGUST 15-20  – SAVE THE DATES! 
2025 Summer Lyre Conference with Master Lyre Teacher Christian Giersch 

We are very happy to announce that the dates have been set for our 2025 Summer Lyre Conference with renowned lyrist and teacher, Christian Giersch, to be held at Camphill Village in Copake, New York.  

  • The conference will open with Registration on Friday afternoon, August 15th, followed by LANA’s Annual Members Meeting and official Opening Evening that will feature performances by local musicians and other lyrists, with a talk and musical offering by Christian.

  • The conference will then run for the subsequent four days of Saturday, August 16 – Tuesday, August 19th, and 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.

  • And we are very pleased to announce that we will once again host a Youth Program that will run simultaneously with the adult conference and will be carried and conducted by Veronika Roemer. 

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us once again in beautiful upstate New York for our 2025 summer conference, which will be a wonderful preparation for the Centenary World Lyre Conference that will take place at the Goetheanum in the summer of 2026: Wednesday, July 29th – Sunday, August 3rd. 

On another note . . .
Have you read the Advent 2024 edition of Lyre Notes by LANA? Here is the link, in case you missed it.  In that issue, we were pleased to share an arrangement of a celebratory round, written by Christian Giersch in anticipation of the international conference in 2026, which will also be prominently featured at our summer conference in 2025!

If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact Sarah Stosiek at sarahstosiek.lyre@gmail.com.

With warm greetings,
The LANA Conference Group

2024 Summer Lyre Conference

/

2024 Summer Lyre Conference
and Annual Members’ Meeting

With this week’s blog post, we are turning to our 2024 Summer Lyre Conference in Copake, New York. Five of our conference participants have written brief reflections about their experiences, and in addition, we are pleased to be able to share with our readers the video recordings from our opening Annual Members’ Meeting as well as our final public sharing.

To begin, we are pleased to announce the slate of officers that the LANA Board of Directors has elected to serve from August 2024 to August 2025. Nancy Carpenter has agreed to continue as president for another year, Julia Elliot will serve as vice-president, Sally Willig, with Sarah Stosiek's assistance, will take on the responsibility of secretary, and Margo Ketchum will continue as treasurer, with the faithful help of our accountant, Janice Hartmann.  Sheila Johns will step back from the position of vice-president for the next year in order to devote her full attention to the increasingly demanding work of our LANA Publications.

Our officers are pleased to have such a cohesive group of board members and appreciate the support of our LANA members. If you would be interested in volunteering to help with furthering the mission of the Lyre Association, please contact us at lyreassociation.org.

Here follows the video recording of our Annual Members’ Meeting, held on August 13th, 2024. (Link to video here)

Participant Reflections on the 2024 Lyre Conference

We are grateful to the following five conference participants for sharing a few words about their experience of our summer conference this year:

From Diane Barnes: The 2024 Summer Lyre Conference was held at Camphill Village, Copake, NY, which is truly the best place to have a lyre conference!  Fountain Hall has a good-sized stage for the lyrists and other instrumentalists as well as a large auditorium with many seats for the audience.

In my opinion, nothing sounds better than a stage full of lyres, with other instruments joining at designated moments in the music. Our guest master teacher, Anna Cooper, chose all of the music for us, and she also composed some of it herself. We all missed having Anna as well as her partner and colleague Sarah Boyd with us in person, but with the help of technology, we were able to take advantage of the many things they had both prepared for us through the medium of Zoom. We send our love and gratitude to both Anna and Sarah as they move through their individual healing journeys. My heart is filled with joy every time I think of this 2024 conference, and I can hardly wait for the next one.

We must also give thanks to our own Margo Ketchum and to Rose Aring from Camphill for setting up all of the needed technology – microphones and recording equipment, etc.  What a feat!

***

From Sheila Devlin: My appreciation of the 2024 Summer Lyre Conference has been focused on Anna Cooper’s fingering for the family of arpeggios. My hand has changed position, flattening somewhat, which has resulted in clearer playing and better tone. This invites me to play with pleasure. As a remote participant, I applaud all the hard work that went into making the conference possible for so many, and I wish everyone a beautiful autumn full of color.

From Emily Thunberg: I appreciate your request for feedback from the summer lyre conference, and I wanted to make sure that I share with you how valuable it was for me to do the online program. 

I was at the 2019 Summer Lyre Conference and learned how to play the lyre for the first time. I was very sad that I didn't see a way to continue learning it and asked the LANA Board if there was someone who could teach me over Zoom, as I live in Utah and not close to any of the teachers. Lucky for me, Diane Barnes said that she would. I have been playing the lyre bi-weekly ever since. It is only because of this online opportunity that I have been able to learn to play the lyre.

I have three young children at home and 19 piano students and leaving for a conference is just not possible for me, so the hybrid possibility this last summer was truly a gift for me. I have been able to digest the recorded material from the conference at a slower pace at home and go a little deeper with it. I am still not finished with the recordings but loving what I have learned so far.

During the Annual Member’s Meeting, I was very inspired by the sharings of people in the lyre community and was moved to ask my son's Waldorf kindergarten teacher if I could play for his class, and he said I could play for the Festival of Courage. I had never played for anyone other than my family at Christmas time. 

After that, he asked me to play in the morning while the children are washing their hands and going into the circle. It has been so amazing to share the lyre with a wider audience and also to share in my son's class. I honestly don't think I would have done this without first hearing what other people were doing in their communities through the online summer conference option and my online lyre work with Diane Barnes.

I would be missing my connection to the lyre community if the hybrid conference model was discontinued, so I truly hope that it will continue!

***

From Michael Brewer:

Hearing, Listening, Insight
Luke 18

Now it happened that as they drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. And hearing the crowd passing by, he asked what was going on there. And they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying: "Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!" And those who were walking in front of the crowd warned him to be quiet, but he himself called out all the louder: "Son of David, have mercy on me!"

O'Carolan: Painting by J.C.Timbrell

O'Carolan: Painting by J.C.Timbrell

On stopping, Jesus commanded that he be brought to him; and when he was near, he asked him: "What do you want me to do for you?" And he said: "Lord, let me receive my sight." And Jesus said to him: "Receive your sight; your faith and trust have become a power of salvation in you." And immediately he looked up and followed him, and revealed God's working in him. And seeing him thus, all of the crowd gave praise to God. –Luke 18

Those of us who had the chance to experience a recent lyre concert at Fountain Hall in Camphill Village Copake heard the lyre orchestra play a piece by the Irish harpist-composer Turlough O'Carolan. He was an early contemporary of Bach and Handel, known (especially in Ireland) for his many beautiful pieces for the Irish harp. He was a great harpist, and he was blind. Thus, he belonged to a line of great blind musicians, stretching from the lyrist-poet Homer to such artists of our time as Joaquin Rodrigo and Ray Charles.

It has been said that blindness can lead to a sharpening of the other senses, especially hearing. This is only partially true. What can happen is that a blind person may, through relying on hearing, notice more of what is sounding in the surrounding world. But this is not hearing; it is listening. A blind person listens, and with that listening power, can come to understanding, to insight.

So, a blind beggar, perhaps like many blind beggars a musician, at the gate of Jericho and listening to conversations of those passing by, may perhaps have come to the insight that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the son of David (also a harpist). And out of the insight can come sight. Perhaps our listening to what can come as sound, melody, harmony, word out of a world we cannot see may also lead us to insight, and with divine help, to sight.

Written after the 2024 Lyre Conference

***

From Brooke Hogan:

We all are connected
To our surroundings,
Elementals and our Inner paths. 
Our Music will be our guide.

We can strive and 
Learn from the best, 
But we are our own teachers.

Let us Rejoice
In every moment
We hold dear to our 
Hearts.

Thank you so much for teaching me.
Brooke

2024 Lyre Conference Closing Evening – Recording

Finally, we are delighted to be able to share the following video that captured many of the musical offerings from our closing evening public sharing.  Please note that the offerings from our Youth Program were not recorded, but we have included a recording of the premiere of Colin Tanser’s Everyman in Belfast in 2006.

Final Performances and Everyman: Link to Video Here

We are also pleased to be able to share some lovely photos of our conference experiences, almost all of which were taken or provided by Board member Saeko Cohn.

2023-2024 LANA Annual Report

/

The Board of the Lyre Association of North America is very pleased to share with our members and friends our 2023-2024 Annual Report, which highlights the activities of our association from April of 2023 to the end of March 2024.  All of our board members have responsibility for different areas of LANA's multi-faceted work, and you will hear from each one of them accordingly in this linked report. Notably, we have dedicated this year's annual report to former LANA Board member and president, Colleen Shetland, opening with a biographical sketch of her life and work, for which we in LANA have been beneficiaries.

We hope you will each enjoy reading through this accounting of the work of the LANA Board over the previous fiscal year!

Annual LANA Members' Meeting

/

Annual LANA Members' Meeting –­ on Zoom and In-Person at Copake, NY –­ August 13 at 4:45 pm

LANA members and conference participants are warmly invited to join us for our Annual Members' Meeting on Tuesday, August 13 at 4:45 pm EDT.  The currently serving LANA Board of Directors will be introduced, and Board Officers for 2024-25 will be announced. In addition, we will welcome reports and updates from all regions of North America.

This will be a hybrid meeting, where members will also have an option to attend by zoom. If you are a LANA member who is unable to attend the conference, please consider joining us by zoom at this link.

Special Announcement - Lyre 2026 at the Goetheanum

/

It is with great pleasure that we announce to the friends of the lyre all over the world:

We will be celebrating from
Wednesday, July 29 to Sunday, August 2, 2026 in Dornach, Switzerland:
“100 Years of the Lyre Impulse – International Festivity Days at the Goetheanum”

We would like to warmly welcome all the friends of the international lyre community. Let us come together from as many countries as possible at the Goetheanum, where the lyre was rediscovered as a modern instrument in 1926, in a festive musical gathering, playing and listening and exploring the variety of developments. A letter with further details will follow soon.

Best regards: Stefan Hasler, Viola Heckel and Hanna Koskinen, (Section for the Performing Arts at the Goetheanum), Susann Temperli (Leier Network Switzerland), and Christian Giersch (Leier Forum Germany)

Gundolf Kühn's Listing of Used Lyres for Sale

/

April 2024

Gundolf Kühn Musikinstrumentenbau Angebot von gebrauchten Leiern: 

1. Kinderharfen, Model Gundolf Kühn, neu, 2.Wahl, Esche, Kirsche . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150€ 

2. Gärtner, Flügelkantele, pentatonisch/diatonisch, neue Saiten, Etui. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250€ 

3. Gärtner, Flügelkantele, pentatonisch/diatonisch, neue Saiten, Etui. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250€ 

4. Gärtner Kinderleier, chromatisch c'-c”’, Nr.853, Bj. 1948, Ahorn/Fichte,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470€ Dunkelbraun matt, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

5. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten a-g", Nr.9181, Bj. 1979, nußbraun poliert,. . . . . . . . . . 1050€ Ahorn/Fichte, Gebrauchsspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

6. Gärtner, Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten a-g", Nr. 1405, Bj. 1956, Ahorn hell, einfache. . . . . . . . 680€ Ausführung, Gebrauchspuren deutlich, neue Saiten 

7. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten a-g”, Nr.3333, Bj. 1965, Ahorn hell, einfache. . . . . . . . . 680€ Ausführung, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten 

8. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten a-g”, Nr. 12576, Bj. 1985, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . 950€ Dunkelbraun matt, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

9. Gärtner kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten g-a”, Nr.: 12512, BJ. 1984,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1100€ Dunkelbraun poliert, Ausführung: 1A, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten NP: 2400€ 

10. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten g-a”, Nr.:4332, Bj. 1968, dunkelbraun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680€ Poliert, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten 

11. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 27 Saiten g-a”, Nr.: 3322, Bj. 1965, hell poliert,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 680€ Einfache Ausführung, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

12. Gärtner Kleine Sopran Leier, 32 Saiten, 2 Ganztonreihen chromatisch, g-d”’ Nr. 1675. . . . . . . . 780€ Bj.1957, Lackierung: natur hell, Gebrauchspuren: normal 

13. Gärtner Große Kantele, 35 Saiten e-d”’, chromatisch, Bj.1987, Gebrauchsspuren: wenig . . . . 450€ 

14. Choroi Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten, e-d”’, Nr. 931 Ahorn/Fichte, linkshänder Leier. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 750€ Zustand: neuwertig, neue Saiten 

15. Choroi Große Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr. 42, Bj. 1985 von G.Kühn in Finnland . . . . . . . 1250€ Ahorn, natur hell lackiert, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

16. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten, e-d”’, Nr. 5470, Bj.1972, Ahorn/Fichte,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2080€ Goldbraun poliert, Gebrauchsspuren: wenig, neue Saiten, neues Etui Samt 

17. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten, e-d”’, Nr. 10640, Bj. 1981, Ahorn/Fichte,. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1850€ Dunkelbraun matt, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten 

18. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 33 Saiten e-c”’, Nr.1595, Bj. 1957, dunkelbraun matt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1850€ Ausführung 1A, geleimter Riss in Decke, neue Saiten 

19. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr.:9890, Bj. 1980, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1850€ Dunkelbraun matt, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten 

20. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 37 Saiten C-c”’, eckiges Model, Nr. 11919, Bj. 1986, Ahorn/Fichte . . . . 2100€ Goldbraun poliert, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten, Neu Preis 5475€ 

21. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr.:11318, Bj,: 1982, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2350€ Hell poliert, Ausführung 1A, Samt Etui, Gebrauchspuren: weinig, NP 5351 

22. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr.:8059, Baujahr: 1977, Ahorn Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2100€ Natur hell matt, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten 

23. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr. 3355, Bj. 1965, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2100€ Dunkelbraun poliert, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten12 Lyre Notes ~ Annual Report 2023–2024 

24. Gärtner Sopran Leier, 35 Saiten e-d”’, Nr. 8699, Bj. 1978, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1980€ Hellbraun matt, Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

25. Gärtner Alt Leier, Model 1926/37, E-f”, Nr.2308, Bj.1961, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2450€ Lack: dunkelbraun poliert, Gebrauchsspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

26. Gärtner Alt Leier, Model 1926/75, E-f”, Nr. 12060, Bj.1984, Ahorn/Fichte. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2275€ Hell poliert, Ausführung 1A, Gebrauchsspuren: normal, neue Saiten, neues Etui 

27. Gärtner Alt Leier, Neues Model 26/76, Nr. 11045, Bj. 1981, Ahorn/Fichte, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3550€ Sonderausführung: geflammter Ahorn hell poliert, Gebrauchspuren: neuwertig, Etui Grüner Samt, neue Saiten; Neupreis: 8379€ 

28. Gärtner Alt Leier, Neues Model 26/76, Nr. 15375, Bj. 1993, Model: Goldene Leier . . . . . . . . . 2650€ Ahorn/Fichte, Gebrauchspuren: normal, neue Saiten NP: 5102€ 

29. Göbel Sopran Leier 25 Saiten e-d”’, Ahorn Fichte, Gebrauchspuren: wenig Neue Saiten Salem. . . . . . . . . 1450€ 

30. Gärtner Große Diskant Leier, Nr.8759, Bj., hellbraun matt, Ahorn/Fichte . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1950€ Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

31. Gärtner Kleine Diskant Leier g-g”’, Nr. 5888, Bj. 1973, dunkelbraun matt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1650€ Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten 

32. Gärtner Tenora Leier, 46 Saiten C-a”, Nr. 17381, Bj.2018, extra Sonderausführung. . . . . . . . . 3900€ Goldene Leier, rehgold poliert, mit Hochwertigem Etui, extra Saitensatz, NP: 5406€ 

33. Choroi Alt Tenor Leier Nr.63, Bj. 2001, 42 Saiten C-f”, Ahorn/Lärche, Zustand: Neuwertig. . . 1950€ 

34. Choroi Alt Tenor Leier Nr.6, Bj. 1990, 42 Saiten C-f”, Ahorn/Mahagonie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1950€ Gebrauchspuren: wenig, neue Saiten Salem 

35. Choroi große Harfenleier, 54 Saiten von A groß bis d”’, Bj. 1989 Schweiz, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3500€ Inkl. Stoffetui, neue Saiten Salem, Neupreis: 8700€ 

Langenberg, 24.04.2024 

Alle Leiern sind generalüberholt, die meisten mit neuen Saiten versehen, mit Etui und Stimmschlüssel. 
Von allen Leiern können auf Wunsch Fotos zugesandt werden. 
Preise zuzüglich Versandkosten. 
Wenn Sie eine Leier haben, die Sie nicht mehr spielen und verkaufen möchten, wenden Sie sich bitte gerne an mich, ich mache Ihnen ein Kaufangebot. 

Gundolf Kühn Musikinstrumentenbau 

Donnerstr.37 
42555 Velbert-Langenberg 

Tel: +49(0)2052 / 814149 
Tel./Fax. Privat: +49(02052/839358) 
Mobil: +49(0)1772034607 

E-Mail: gundolf.kuehn@t-online.de 
www.lyreworkshop.com

Online Sessions: Lyre 2024 Conference

/

This year, the Lyre Association is excited to be able to offer our summer lyre conference as a hybrid event with an online option for those who are unable to join us in-person in beautiful Copake, NY in August.  The deadline for friends in any part of the world to register to join our conference remotely is August 5. Videos of the main sessions will be available to both in-person and online registrants.

All full-group sessions, special workshops, and our final evening sharing, including the performance of Colin Tanser’s "Everyman”, will be available to view live as well as recorded for future viewing. In order to make it possible for our friends in Europe to consider joining us for all of the recorded sessions, we have switched the order of our afternoon offerings, so that our Large Group with Anna will begin at 3:00 pm EDT. Please note this change on our updated daily schedule.  See the events planned for the conference here: Full Conference Info. 

The cost to register for our remote option is $100 for both members and non-members and will include copies of the music that will be made available to in-person participants.  The cost is $30 to register for the three workshops at 2:15 pm only (Wed–Fri, Aug 14–16). See: Online Sessions.

Those who gather in person will have the great advantage of being able to fully participate through playing, singing, and making music with others, participating in small lyre groups, browsing through our music store, and the unmatched experience of social sharing; but if for any reason, it is not possible for you to join us in person this summer, we are trying this year to make some level of remote participation possible through this new online option. Please note our new extended Early Bird deadline of July 15 (for in-person participation) and register now to join us either in person or online!

Spotlight on Summer Lyre Conference Afternoon Workshops

/

The theme of our 2024 Summer Lyre Conference points to the lyre as a pathway to balance. In addition to the lyre intensive aspect of our program, we will be guided through balance in movement and listening. We have also scheduled workshops after lunch on the three full days of our conference, each of which will focus on a different special topic related to our work as lyrists.

Workshop One on LYRE CARE will be led by Sarah Boyd, who will also lead our movement and listening session. Sarah has years of practical experience in caring for the lyre as a musical instrument. From general care to maximize the health of our instruments to learning how to change lyre strings, Sarah will help participants to increase their skill in managing and caring for their own instruments. We will have some strings available for purchase, but we encourage any participants who need individual string changes or replacements to order and bring strings for your own lyre. (Regrettably, there will not be time during our conference for any full lyre re-stringing.)

Workshop Two on a unique sequence of MADONNA paintings and sculptures will be led by LANA Board members Catherine Read and Debra Barford. This workshop will be based on the content that has been the focus of our first LANA Study Group this spring. The background and history of this special sequence of images as well as their therapeutic and hygienic use will be reviewed, along with various settings of lyre music to accompany the showing of the images. Several of these musical settings will be available for purchase during the conference.

Workshop Three on SINGING will be led by guest teacher Stephanie Aurig from the Raphael School of Singing and Singing Therapy in Germany – a master teacher, therapist, and pedagogue in the Werbeck approach to singing represented by the School for Uncovering the Voice. Stephanie will be in the US to start a four-year training in Anthroposophical Therapeutic Singing based on this unique approach to freeing the voice – the sister art out of anthroposophy to the freeing of the tone through the lyre. The workshop will review the basic approach to the Werbeck method of singing, breathing, and listening as a phenomenological path to heightening sensory perception and sensitivity to the miracle of the sung tone.

Stephanie will also be offering 30-minute private lessons and consultations at non-scheduled times during our conference days for a suggested donation of $25. In addition, following lunch on Saturday, the 17th, Stephanie will hold a meeting for anyone interested in learning more about the singing training she will be leading later in August outside of Denver, Colorado. (See following flyer for more details).

Our three afternoon workshops will be held at 2:15 pm and repeated on all of our three full conference days so that all participants have the opportunity to attend each one of the workshops.

We are very pleased to be able to offer such a rich variety of topics related to the lyre during our time together, and it is our hope that all participants will avail themselves of the many opportunities we will have during our conference week to experience the lyre as a pathway to balance!

 

Summer Music Camp for Youth

/

In conjunction with the 2024 Lyre Conference,
LANA is pleased to sponsor a
Summer Music Camp for Youth
Wed Aug 14 – Sat Aug 17

Scheduled simultaneously with the adult lyre conference opening on Tuesday evening, the 13th, the fulltime youth program includes afternoon recreational activities such as swimming and games, in addition to exploring local places of interest. Various lunch and supper packages are offered. Full-time participants would need to be accompanied to the conference by an adult or other chaperone for purposes of lodging and meals, although the program itself will be fully staffed.

Children (ages 9-16) can register for the Youth Program as either full-time or half-time participants with optional meal packages. The half-time program will target local children and will include all morning music work and snacks, with an option to join the afternoon activities and meals for an extra fee.

Our youth program will be led by Veronika Roemer, who is a professional violist and pianist with many years of experience making music with children, using a large variety of instruments, including the lyre. Her work always includes singing, improvising, and learning composed music by ear and from sheet music. Her teaching style was inspired by Pär Ahlbom and Reinhild Brass, musicians and teachers who have developed inspiring new ways to engage children in musical activities that include lots of movement and improvisation.

Please see the registration form at
www.lyreassociation.org/accessories for more details.

We hope that many children from near and far will take advantage of this opportunity to explore both instrumental and choral music with other children in the Youth Program of the 2024 Summer Lyre Conference at the beautiful Camphill Village in Copake, New York!

For more information about LANA’s summer camp, contact lyrists@gmail.com.