Lyre Association of North America
Dear LANA members and friends,
We are glad to be sending you the Michaelmas/Conference edition of Lyre Notes in which you will find material to support celebrating the Michaelmas Festival, evocative descriptions of the conference in Dornach to commemorate 100 years of the modern lyre, and some important announcements. Enjoy!
– Catherine Read, for the Editorial Team
LANA members and friends are warmly invited to join us for a very special Members' Meeting on Sunday, October 18 at 5:00 pm EDT.
The currently serving LANA Board of Directors will be introduced, and after the Board Officers for 2026-27 are announced, we will open the floor for a few minutes of personal reflection from anyone who attended the recent Lyre Festival Days at the Goetheanum in recognition of the 100th year anniversary of the birth of the lyre. We will even be sharing some sample recordings from the very well-received premiere performance of the American Lyre Ensemble!
In addition, we will welcome reports and updates from all regions of North America. We are hoping that many of our members and friends will join us to get an update on your association and to renew the human connections of our North American lyre community!
This will be a zoom meeting, where members are encouraged to join us. Please consider joining us by zoom at this link.
The Lyre Association of North America Board of Directors/Officers:
Nancy Carpenter, President
Sarah Stosiek, Vice President
Sally Willig, Secretary
Margo Ketchum, Treasurer/Admin (on Board sabbatical)
Debbie Barford
Nancy Carpenter
Sheila Johns
Catherine Read
Saeko Shibayama
It has been a month since I returned home from attending the 100 Years Modern Lyre Impulse: International Festive Days at the Goetheanum in Dornach, Switzerland, from July 29 to August 2, 2026. It has not been easy to share with others what I experienced in those five days, because all of my sense organs were surrounded with so many images and sounds that were extraordinary, yet real. (Click through the gallery below.)
Faces of people both familiar and unfamiliar; the sound of the lyre resounding from every corner of the Goetheanum; morning light shining through the colored stained glass windows in the Great Hall during the plenum sessions with Christian Giersch; a keynote speech on the birth of the modern lyre by Gerhard Beilharz; our American Lyre Ensemble and program of all American compositions, which included the world premiere of Grigory Smirnov's "Spring Pastorale"; my workshop on the Mood of the Fifth; lyre builders on stage with Martin Tobiassen, who demonstrated for us the sound of each one of their unique instruments, including those lyres whose creators could not be there; those characteristic buildings designed by Rudolf Steiner that were scattered all over the Goetheanum complex; the Schreinerei, where lunch and dinner were served (and it was so hot one day that I had to skip a meal so as not to sweat so much before our own concert!); cows and donkeys, sunflowers, blue sky; eurythmy; lyre music by György Kurtág and Pär Ahlbom; children singing to the accompaniment of a 62-member lyre orchestra on stage; and the delicate and exquisite sound of the lyre played by the children...
I refuse to let go of the after-images of all of such special beings and the events that transpired there – experiences that still live in me as impressions and memories. As Stefan Hasler, head of the Section for Performing Arts at the Goetheanum, led us through the final hour of the festival, I left the Goetheanum with a new resolution in my heart, and only in action – in my acknowledgement of the transformed self, can I share the fruit of this once-in-lifetime event, with my heartfelt gratitude to its organizers and all those involved in materializing this conference over the past four years, continuing together to be part of the lyre impulse as it begins a new chapter.
Thirty children have applied for the youth program of the Lyre Festival at the Goetheanum. They come from Brazil, the USA, Germany, Holland, Belgium, and China, and their ages range from almost 9 to 17 years. Many of them will stay together in a scout home near the Goetheanum.
Heide Panzier, Rebecca Dietzel, and I have been preparing for the past two years. We are very excited about meeting these children and young people and making music together – not only on the lyre, but also singing and playing other new instruments, such as gongs.
The young people will be participating in parts of the Morning Plenum, and on Sunday, they will be on stage during the plenum and will share the fruits of the past four days.
The Lyre Association of North America is committed to offering financial support for our young American participants in this summer’s Lyre Centential Conference. We are appealing to you to consider making a modest donation in order to offset the costs of those who need financial aid scholarships for travel and expenses. Any amount, small or large, makes a difference, and we thank you in advance for your support of our efforts to bring the joy of the lyre to our youth.
Please use this DONATE button to send your contribution:
Financial aid application for those wishing TO APPLY:
Dear Members and Friends,
We are happy to send you the Annual Report of the Lyre Association of North America for the fiscal year 2025-2026. Each of the board members has written about their work in the last year, so you will see how our voices weave together. And there is a description of last summer’s Lyre Conference with master lyrist Christian Giersch.
Enjoy!
Catherine Read, For the Editorial Team
Lyre Association of North America
info@lyreassociation.org
Please send any Easter reflections, thoughts, creative writing, or reviews having to do with the sounding of the lyre during this special season of the year – to: catherine@lyreassociation.org.
Read MoreThe LANA Soundings journal for 2026 is planned to be a special edition focusing on the sequence of Raphael Madonna paintings and related images originally assembled by Dr. Felix Peipers….
Read MorePlease plan to join us for the International Lyre Conference celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of the lyre, July 29 to August 3 at the Goetheanum. Contact Veronika Roemer (vbrtnstn@gmail.com) to learn more about the youth conference.
Read MoreAs of July 2026, LANA will have two Board vacancies. If you have a potential interest in joining LANA's Board of Directors in any capacity, or perhaps one of our Working Groups, and you would like to know more about our organizational structure, please contact me at nancy@lyreassociation.org.
Read MoreThe Volume 3, Number 1, Spring 2010 issue of our LANA Soundings Journal features articles written by Laura Langford Schnur, Gerhard Beilharz, and Christof-Andreas Lindenberg.
Read More
The Lyre Association of North America invites you to consider making your lyre part of a living legacy! Through LANA’s Legacy Giving, you can ensure that your lyre continues to bring music, healing, and inspiration long into the future. We warmly encourage LANA members and friends to consider the idea of planned gifts of lyres, lyre music, or financial gifts through wills and other legal designations.
When a lyrist chooses to leave his or her lyre to LANA, it becomes part of our ongoing Lyre Rental or Rent-to-Buy Programs – supporting new players who may not yet have the means to purchase their own instruments. Your lyre will continue its purpose to sound in classrooms, communities, and homes across the world. Lyre friends can also leave their lyre music collections to LANA. This much-appreciated music will then be resold to continue to fund LANA’s efforts to support our membership.
Your generosity will help to keep the art of the modern lyre alive and accessible by supporting new players and music educators, extending your musical legacy to the next generation.
Members and friends can include the Lyre Association of North America in their planned giving in the following ways:
Bequest: Name LANA as a beneficiary in your will or estate plan
Donation: Pledge your lyre or lyre music for donation
Living Legacy: Gift your lyre now for immediate use in our rental program, or consider an annual financial donation to LANA
Learn more and consider a pledge to create your legacy today!
Contact us about your legacy or email info@lyreassociation.org.
Christof-Andreas Lindenberg: A Biography – Part 2
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, in promoting the lyre’s therapeutic applications.
The Lyre: A Tutor for a New Instrument – Part 2
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 the 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.
Therapeutic Lemniscates
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.
Musical “Verse” for One’s Destiny When Facing Perhaps a Terminal Illness
For Octogenarians Who Long for the Interval of the Second
A Garden Gate for the Elderly
A Gateway for an Elderly Dying, Lyre Music at Deathbed and Beyond
For Serious Moments II
Well Known Tune and Variations to “The Lord is my Shepherd”
Aeolian Sun Scale and Scansions
Suggestion for a Tune for a Young Child up to Age 11 Who Died
Suggestion for a Very Small Child Below Age 4 Who Returned to Heaven
For Those Who Died a Violent Death
A Mantle of Light
For George C. to Accompany Veronica’s Soul-Spirit
Seeking Peace
For Reading to the Dead
For the Dark Time of the Year
Click below to purchase and download …
Madonna of the rose - Rafael
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 Advent Lyre Notes. In this issue you’ll find many reflections from our lyre community.
Please enjoy our quarterly newsletter!
Catherine Read, Editor Lyre Notes
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!
