2023 Lyre Conference Report
/Reflections on the 2023 Lyre Conference
From July 30th through August 3rd, the Lyre Association of North America was delighted to be able to welcome friends and members from across the US and beyond for our annual summer conference, held this year on the campus of Hawthorne Valley Waldorf School in Ghent, New York, to celebrate the lives and musical contributions of Channa Andriesse Seidenberg and Maria Schüppel – composers, educators, performers, and therapists, who lived and worked actively on either side of the Atlantic throughout decades of the 20th and early 21st centuries into their 80’s. Maria and Channa were pioneers in their work with the lyre and the music therapeutic impulse born out of anthroposophy and, as this was our first gathering following Channa’s passing in March of 2020 and the centenary of Maria’s birth anniversary in May of 2023, it was our deep wish to turn to both of them during our time together in July.
After three years of being unable to hold our summer lyre conferences in the US, it was indeed a great gift to assemble together again. During the course of our 4-day conference, we were able to experience both vocal and instrumental music, exploring the artistic as well as the music therapeutic contributions of these two women who have left such a rich musical heritage. The conference opened with an inspiring evening filled with musical offerings by local musicians and LANA members, including contributions from residents of Camphill Village in Copake, NY and young lyre students of local members. During the coming days, we heard beautiful biographical sketches of both of these two important visionaries of anthroposophic music therapy, and we took up our own work with the lyre in small groups as well as full group rehearsals, punctuated by movement and singing sessions, and browsing the remarkable offerings of musical scores and instruments in our own LANA Music Store. Our time together culminated in two public performances – one that featured a variety of choral and instrumental works by both composers, and a second offering of the traditional Celtic fairy tale “The Children of Lir”, set to music by Maria Schüppel, narrated and performed by both adults and children, featuring choral and solo singing as well as the lyre and several other anthroposophically-inspired instruments. Both public events were enthusiastically attended and appreciated by the local community. Participants left the conference with the feeling of having been newly inspired by these powerful musical experiences, which are meant to be further developed by those of us who appreciate the extraordinary musical legacies of Maria Schüppel and Channa Andriesse Seidenberg.
Sheila Johns, for the Conference Group
Participant Reflections on the 2023 Lyre Conference
From Sally Willig: I found our summer’s lyre conference to be extremely enjoyable on many levels. I was able play music that was quite challenging for me, but with Christina Porkert’s encouragement and wonderful way of conducting, I was able to stumble and jump over many obstacles. There were so many experiences, musical and social, that were star moments. For example, experiencing Werbeck singing in a new and enlivened way under Marcela Paz-Moreno’s leadership opened my eyes to new possibilities with the exercises. Being able to offer two entirely different public events back to back was miraculous! The first performance, featuring music of Maria Schüppel and Channa Seidenberg, was such a joy to play and sing! The second performance of the Celtic fairy tale, “The Children of Lir”, set to music by Maria Schüppel, was such a great experience that we all wanted to rush home and perform it in our respective communities. These conferences truly create the space for experiences that are rare and magical and that can only happen with a group of people so earnestly dedicated and enthused about playing the lyre and singing together.
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From David Barford: It was very enjoyable to work on music all day and to learn to play lyre again during the LANA Summer Conference in Ghent this last July. The opportunity to play music from the fairy tale, The Children of Lir as well as the other music by Channa Seidenberg and Maria Schüppel was exciting and very spiritually rewarding. The most personally satisfying aspect for me was the opportunity to purchase a lyre to take home for myself, which I have been practicing nearly every day since.
The chance to play gong and other percussion instruments for the fairy tale was a great experience, along with hearing really great lyre pieces and being able to sing. My chance to offer a solo of the ‘King’ song from The Children of Lir was important to me as both a musical expression and as a breathing exercise.
In addition, I enjoyed playing some oboe and horn music with Joel Bartlett in between sessions! On the lyre, I am currently playing from a large collection of American folk songs in a Pete Seeger volume and Tchaikovsky horn melodies from his first and second symphonies in addition to the music we studied at the conference.
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From Jay Yasgur: As soon as I learned the dates of LANA’s recent summer lyre conference I took care of my registration pronto. Though I am not a lyrist, and I don't even read music, I knew that I would be included in the activities because I can hold a tune, and I had a genuine desire to join in and do any tasks that the organizers called on me to do.
It was admittedly tough going: the days were intense and long and not without a multitude of frustrations along the way. However, what made it all worthwhile was the opportunity to perform twice for the community. Although I am no musician, the experience was truly a form of nourishment for me.
Lastly and perhaps more importantly, my experience was made much more inspiring and wonderful because of all of the great people who I met and became friends with. "When is the next conference?”
