Lyre Association of North America
It has been five months since we began to weave the Lyre Mantle. Surely it has become the most beautiful and stunning fabric, woven from the sounds of many different lyres, varying in size, range, structure, wood, and being played by people from many different cultural backgrounds.
In March, I imagined that we would work on this mantle for a few months. Now, however, it seems that the world needs it as much, if not more, than ever before.
Read MoreWe are dedicating the Michaelmas issue of Lyre Notes to our dear friend and colleague, Kerry Lee, who crossed the threshold of death on Tuesday, September 8th at 1:40 pm EDT. We invite anyone who is so moved to contribute a reflection, a paragraph, or an article, in tribute to Kerry. Photos are also welcome.
Read MoreWe are looking for short articles - or a paragraph with pictures - about World Lyre Day 2020 and more:
We welcome news, stories, photos, and announcements of lyre happenings in your region.... also reviews about any item in our store and ads from our members. Deadline is September 20th. We look forward to hearing from you!! Contributions may be sent to wendypolich@hotmail.com.
Read MoreWe invite you to offer your reflections about LANA’s programs and services for the Lyre Association’s Annual Directors’ Retreat (taking place this week). If you have input about Music Sales, Lyre Rentals, Membership, Publications, Website, and more – please send an email to lyrists@gmail.com.
Read More[Reviewed by Thomas Pedroli, Germany/China ]
John Billing is one of those rare lyre players who dedicates his professional life to this beautiful instrument by playing music and giving workshops in many countries around the world, and by writing music that touches the heart. Returning from a long Winter retreat in San Jose, Portugal, John brought back a wonderful booklet with newly composed lyre music: Iberian Retreat.
Read More[Reviewed by Sheila Johns, Cuenca, Ecuador]
I am delighted to enthusiastically recommend this beautiful small collection of lyre music composed by Murray Wright, lyre builder, composer, and player from Melbourne, Australia.
Music for Alto and Soprano Lyre is a volume of eight early intermediate lyre pieces. Although only the first two pieces are written on a single staff, it is actually possible to play all of the first four pieces on one lyre.
Read MoreThe LANA Board will be holding its Annual Directors’ Meeting on August 26-27. Our 2020 lyrists’ “gathering” was our well-attended Zoom call on International Lyre Day. Next year, however, we hope to all be together again at the International Lyre Conference in the Czech Republic. There, members and friends of LANA will gather for an in-person Annual Members’ Meeting to reflect on the past year as an organization, to collect thoughts and ideas from everyone, and to share with one another our regional lyre work.
Read More[Reviewed by John Clark, Kilkenny, Ireland]
Did John Billing have a premonition of the great Covid storm all humanity would face in the months following its composition? Certainly, it was a great help to me, playing this piece during this fearful and alarming period, and I began to notice that its gentle syncopations can have a steadying and soothing effect, though I would have expected the opposite to be the case.
Read More[Reviewed by John Clark, Kilkenny, Ireland]
Here in Ireland we talk a lot about “the living tradition”. We mean by this term that there is not only the performance of traditional and well known music from the folk tradition in nooks and crannies all over the country, but also the creation of new repertoire, sometimes with a quite modern twist, continually finding its way into the canon of Irish Traditional Music.
Read MoreWe are so pleased to see all the appreciative and supportive comments from various parts of the world! Amazingly, it is clear that we ended up touching and involving more people many times over than if we had held our original conference in person. Under normal circumstances, this would never be a true substitute, of course, but it has nevertheless proven to be a very satisfying and rewarding alternative in this particular year. Bravo and gratitude to all!
Read MoreI would love to hear about how others celebrated the day. Knowing that many people were playing Channa's pieces all over the globe feels like a meaningful tribute, to her and all the others who have helped to bring this special instrument into the world. Channa certainly left us with some precious treasures.
Read MoreThe "care packet" we received form LANA was marvelous. What a surprise that we had two brand-new compositions by Christof-Andreas Lindenberg and Christian Giersch! It was a pure joy to play through those some 16 pages with Sally and Laura today. We must continue to practice together and get concert ready again.
Read MoreFor the International Lyre Day, we met in Zhuhai in the wonderful Quan Yuan Culture Club with five local lyre players. … Enjoy our pictures and video…. We send our warm greetings to all around the world! - Thomas Pedroli
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