 Harpist
Ellen Tepper was Born on Long Island and Tepper grew up primarily
in Vienna and later moved to New York City. She has been in this area
since studying at the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts,
where she received her bachelor's degree in harp performance.
Currently, Tepper teaches harp to children and adults who come to her Ardsley studio. She's also on the faculty of The Piano School in Newtown. In addition to her teaching, she is a versatile performer in great demand. Last year she had nearly a hundred bookings for her medieval to nineteenth century pedal and Celtic harp concerts, as well as her lecture-concerts on the history of the harp. Ellen attended the Philadelphia College of the Performing Arts. She graduated with a degree in harp performance. Ancient Irish harp tunes, Scottish lute and Baroque music, medieval melodies, Renaissance dance numbers and transcriptions by Bach are all included in her repertoire. "I play everywhere - formal concerts, galas, weddings, nursery schools, nursing homes, parties, you name it..." Besides her concerts, Tepper has two recordings on cassette and
compact disc called, "Timeless Music for the Celtic harp"
and "Celtic Refractions," which have been enthusiastically
reviewed. In addition to her solo work, Tepper plays in an ensemble
band called "Separate Realty." With more than a dozen harps of assorted styles and sizes in her Ardsley Studio, she is shown right, playing her 29-string Neo-Celtic harp, and surrounded by her pedal harp and her Italian Baroque triple head harp. She has just released her second album titled Celtic Refractions which makes an admirable foray into the music of these collections. Her album opens with 'Carolan's Concerto.' She performs this piece true to its Baroque nature. Sprightly in tempo, it sparkles with unrestrained classicism. All the Carolan pieces on this tape are treated as true crossover music that bridged the world of folk to that of the serious 'art' music of his day. Ellen's performance of these tunes is a fine example of how tasteful playing of folk material can raise it up to the level of the sublime. In all, seven tunes from The Ancient Music of Ireland are thus fleshed out and given suitable character. 'Give Me Your Hand' and Miss Hamilton' are rightly endowed with an aristocratic delivery while Carolan' 'Loftus Jones' bubbles with affability. Jointly produced by her and her sound engineer David Kennedy, the beauty of this production is not only in its clean sound, but also the stylish cover artwork drawn by Marguerite Davis. Cassettes and CDs can be purchased directly from Ellen Tepper. Celtic Refractions |