Ridgewood May 29, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Celtic harp performance leads Longo to encore by John Koster Laura Mary Longo’s recent performance of classical, folk, and rock songs on the Celtic harp seemed to be over too soon, so she played an encore that covered most of the offerings a second time around for her audience at the Ridgewood Library. A spontaneously warm and friendly performer, Longo explained each piece before she played, but her warmest moment came when a few older people who arrived late due to traffic and parking were saddened to have missed any of it. She obliged by playing most of the selections a second time, and some people who had heard her first concert stayed for the second installment, which never seemed redundant. Longo, who holds a doctorate in music from the City University of New York and two degrees from Montclair State University, said her art is dedicated to making the world a more peaceful place one recording at a time. She explained, taking questions between the first and second performance, that her Celtic harp differs from the classical harp, which was developed in France in the 18th century. The Celtic harp shifts keys by hand, rather than through the use of pedals as on the French classical harp. The range is about five octaves. “The Celtic harp has a warmer sound; it’s more intimate,” she said. Some of the pieces Longo played were her own arrangements of pieces for classical instruments, like the lute. Some were English or Irish folk tunes. Several were arrangements from Beatles composers like George Harrison and Paul McCartney. She also offered one of her own favorite arrangements, inspired by Irish harp tune “Star of the County Down” phasing into the 1970s folk rock group Kansas and based on an American Indian theme: “Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky....All we are is dust in the wind.” “This instrument is great for wind,” Longo added. “If you ever put a harp in the wind you really get some great sounds from it.” The authentic Irish harp, Longo said, is far smaller than her pedestal harp and was sometimes carried into battle by harpers. Longo noted that, while her Celtic harp is authentic, the strings are humane. “I don’t use gut. I use nylon on my harp,” she explained. Her first concert drew sustained applause and the lengthy encore for the people who arrived late evoked warm thanks and appreciation. Laura Mary Longo