Celtic and concert harps come together on Saturday, April 23 to raise funds for Red Cross Japan earthquake relief.

Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church hosts an 7:30 pm concert on Saturday, April 23, featuring harp players Martha Gallagher and Leslie McMichael, and "the hall will be filled with blues, grooves and tunes of these two musicians from opposite coasts."

Martha Gallagher

In her first appearance in the Seattle area, New York singer-songwriter Martha Gallagher will be performing her distinctively original music from her new CD release “Ebb and Flow.” Gallagher's instrument of choice is not guitar, so often the accompanying instrument of the singer-songwriter, but the harp.

"The stereotype of the harp being a snooty, snoozy instrument is so off base!" says Gallagher. "It's an incredibly diverse instrument that can go from sounding sweet to bold and bluesy, in the blink of an eye."

Gallagher has toured widely with her harp music from her home base in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State where she is well known as “The Adirondack Harper.” Her music career includes solo national tours sponsored by The National Endowment for the Arts, performing with six-time Grammy winners The Chieftains, and teaching as a visiting artist at prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Gallagher is coming to Seattle to teach weekend workshops at Dusty Strings Acoustic Music Shop.

“There are so many great styles of music, and I just can’t resist playing them on the harp,” says Gallagher. “And the harp is such a fabulously fun and intriguing instrument to play!”

Leslie McMichael

Opening the show will be Vashon Island harpist-composer Leslie McMichael. McMichael is known in the greater Seattle area for her live concert harp accompaniment at screenings of such classic silent films as “Peter Pan” and “The Little Princess. She plans to play a sampling of her original scores with vintage film clips at the Red Cross fund raiser, as well showcase her witty original songs on Celtic harp.

“Think Tom Lehrer meets Jonathan Richman and switch the standard guitar for a Celtic harp, and you’ll have an idea of my inspiration,” says McMichael. In addition to performing, McMichael is on the faculty of Music Center of the Northwest in North Seattle.

Martha Gallagher adds "Leslie and I are delighted to share our music with the community and to have proceeds help the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. It is a humanitarian tragedy that affects us all.”

Advance tickets to the April 23 harp concert are $10 general admission and are available online at BrownPaperTickets. Tickets can also be purchased at the door of Shoreline Unitarian Universalist Church, 14724 1st Avenue NE, Shoreline WA.

For more information about the concert, call 206-898-4972 or visit PluckMusic.