Erin Hill, a harpist and singer based in New York City and Louisville, Kentucky, is the featured performer at the sixth annual New Orleans Jazz and Pop Harp Weekend, performing concerts at 3:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 31, and 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 1, at the East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie.

The New Orleans Jazz and Pop Harp Weekend is a two-day retreat featuring free courses to members of the New Orleans Chapter of the American Harp Society, or to harp students and professionals who want to know more about playing jazz and pop music. A schedule of events can be found at the organization’s website.

Each day of activities ends with a concert featuring event faculty. Each concert is free of charge and open to the public. There is no registration.
Hill has had a number one album on the Billboard world chart and has played and sung with Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, Enya, moby, Sinead O’Connor, a-ha, Josh Groban, and Jewel. She has performed for two First Ladies, and for royalty. She’s played solo at The Royal Albert Hall, Carnegie Hall, and is also known as The Pretty White Girl from Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show.
In the film Clear Blue Tuesday, Hill is a composer, screenwriter and actor. The New York Times said: “Erin Hill, as a giddy, harp-playing Trekker, is a standout… The best and funniest scene in the film is Ms. Hill’s, a first date that looks promising until the conversation turns to the relative merits of Star Trek: Voyager.” Hill was also in the Tim Robbins film, Cradle Will Rock (and appears on the soundtrack alongside Eddie Vedder and PJ Harvey), HBO’s The Chris Rock Show, Comedy Central’s Chappelle’s Show, and PBS’s American Masters.
As a stage actor, she was in the original Broadway casts of Titanic, Sam Mendes’ Cabaret, and Urinetown and has twice been part of the Sundance Theater Lab in Utah, originating the role of Ilse in Spring Awakening with Duncan Sheik, and as musical director for Lil’s 90th with Jo Bonney. She was seen most recently in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Classic Stage Company in New York alongside Bebe Neuwirth and Christina Ricci.
Other artists who will perform at the faculty concerts with Cartier include the following.

Patrice Fisher is a Latin jazz harpist who favors the music of Brazil and Cuba. She is a graduate of Tulane and Wolf Trap and lives in New Orleans, where she has been composing and performing since the 1980s. She has also appeared at numerous international jazz festivals with her group, “Arpa,” including Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico and Guatemala. She has recorded 15 CDs of original music, the latest being "Resilience." She has performed for more than 30 years at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. Fisher also performs Celtic music and is director of the New Orleans Celtic Harp Ensemble. She is a Certified Music Practitioner and uses improvisation to play for patients in hospitals, schools, nursing homes and hospices.

Luke Brechtelsbauer is a New Orleans eclectic harpist, who performs regularly with Helen Gillet and Wazozo World music group. He is a Celtic Harper from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He studied with Anna Vorhes. He has performed in Scotland, Shanghai, China and Brazil. He is also a professional clown and a bagpiper.

Rebecca Babin is a professional harpist living in Baton Rouge. She teaches private music lessons full time and is a multi-instrumentalist who plays harp, piano, guitar, and upright bass, though harp is her specialty. Babin showcases the harp in two original bands. Hurricane Becca and her Outer Band is a rock band with harp, drums, bass, accordion, trombone, and clarinet. The Wilder Janes is a folk and harmony band with harp, banjo, marimba, mandolin, bass, and guitar. Babin makes guest appearances with many other Baton Rouge musicians playing both upright bass and harp.

Cassie Watson is a native of Brooklyn and now lives in New Orleans. Watson took an interest in harp as a young adult. She studied and plays various genres of music. She has played in various venues - from a relaxing retreat or traditional Irish pub to the Festivals at Lincoln Center.

For more information regarding this presentation, contact Chris Smith, manager of Adult Programming for the library, at (504) 889-8143 or wcsmith@jefferson.lib.la.us.