Adrienne Bridgewater brought her Concert Grand Harp to PUUF on Aug. 27, 2023 for a program of history, music, and personal stories. She began by playing the most popular song of the 20th Century – Over the Rainbow – followed by what is thought the origins of the instrument: Upon returning from their quests, hunters would pluck the string on their bow and tell of their adventures. Eventually another string and then more and more were added to produce musical sounds.

Her own instrument was made in 1976 by a company that produces only 15 harps per year. The column is made of maple and finished in gold leaf, the sound board of spruce. Spruce is a hard wood, as it must be in order to resist the tension of the strings. It has seven pedals which can raise the note of a string by two half steps.

Adrienne replaces each of the 47 strings in her harp every two years. She doesn’t want any malfunction to happen while performing at any of the many venues in which she plays. She told some funny (albeit not at the time) stories about weddings where she played the brides’ specifically requested music for walking down the aisle, and the brides developed feet of clay and wouldn’t budge until Adrienne did what she was told not to do – play the traditional Bridal March!.

Adrienne returns in October 2023 and promises to bring some of her CDs for sale – lullabies, Christmas holiday music, and one of her selected favorite pieces.

Adrienne may be contacted through her web site https://www.AdrienneBridgewater.com or by her email harpbyadrienne@nullgmail.com.