The afternoon of April 1, 2017 became of day of great joy and sadness as the last in a series of workshops and concerts sponsored by George Orthey came to a energetic end. This final event, in what has been many years of promoting the artistry and methods for playing the Autoharp, was conducted by Lucille Reilly and attended by a large number of Autoharp enthusiasts eager to learn and play together.
Lucille provided a unique and engaging workshop centered on the premise of conducting the Autoharp orchestra. This provided a means to provide a workshop that would appeal to all levels of players as she first prepared our large gathering to play though two songs where different elements of playing could be employed. Those that enjoyed rhythmically strumming were encouraged to do so. Attendees that could play melodies were allowed to carefully learn each song. While other fun methods such as “noodling” was demonstrated and encouraged to try.
