AHJ, Vol. 7 No. 4, Winter 1980

AMERICAN HARP SOCIETY, INC.
EIGHTEENTH
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
University of Portland
Portland,Oregon
24-27 June 1981
The 18th National Conference will be held at University
of Portland located in a natural setting overlooking the
Willamette River and the city of Portland.
A wide range of interesting programs will be presented
by well-known artists from around the world. The
opening concert will be played by Catherine Michel from
France and a second, special recital will be presented by
Judy Loman of Toronto (featuring the exciting new
Crown of Ariadne); other programs will include chamber
music performed by former winners of the Ruth
Lorraine Close Award, and a concert featuring the
winners of the 1981 National Harp Competition.
Workshops on folk harp, opera, tuning, history, and stage
dress are in the planning, along with panel discussions.
Of special interest is the National Competition which
will be held immediately preceeding the conference,
22-23 June. Harpists wishing to come early may attend
the finals of the intermediate, advanced and young
professional divisions.
The University of Portland
Instruments, music, recordings, and harp accessories
will be on display throughout the conference.
Since Portland has both cultural and economic ties
with Japan, we are hoping that many of our Japanese
colleagues will join us. Harpists and their families will
enjoy an outing to the characteristic Japanese gardens,
the International Rose Test Gardens, and the music of
the Portland Koto Ensemble.
Participants of the conference may visit such points of
interest as the Portland Art Museum with one of the best
collections of Northwest Indian and Oriental art, the
rugged Oregon coast, the spectacular Columbia Gorge,
and the famous Timberline Lodge and facilities of Mt.
Hood National Park. All are within a two-hour drive
from Portland.
Annual Report to the Membership
Membership: An increase of 216 within the past year
has brought the membership total to 2,676 as of 21
May 1980. Much of the growth is the result of Membership
Chairman Patricia Wooster's campaign
which yielded a dramatic increase in certain special
categories.
Chapters: Two new chapters were chartered: Hetuck
(Columbus, OH) and Greater Detroit (Ml). The Society's
70 chapters range in size from 6 members in
Phoenix to 132 in Los Angeles. Forty chapters reported
their activities in the Winter 1979 Journal,
using the new uniform format.
Regional Changes: The Western Region contained almost
twice as many members (502) as any other. In
68
order to more nearly balance the representation, the
following changes were made by the Board: A
PACIFIC REGION was created which includes
Southern California and Hawaii. JoAnn Turovsky,
Director of the Western Region from 1979 to 1980,
has been named Pacific Regional Director until the
expiration of her term in 1982. The WESTERN
REGION now consists of Northern California and
Nevada and will elect a new Regional Director for a
three-year term. The SOUTHWESTERN REGION
now includes Arizona in addition to Texas and New
Mexico.
Harp Insurance: Lillian Macedo, Secretary, reviewed
various harp insurance opportunities. After investi-
AMERICAN HARP JOURNAL