Harpists to Perform

The Western Illinois Museum is pleased to host a concert featuring two harpists who have joined together for an exchange of cultures on Friday, August 19th at 5:00 pm. Award-winning Colombian harpist, Daniel Rojas, and local Macomb harpist, Claire Happel Ashe, will present a concert that is a culmination of their work through the Illinois Arts Council’s Master Artist Apprentice program. To introduce the music, the program will begin with a brief conversation between Rojas and Happel Ashe about their cultural exchange, as well as their personal and musical connection to the music, and its fascinating history. Following the concert, there will be a Q&A session and reception. There is a suggested $5 donation at the door.

The concert brings the rhythmic and virtuosic music from the plains of Colombia and Venezuela to west central Illinois. Award-winning Colombian harpist, Daniel Rojas, and local Macomb harpist, Claire Happel Ashe will both play a llanera harp, which is known for its distinct and vibrant sound. The concert will include traditional joropo music, dance music played by cowboys from the plains of the border region, with influences from Spanish, African, and indigenous traditions, as well as classical pieces from the llanera tradition such as compositions by Juan Vicente Torrealba and Alfredo Rolando Ortiz.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

The Western Illinois Museum is located at 201 South Lafayette Street, one block south of Macomb’s Courthouse Square. For more information, call the Museum at 309.837.2750, text at 309.837.2613, or email at info@wimuseum.org. More details can be found on the Museum’s social media channels.

About Daniel Rojas

Daniel Rojas was born in Bogotá, Colombia, and began learning music at an early age from his grandmother on the tiple, a form of guitar. He then learned the cuatro and llanera starting at age 12 by playing among folk groups. Although self-taught at first, he continued his studies with master teacher Carlos Rojas Hernández. He performs with many ensembles, most recently with his own group under the name Arpa Café. He has toured throughout the United States and Europe with groups such as Europa Group Los Llaneros and Tardes Llaneras. Performances at festivals and concert venues include the 2021 Arpafest (Cancun, Mexico), the Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago), 2010 Western Alliance Music Conference (Los Angeles), 2010 Festival Mundial del Arpa (Asuncion, Paraguay), 2010 Association of Performing Arts Presenters (New York City), and 2009 Encuentro Internacional Arpas al Fin del Mundo (Concepcion, Chile). As an educator, he has presented and taught at colleges and universities through the Arts Latinas Entertainment Company and given local workshops and lessons through Harp Folklore Inc. Cultural Foundation in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Llano y Joropo Academy in Bogotá, and the Débora Arango High School of Music in Medellín. For more information about Daniel Rojas visit https://www.instagram.com/arpacafe/?hl=en, https://www.facebook.com/arpacafe/, and https://www.youtube.com/c/ArpaCafe/videos

Claire Happel Ashe
Claire Happel Ashe performs on both modern and historical harps with ensembles throughout the Midwest including Saint Louis and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestras, the Newberry Consort, and her own chamber ensembles, River Town Duo (bass/harp) and Immer Neu (harp/oboe). She holds music degrees from Yale University and the University of Illinois and was a 2007–2008 Fulbright Scholar in Prague. Prior to moving to Macomb, she taught harp students from five to sixty-five years old at institutions including Valparaiso University, the Music Institute of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame, and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. She has a background in movement with a BFA in Dance and Alexander Technique certification. Her recent interest in the rich Latin tradition of harp playing led her to study the music of the Colombian and Venezuelan llaneros, cowboys in the plains on the border of the two countries, with Daniel Rojas.