News and Events

Paraguayan Harp Concerts Oxford 2007

Following a series of successful Paraguayan harp concerts in the Oxford area in 2004, 2005 and 2006, we are pleased to announce three more concerts in 2007.

The first is on Monday 21st May at 1 pm at St Michael at the Northgate Church,
Cornmarket Street, Oxford, OX1 3EY. Admission is free, but there is an collection in aid of street children in Paraguay.

The second is on Friday 29th June in Cumnor Village Hall near Oxford at 7.30 pm. This will include performances by Miguel Ramirez, who was here in 2006, and Mercedes Ramirez, who is new to Oxfordshire. The concert will also include performances by Margaret and her sister as well as by Kike Pedersen.

In the third concert, Miguel and Mercedes will be performing at the Holywell Music Room, Oxford on Saturday 18th August at 8.00 pm. For further information about the latter two concerts please contact Robert or Rosemary on 01865 862557.

The top picture shows Margaret and Rosemary opening the Concert in Cumnor Village Hall in August 2005 with four well-known Paraguayan pieces.

They were followed by Kike Pedersen (the lower picture), who played a wide range of Paraguayan and other Latin American tunes, including five of his own composition. Kike's father, Cristobal, accompanied all the harpists with his guitar

If you would like to listen to some short excerpts from the concert, please click on the titles below. You will need a media player such as Winamp to listen to these mp3 files.

Carreta Guy (composer Felix Perez Cardozo)

Oye como va (composer Tito Puentes)

Melody for Rosemary and Margaret (composer Kike Pedersen)



Four Paraguayan Harps in Concert, Oxford

Margaret and her sister Rosemary were joined by two young professional Paraguayan harpists, Kike Pedersen and Diego Vera, plus guitarist Cristobal Pedersen for a special four harp concert in St Aldate's Church, Oxford.

There were solo items by Diego and Kike as well as duets by Margaret and Rosemary and duets by Kike and Diego. The picture show all four harpists playing "Despedida" together, with which the concert concluded

The concert was in aid of the victims and families of the tragic supermarket fire in Asuncion, Paraguay.

 

Women's World Day of Prayer 2007

The Women's World Day of Prayer was led by Christians from Paraguay in 2007. In order to give an authentic feel to various events in the Oxford area, Margaret and Rosemary provided some background harp music. Their recorded music has been used to enhance World Day of Prayer events throughout the UK and even as far away as Lumsden in the far south of New Zealand.

Visit to Paraguay October 2007

Robert and Rosemary Munro and Cristobal and Gladys Pedersen have organised trips to Paraguay since October 2005. Another similar visit is planned for late next year, 2007. For further details of past and future visits, please see their web site Paraguay.org.uk. the trips include concerts, classes, seminars, visits to historical sites and the countryside and a trip to the famous Yguazu Falls.

On a similar visit in 2004, Margaret and her husband joined the Munros to have a very enjoyable holiday in Paraguay. They were able to renew contacts with a number of Paraguayan harpists, including the world-famous Rito Pedersen, Marcelo Rojas and the harp teacher Victor Villalba.

Rito Pedersen
Marcelo Rojas
Victor Villalba

Margaret and Rosemary were also able to meet one of their original harp teachers, Feliciano Peralta, sadly no longer alive.

  

While in Asuncion, Margaret and Rosemary visited the harp maker, Oscar Maldonado, known also as El Rey, in order to purchase more Paraguayan harps for the UK. The photographs show Oscar, the decoration being added to a harp, and his workshop. Oscar visited the UK in 2006 to attend one of the regular Paraguayan harp festivals.

 

Kike Pedersen

Kike Pedersen (nephew of Rito Pedersen) is a very talented young Paraguayan harpist. He studied in Oxford during 2004, and after a visit to his family in Asuncion returned to London to study this year. The picture shows Margaret receiving a lesson from Kike.

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