PORT ANGELES — Celtic Harpists and multi-instrumentalists Lisa Lynne and Aryeh Frankfurter on Monday will perform traditional instrumental music from Sweden and Ireland as well as original compositions blended with stories of humor and adventure.
The concert, presented by Unity of the Olympics, is set to begin at 7 p.m. at 2917 E. Myrtle St.
General admission is $15. Tickets for students and seniors are $12.
Advanced tickets can be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com.
“We use a big variety of instruments in our show,” Lynne said recently.
“We have two Celtic harps that play a role in our show, but we use them with other even more rare instruments such as Swedish Nyckelharpa, Ukrainian Bandura, Cittern, guitar and viola.
“We tell stories about the instruments and our adventures with them. It’s a very unique show that appeals to everyone.”
While Lynne said the duo greatly enjoy the sounds of all their instruments, harp will always have a special place in their hearts.
“It is the purest sound and most lovely to hear and play,” she said.
“Some say it has healing qualities and always has through time. After every concert, I invite audience members to sit at my harp and experience playing it, as I accompany them with chords as they play freely on the harp.”
California natives
The duo — originally from Southern California but now living in San Francisco — shares a background as progressive rock musicians who later discovered a love for folk and world music on acoustic instruments, they said.
“We both have the shared history of being rock musicians who discovered the harp at a Renaissance Faire,” Lynne said.
“We incorporated it into our rock bands before discovering a love for Celtic and world/folk music. We both have been playing the Celtic harp [for] more than 25 years.”
Both Lynne and Frankfurter are veteran street performers and now tour extensively, gigging at fine performing arts centers and venues around the country, Lynne said.
Now married
“We have been a duo for the past eight years and were married last summer,” Lynne said.
Lynne is known for composing melodies on the Windham Hill/Sony music labels that have repeatedly placed in the Top 10 and Top 20 on the Billboard New Age music charts, and she recently was named one of the 50 most inspiring women by Los Angeles Magazine.
Her music is heard throughout the award-winning PBS special “Alone in the Wilderness.”
Frankfurter began with classical violin at the age of 3, he said, adding his early studies and successes led him to explore various ethnic and international musical genres.
Frankfurter has performed for Prince Charles and at some of the world’s top international music festivals.
He has 17 albums to his credit, works on film and television scores as composer and arranger, and continues to teach himself to play a variety of instruments, he said.