Celtic Harp
Jo Morrison

Jo Morrison is featured on Celtic harp on the hymn "Morning Has Broken." Celtic harp seems especially appropriate for this hymn, since the tune is from the Scottish village of Bunessan, located on the Ross of Mull. That is the largest peninsula in the southwest of the island of Mull, which is off the southwest coast of Scotland.

Jo is known for evocative performances of beautiful music on the harp, and looks at performances as a chance to share gorgeous melodies and their stories with others, whether they be her arrangements of traditional Scottish airs, medieval chants, or her own melodic creations. Her musical sensitivity touches the soul and lifts the body into movement.

She plays harp at the bedside of patients to provide a therapeutic environment to promote healing. She also has musical roots in piano, and has written a lovely set of piano tunes, which she plays to great effect.

She is known for composing and arranging Celtic music for the Celtic harp. Her original compositions are stunning in their beauty and grace. Her writing is largely inspired by the grandeur of nature: from the Northern Lights above the Arctic to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

When not performing, composing or arranging, Ms. Morrison spends her time teaching harp privately, in classes and workshops, and is known for her patient and gentle teaching style for all levels in workshops and lessons. She gives scholarly lectures on the history, folklore, and music of the Celtic harp.

She is known for her impartial judging in Scottish Harp and other traditional music competitions. She was named a Scottish Harp Society Distinguished Judge in 2015, one of only five in the U.S.A.

Jo connects with the music community through Common Ground on the Hill, a 501(c)(3) music and arts organization based in Westminster, MD, promoting peace and understanding through the arts. She also plays harp, piano, and organ at local churches of various denominations, and holds key roles in several harp societies. Her hobbies include hiking, reading, writing, and taking photographs of the local birds and wildlife.

She has published five highly acclaimed and popular collections of harp arrangements. These books contain both original tunes and arrangements of traditional tunes. There are books for beginners and books for intermediate and advanced harpers:

• The Three Musics of the Celtic Harp,
• The Morrison Scottish Repertoire Book,
• Christmas Gifts,
• Flights of Fantasy Music Book, and
• The Beginning Harper's Tunebook," which is rapidly becoming a standard for beginning folk harpers.

She has 6 recorded albums:

• The Three Musics;
• Christmas Gifts;
• Flights of Fantasy;
• Na Bi Gòrach;
• By Request; and
• A Waulking Tour of Scotland.

She is also part of the duo, Port Righ. Ms. Morrison has also been doing Celtic Christmas programs for churches and other venues for many years. They have several programs that can be done as is, or they can fit various requested carols into a program.

See her website for contact information Jo Morrison, Celtic Harper.

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