Deborah Henson-Conant

Grammy-nominated electric harp legend, singer & composer, Deborah Henson-Conant (“DHC”), is an extraordinary musician and storyteller who’s changed the face of what a harp can be. Forget the 6-foot tall instrument at the back of the orchestra, DHC has shrunk it down, strapped it on and plugged it in: a one-woman tour-de-force - in a solo show at TCAN. Check out her TEDx talk at http://www.TEDxDHC.com.

Her signature instrument, the 32-string “DHC Electric Harp” she invented, is now played by harpists around the world. In her hands, it becomes the underpinning for stories of romance, food, failure, life - spoken and sung from the harp. “She plays stuff you just wouldn't think could possibly come from the instrument that St. Peter hands out to new arrivals at the pearly gates." (Grand Rapids Press)

If you’re thinking ‘’Celtic Woman” or “New Age Background music,” you’ve got it wrong. DHC was the primary female instrumentalist on the GRP jazz label in the 90’s. Her original music combines Flamenco, Jazz, Blues, Latin and World music, using a looper pedal to create soundscapes to support virtuosic improvisation.

A world-class artist, she’s toured internationally with her one-woman shows, and in collaborations with symphony orchestras like the Boston Pop and Baltimore Symphony - and with legendary musicians like guitarists Steve Vai and Mason Williams. She’s opened for Ray Charles at Tanglewood, jammed onstage with Bobby McFerrin and offstage with Steven Tyler. She been featured in major media from NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon to NBC Today Show — and her original music special, “Invention & Alchemy” appeared on PBS stations throughout the US.

Since her last performance at TCAN in 2018 she’s completed a new musical, created an international online improvisation school for harpists and developed a slew of new material she’ll be sharing Feb. 10, along with beloved audience favorites.