AnnaLee Foster has played harp at the Eugene Irish Cultural Festival. She has qualified for the finals at the All-Ireland Fleadh harp competitions in Tullamore in August. After apprenticing to Janet Harbison and touring with the Irish Harp Orchestra in 2005 and 2006, she ended her time with the orchestra in the summer of 2007 by winning the County Limerick competition, taking 2nd in the Munster Provincials, and then finishing just shy of the top 3 at the 2007 All-Ireland. That summer was her first experience at competitions, and she wanted to give it a try again.
In addition to teaching harp to eight students, she also traveled back to Detroit this spring for the American qualifying competitions; she took 2nd to the woman who had been the 2007 world champion under-18 competitor (and the judge told Anna "there was only a hair's-breadth between both of you"). This time around both women will be competing in the same age group, so it should be a very good competition.
To help with the August travel expenses, she'll be presenting a fund-raising concert at Orenco Presbyterian Church in August to help raise traveling money before she goes; it’s going to be a donation-only affair, no tickets to purchase.
Here is the concert information:
Saturday, August 8th, at 7:00pm and being held at Orenco Presbyterian Church, 6420 NW Oelrich Road, Hillsboro OR, 97124
To learn more about AnnaLee Foster, visit this web site: http://www.myspace.com/annaleefoster
-- Info from Peggy Hinsman
