Congratulations to Sima Galaganov on a beautiful solo harp performance at tonight's TCU Music Preparatory Senior Recital in PepsiCo Recital Hall! Five other graduating high school seniors, four pianists and a vocalist, were also featured on this evening's concert. I know all of her harp teachers these past few years are just as proud of Sima as I am! All of her hard work this year lead to beautiful performances tonight of Lolita la danseuse by Marcel Tournier and La Source, Op. 44 by Alphonse Hasselmans. I will miss you so much next year, and wish you the best in your studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Brava Sima!

Today the TCU Harp Ensemble celebrated our Past, Present, and Future with a recital featuring Music Preparatory harp students, harp studio alumni, and former harp faculty. Our special guests Dr. Laura Brandenburg, Sydney Howell, and Dr. Mallory McHenry returned to campus to perform as a frog faculty quartet with current harp instructor Kela Walton. The program included arrangements by TCU alumni Elizabeth Hames and Nancy Hurrell. This unique concert concluded with all of the Horned Frog harpists past, present, and future performing together as a large ensemble for the finale.
I'm so grateful to all our many guests for joining us, and so proud of my students for their hard work this semester!
​Click here to view the PDF program

I can hardly believe my first semester teaching at Texas Christian University is rapidly concluding. Tonight students from both the University harp studio and the Music Preparatory harp studio performed a program of pieces by Andrès, Debussy, Dussek, Tournier, Press, Salzedo, and Waddington that all share French connections. I'm so proud of everyone's hard work to make this beautiful recital happen!

Click here to view the PDF program

​Thanks to Mary Jane D'Arville and Robbin Gordon-Cartier for having me on the October episode of Hangin’ with the harp! Nothing like being live online!

The Atlanta and Virginia Harp Centers Present, "Hangin' with the Harp: ​Enchanting Effects - How to weave magic into your music with Kela Walton"
"Halloween is around the corner and there’s magic in the air! Join wizard Kela Walton as she shares some of the coolest special tricks that can only be conjured up by the harp! An active performer and innovative teacher, Kela will show you how to enchant your audience with various techniques used by composers like Andres and Salzedo to take the mystery out of the markings. So get on your broom, or rather, bench, and get ready to defy gravity!"
A PDF for this presentation is available HERE

My brother Andrew and I performed for a very special Pentecost Sunday service at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church in Arlington. We celebrated the retirement of Pastor Debra Crumpton with cello and harp duet renditions of two of her favorite hymns: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing and Be Thou My Vision. You can watch the entire service livestream video above.

I was honored to be a guest musician for Advent Lutheran Church's "Cantata" Sunday, which included the Festival Choir's performance of Oratorio de Noel by Camille Saint-Saëns, as well as musical offerings by the Advent Children & Youth Choir. 
Conducted by Hunter Birkhead, accompanied by the Juan Seguin High School Orchestra (directed by Melina Shaffer) with other guest musicians Beverly Howard, Maggie Armand, Maddie Breedlove, Robert Leland, Dorian McCall, and Emma Bruce Birkhead, it was a joy to participate in this cantata service. I look forward to more spiritual opportunities with the musicians at Advent Lutheran Church!
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Oratorio de Noel by Camille Saint-Saëns (starts around 31:00)

I was honored to perform for the Fourth Sunday of Advent on December 13, 2020 at the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, SC. I hope you enjoy this online worship service!

Prelude Music
On Jordan's Bank the Baptist's Cry from Three Pieces for Advent by Charles Peery - Kela Walton, harp; Brennan Szafron, organ (starts at 2:40)
Savior of the Nations Come from Three Pieces for Advent by Charles Peery - Kela Walton, harp; Brennan Szafron, organ (starts at 4:35)
Music for Communion
Ave Maria by Franz Schubert - Lindsey Brakhage, soprano, Kela Walton, harp (starts at 1:02:45)
Postlude Music
Rejoice, Rejoice, Believers from Three Pieces for Advent by Charles Peery - Kela Walton, harp; Brennan Szafron, organ (starts at 1:12:20)

I was honored to perform for the Third Sunday of Advent on December 13, 2020. I hope you enjoy this online worship service!
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Pre-Service Music: 
Les Petits Pas no. 1 / O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by Bernard Andres & arranged by Megan Metheney
Les Petits Pas no. 12 / Still, Still, Still by Bernard Andres & arranged by Megan Metheney
Ribambelle no. 1 / The First Noel by Bernard Andres & arranged by Megan Metheney
Lessons and Carols:  
Quem Pastores arranged by Patrick Hawes (starts at 37:05)
Angel's Carol by John Rutter (starts at 42:05)
Jesus, Jesus, Rest your Head arranged by Bob Chilcott (starts at 50:05)
Away in a Manger arranged by Michael Higgins (starts at 54:45)
Performed by The Quarantine Quartet: Valerie MacPhail, Lisa Cunningham, Reel Robertson, & Paul MacPhail; Directed by Andrew Holt; accompanied by Kela Walton, Harpist; Marcia Andrews, Organist

Three members of the Sparkle City Harp Ensemble: Anne Elizabeth, Sally Frick, and I joined a handful of other socially distanced musicians and clergy for this service live streamed from the Episcopal Church of the Advent in Spartanburg, SC on September 20, 2020. The other harpists and I hope you enjoy this online worship service!

Prelude Music
Prelude in C by J.S. Bach - Kela Walton, solo harp (starts at 1:20)
Dyades No. 5 by Bernard Andrès - Sparkle City Harp Ensemble (starts at 4:05)
Offertory Anthem
Be Thou My Vision Irish Hymn arranged by Laura Zaerr - Sparkle City Harp Ensemble (starts at 47:25)