Henson-Conant

Known for her renegade image, evocative singing voice and a stage presence that combines bigger-than-life with down-to-earth authenticity, her shows blur the line between musical performance and theatrical event. Over the past 25 years, she has revolutionized harp-playing, including the instrument itself by collaborating with builders to create a new hybrid harp she straps on and plays like a 31-string guitar. According to the Denver Post, she’s “doing for the harp what Chuck Berry and Elvis did for the guitar.” Considered the world’s premiere jazz harpist in the ‘90s, she has since evolved her own personal style melding classical, jazz, cabaret and musical theater values.

Henson-Conant’s most recent project Invention & Alchemy, an original work with symphony orchestra, is three-tiered: a Grammy-Nominated CD, a PBS-TV special and a full-length concert DVD. Over the years, she has: toured as a soloist with the Boston Pops; premiered her own eclectic-concertos with ensembles from the National Symphony Orchestra to the Prague Radio Orchestra; played jazz clubs and opera houses in Germany and Celtic Festivals in France; opened for Ray Charles at Tanglewood; headlined at the Edinburgh Fringe; jammed onstage with Bobby McFerrin and offstage with Aerosmith’s Steve Tyler; been featured on NBC, CBS, CNN, NPR; and hosted TV shows for BET and BBC Affiliates.

Gear

electric body harp

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