My three albums are heard on radio stations throughout the country, and during December you'll often hear my Christmas recordings coming through the sound systems at your local mall or grocery store!

I have performed widely throughout the United States, Canada, the British Isles, and Europe. Everywhere I go, people are interested in harps. They want to know where to find beautiful harp recordings and where to get high-quality instruments. This is the reason why I started my mail order catalog over 20 years ago, bringing the best of the harp world to my customers' homes. Over the years, the catalog has expanded from a 1-page flier, to our current 96 page catalog. I've learned to give people what they really want and need to get the most out of their harp experience.

In September 1992 we opened our store in Glendale, California (near Los Angeles), so we could better serve our local customers. It is wonderful to have people from all over the world stop by to see us when they're in Southern California!

I personally select every item that goes into my catalog and my store. The items that I choose to sell are definitely the "cream of the crop". I know you'll be pleased with any item that you buy from us, and we give a money-back guarantee if you're not fully satisfied.

SYLVIA'S MUSICAL BACKGROUND

My formal musical education began at about the age of 6 with piano lessons. In 4th grade I took up the flute and played in school orchestras through junior high. I also learned the guitar, and accompanied singing with the Girl Scouts at summer camp through high school.

My most intensive musical training before the harp was the three years in high school when I was the piano accompanist for the school choirs. Having to play the scales and vocal exercises for the singers taught me a lot about keys, chords, and scales. Learning to read all 4 vocal lines as well as the 2 piano lines all at once was invaluable training. Of course I also had to "keep going, no matter what happens," which is an important lesson for any musician.

At the beginning of my second semester at the University of Redlands in Southern California, I walked into the harp room and asked if I could sign up for harp lessons. I had always wanted to play the harp, but had never touched one before. The harp teacher, Marjorie Call, welcomed me with open arms and sat me down at a beautiful concert pedal harp. Thus began my adventure. Little did I know how it would change my life!

I studied harp during my years at Redlands, and took several quarters of harp lessons from Susann McDonald at California State University at Los Angeles after graduation. I loved playing the pedal harp. However, it wasn't until I discovered and purchased a Celtic harp that I felt I had really found MY instrument. And so, ever since then, the Celtic harp has become my life's calling.

SYLVIA'S HARP PERFORMANCES

Since 1980, I have toured as a solo performer giving concerts throughout North America and Europe, as well as in Ireland and Northern Ireland. I have given many special performances for the American Harp Society and the International Society of Folk Harpers and Craftsmen. I have taught harp workshops and master classes throughout the U.S. and Ireland, and have judged numerous harp competitions, including the Guinness World Trophy for the Celtic Harp Competition in Lorient, France.

In January 2003 I was honored to be asked to perform with the legendary Irish band, The Chieftains, for their 5 California concerts. That was truly an experience of a lifetime!

SYLVIA ON THE RADIO

To further promote the folk harp and my own music, I have appeared on many television and radio shows, including three appearances on the ever-popular National Public Radio broadcast A Prairie Home Companion, starring Garrison Keillor.

I have been interviewed on dozens of radio stations throughout the US, England, and Ireland, including Studs Terkel on WFMT. Many of my concerts have been simulcast on various radio stations in America.

My three recordings have been played on over 400 radio stations throughout the U.S., frequently prompting listeners to call the station for information about them. The music librarian at KFAC, formerly the major classical radio station in Los Angeles, stated that whenever they played The Harp of Brandiswhiere they received more phone calls requesting information than for any other piece of music. They even had my phone number pasted on the wall next to the phone to give to listeners!

SYLVIA'S MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS

I have performed on the soundtracks of several major motion pictures, including Dead Poets Society, Prancer, and Only the Lonely under the direction of composer Maurice Jarre. (Mr. Jarre's Academy Award-winning soundtracks have included Lawrence of Arabia and Dr. Zhivago.)

SYLVIA ON TELEVISION

My compositions have been used on several PBS TV shows. I was commissioned to compose and perform the soundtrack for Chicago's Secret Wilderness, produced by WTTW in Chicago.

I've also done episodes of Murder She Wrote, a Rockford Files "Movie of the Week," and a Coca Cola commercial that was shown extensively on TV during the 1982 Winter Olympics.

The Christmas 1998 episode of Homicide included a minute-and-a-half of Hark the Herald Angels Sing from my Three Harps for Christmas, Volume 1 recording. My music has also been used on Hour Magazine, General Hospital, and other TV shows.

On October 24, 1983, I was the guest artist on the Los Angeles TV series entitled Soundboard: The Art of the Plucked String, with host, John Schneider. You can see excerpts from this show, and purchase the 30-minute DVD of this historic glimpse into my past by clicking here.

THE SYLVIA WOODS HARP CENTER ON TELEVISION

The Sylvia Woods Harp Center store has been featured on KNBC, Los Angeles in a TV spot which was later aired on NBC affiliates all over the U.S. The Harp Center was also featured on a USA-TV small business show, "First Business".

We were also spotlighted on the Southern California PBS Show Visiting, with Huell Howser, during the summer of 2000. This 30 minute show is re-run frequently in the Los Angeles area. You can purchase a VHS video of this show on our site.

And, (although this is perhaps a dubious honor), in September 2001 our store was featured on an episode of the infamous Blind Date TV show.

PRESS ABOUT SYLVIA

In the November/December 1999 issue of The Harp Column magazine, I was named one of the 45 "Most Influential Harp Forces of the 20th Century" along with people such as Harpo Marx! Their citation reads in part:
"There is perhaps no single person within the Celtic harp community that has inspired so many as Sylvia Woods . . . effectively launching the folk harp boom of the 70s, 80s and even 90s. . . . While Woods may not herself have created the folk harp industry, she certainly can be credited with having shaped and molded it to its present form."