Stories Seldom Told by Stephanie Bennett

Like those intricate pictures where images are hidden, each listening yields fresh delights. Very highly recommended for a multitude of activities and moods, it is vivacious while relaxing, fantastic while suggestive of natural beauty. Enjoy!" THREE STARS (highest rating) - Heartsong Review Magazine

"Bennett's harp, accompanied by flutes, recorders, oboes, brass and strings, weaves hauntingly beautiful renditions that are smooth and very easy listening. Her masterful harp creates sensitive, lovely selections that are excellent for meditation and creative visualization.-Arizona Networking News

"This is a concert harp played with a difference! All the pieces are original composiions by the harpist. The concert harp and, in a few cases, the electro-harp are the main characters, and their supporting cast is composed of instruments such as the flute, cello, recorder, tablas, cor anglais, keyboard and guitar. Music in which it is possible to discover new nuances even after repeated hearing." - HARPA International Harp Journal.

"Stephanie Bennett's Stories Seldom Told is a delightful blend of neo-classical, Celtic, and gentle new-age styles. A talented harpist with a tasteful backup chamber ensemble, she really shines as a truly gifted composer."-Kevin Maxwell, mgr. Music Dept. Bodhi Tree Bookstore, Los Angeles

"Die Harfenistin Stephanie Bennett erzählt auf dieser CD Geschichten, die sich jeder Zuhörer selbst ausmalen kann. Konzert-harfe einmal anders! Alle Stücke sind Eigenkompositionen der Harfenistin. Die Konzertharfe und bei einigen Stücken die Elektroharfe sind die Hauptakteure und werden von Instrumenten wie Flöte, Cello, Blockflöte, Tablas, Englisch Horn, Keyboards und Gitarre in ihren Klangmalereien unterstützt. Musik, die auch nach mehrmaligem Anhören immer wieder neue Nuancen entdecken lässt." -HARPA Internationales Harfen-Journal

"La harpiste Stephanie Bennett raconte sur ce CD des histoires que chacun auditeur pourra se peindre lui-même. Pour une fois de la harpe de concert différente! Tous les morceaux sont des compositions de la harpiste. Une harpe de concert et pour certains morceaux une harpe électronique en sont les acteurs principaux, soutenus dans ces peintures sonores par des instruments tels que flûte, violoncelle, flûte à bec, tablas, cor anglais, claviers, et guitare. Une musique, qui même après plusieurs auditions, permet toujours découvrir de nouvelles nuances." - HARPA Journal International de la Harpe

ABOUT THE PHOTO SESSION FOR 'STORIES SELDOM TOLD':

These photos were shot in my back yard. I hired a live mountain lion (an experienced TV actress and model named "Cheyenne", from "Animal Actors of Hollywood" company) with her entourage of two professional animal trainers. The lion was on a leash attached to a stake in the ground to make sure she wouldn't go on an impromptu tour of the neighborhood. She was very gentle and beautiful! I designed and made my skirts and flower garland. I decorated an old book with synthetic gold and jewels to look like a book of magical fairy tales that I was reading to the lion. The photographer was Stéphan Shacher. The harp is my Paragon model concert grand pedal harp by Venus Harps (W&W Musical Instruments, Chicago).

"One of our country's top harpists" -The Hollywood Reporter

Stephanie Bennett has performed in the United States, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Panama, France and Switzerland, including solo harp performances of her own compositions at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), as a guest artist at the International Music Seminars in Montpelier, France, and at the International Conference on Women in Music. She has performed for the Mayor of Los Angeles, the Governor of California, the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of Israel, and the President of Ireland.

Stephanie lives in the Los Angeles area, where she composes, records and produces her own CDs, composes music which has been heard on television shows such as MURPHY BROWN, PARTY OF FIVE and THE SINGLE GUY, and on the feature film A TIME FOR DANCING; writes musical arrangements for other artists (including arrangements for Celtic harpist Julie Mondin, rocker Ozzie Osbourne, Native American flute player Golana, Celtic fiddler Mary Barton, New Age ensemble Midnight Skye, and alternative songstress Chloé), plays harp on soundtracks for movies and television, and plays harp on recordings by many other artists (including Lee Ann Rimes, Linda Ronstadt, Everlast, and Ray Conniff),teaches harp students, writes lyrics which have been recorded by other vocalists, and composes chamber music which has been performed by ensembles such as "Entr'amis" (classical harp, flute and viola trio), and "Campanile", (renowned contemporary handbell ensemble).

She has also appeared onscreen in television, movies and music videos, including Celine Dion's 1998 Christmas special, 1999 hit movie THE OTHER SISTER (with Diane Keaton, Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi); LOVE AFFAIR with Warren Beatty, GYPSY with Bette Midler, COBB with Tommy Lee Jones, the FRANK SINATRA mini-series, A ROMANTIC CHRISTMAS by John Tesh, music videos including Trisha Yearwood and HOLE IN MY SOUL by Aerosmith, and television shows including MURPHY BROWN, FALCON CREST, SISTERS, and PICKET FENCES.

Stephanie Bennett's recordings are heard on many American radio shows including the syndicated shows ECHOES and MUSICAL STARSTREAMS, as well as on many overseas radio stations.

Stephanie Bennett began studying the harp as a junior high school student in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after having studied some guitar and piano as a child. She continued her studies of classical harp performance with Ruth Dean Clark at the University of Michigan, where she also studied composition with Pulitzer Prize winning composers Leslie Bassett and Ross Lee Finney. She continued her music studies at the Dick Grove School of Music and at UCLA Extension, with courses in Advanced Modern Harmony, Arranging, 20th Century Harmony, Film Scoring, etc.

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