Sue Richards

Sue Richards is a leading American player of Celtic harp. She has been the American National Scottish Harp Competition Champion four times, and is also a leading figure among American harpers as a group. Richards has taught in various locations in the U.S., including the geographic corner states of Florida, Maine, and Alaska, and is frequently invited to be an adjudicator at harp competitions. Richards is a member of the Celtic group Ceoltoiri (pronounced kwel-terry, and meaning "Musicians") and the Ensemble Galilei. The latter group is a sextet that plays both traditional Celtic and Irish music and folk music plus Renaissance and Baroque music, especially works that have links with that tradition. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, she has won two WAMMIE awards from the Washington Area Music Association for her solo albums as "Album of the Year" and "Best Traditional Album." As a founding member of Ensemble Galilei and returning to the group's second incarnation after a brief period of inactivity she has won four more WAMMIEs. Her repertory includes music from all Celtic lands and Ireland, including fruits from her own 20 years of collecting folk music. She composes music in the Scots harp tradition, particularly for special occasions, a function that is traditional for Scottish harpers. Her recording session work has included appearances with Danny Doyle, Jean Redpath, Bonnie Rideout, and Maggie Sansone (fellow members of Ensemble Galilei), Lisa Moscatiello, and Seamus Egan. She has been invited to the White House where she played for president Bill Clinton. ~ Joseph Stevenson, Rovi