Winter Harp — Christmas begins here
one of the most enchanting concerts you will ever attend
Welcome Ye All
Believe it or not -- Christmas is on its way
and we plan to take you into the heart of the season with a concert that will stir your soul. Expect tears and laughter as our music, stories and poems transport you to another land -- a land filled with snow and Christmas -- and memories of loved ones gathered together. Familiar carols and rare carols will have your heart singing.
Harps, flute, violin, bass flute, medieval instruments, percussion, poetry and song — this is Winter Harp.
Click here for our tour schedule and tickets.
Tickets are selling fast, so buy yours today.
Come with us as we journey
deep into the Heart of Christmas
deep into the Heart of Winter
For info on what our concerts are like, click here.
2025 Tour Dedicated to the Memory of Our Co-Founder
Our 2025 tour is dedicated to the memory of Alan Woodland who passed away last summer at the age of 94. We will hold a special dedication to him at our concert Dec. 10 at St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church, Vancouver.
Alan, who was our original narrator, wrote many of Winter Harp’s beautiful stories and poems. In the early years, he and co-founder Lori Pappajohn worked together to create the unique offering that is Winter Harp. Not only did Alan write most of our narration, but he also composed music and released two albums of his stories and poems.
Lori and Alan started performing Christmas concerts together more than 40 years ago — each year expanding the concert and eventually in 1993 calling the show Winter Harp.
Before the Internet, Alan annually researched Christmas and winter at the British Library where he found many obscure and delightful writings to add to our collection. Alan was a shining light with his vision, wisdom and creativity. He is deeply missed, but his legacy lives on.
We are also ever grateful to Alan’s wife Pat who was in charge of selling our CDs at each concert. She also passed away last summer.
Show Opener Written by Stz’uminus Elder Daniel R. Elliott
Our show this year opens with a winter salutation written by Stz’uminus elder and artist Daniel R. Elliott of Nanaimo. It is followed by a new rendition of the Huron Carol.
A longtime friend of Winter Harp Artistic Director Lori Pappajohn, the two recently got into a conversation about the Huron Carol.
In the 1600s, a Jesuit missionary in eastern Canada took a secular tune and put Christmas lyrics to it in the Huron language to make the song relevant to the First Nations. It is one of Canada's oldest carols.
Lori wanted Daniel’s opinion on using the melody but with new winter lyrics she had written.
A musician himself, Daniel was enthusiastic. “I have many times thought of those First Nations children singing the beautiful Huron Carrol in extreme adverse, unspeakable conditions with their voices being carried into the winter sky. For me, the Huron Carol transcends language and time. It permeates in our very soul. I love the fact that music rises above all else.
“A black robe priest wrote this for his choir — and our ancestors sang it. It is our oldest carol and shouldn’t be lost. Also, it reminds us of how things have changed. What you have done with the new lyrics is what I call reconciliation.”
A counsellor with BC Corrections and the Stz’uminus Nation for 23 years, Daniel is also a sweat lodge keeper and healer. Known for his evocative paintings of his people, Daniel has also written and illustrated the emotionally-rich book Winds of Change: Truth, Art & Reconciliation. Daniel is currently working on documentaries preserving the stories and wisdom of First Nation elders. See Ravenskyproductions.ca.
