Wayne State University
655 West Kirby Street, Detroit, MI 48202
USA
The Lyre As Instrument For Peace
Giving Ear Toward Understanding and Reconciliation
Preceded by a Lyre Pedagogy Conference August 1-3 — Detroit, Michigan, USA
In the words of master lye teacher Anna Prokhovnik Cooper of Northern Ireland, “The modern lyre is a most unique and unusual instrument because of its purity of tone and harmonic potential. It is suitable for all ages to play, from young children to older people. Although it has specific techniques of playing, it is not a difficult instrument to master. It can be enjoyed at all levels of playing ability. Its tone gives a wonderful quality of healing and relaxation, whether it is played in a therapeutic, social, or teaching setting.”
The Lyre Association of North America is a non-profit organization that promotes the modern lyre and supports local and global lyre communities. Beginning in the year 2000, lyrists around the world have joined together every three years for an international conference. Other venues have been Germany, Sweden, and Northern Ireland. LANA previously hosted the 2003 conference in Keene, New Hampshire, and now we will be back in the USA once again.
Detroit has a rich, diverse history. In the past century, Detroit has gone from the great heights of the automobile industry to the depths of bankruptcy. The city is now growing into a vibrant new era of rebuilding its community through embracing the cultural diversity of its citizens. Among many other things, the area boasts historical museums and churches, art and cultural centers, a river walk, riverboat cruises to the great lakes, and nature walks on Belle Isle.
Our host for this summer’s conference will be Wayne State University, which is in a safe and beautiful setting in the center of the city. The campus is located just two blocks from the magnificent Detroit Institute of Arts and a short bus ride from the Detroit River.
The Lyre 2015 Planning Group has designed a varied program around our theme of The Lyre As Instrument for Peace. In addition to a morning musical plenum, afternoon lyre groups, and evening concerts, we will have two different types of workshops: morning workshops related to our conference theme and afternoon workshops on more wide-ranging topics of general interest to our lyre community. We are happy to include with this letter a link to the official Conference Registration forms, which you can find here:
Conference Brochure and Registration (PDF)
Schedule (in German)
Registration includes a Youth Lyre Workshop (Aug 3-8), for ages 9 through adolescence, and a Lyre Pedagogy Conference (Aug 1-3, 2015).
Those attending our conference this summer will represent a complete continuum of musical skill and experience. From very experienced lyrists to rank beginners who have little musical experience or have never played the lyre before, this summer’s conference in Detroit will have something to offer for everyone, and we encourage all who have an interest in this important theme to join us in playing, listening, and exploring together through our work with the lyre, toward the possibility of furthering understanding and reconciliation in the world.