The Harp to Heart concert will feature Cecile Denis, the principle harpist for the Regina Symphony Orchestra and the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.
This year, 2012 will be the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and special events are being planned across the province to commemorate the occasion, including the Shaunavon concert.
The special presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. this Saturday at the Centre Street United Church.
In conjunction with the event, organizers at the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre have also planned an afternoon tea, which will take place from 2-4 p.m. that day.
“We decided to do a whole day of celebration in honour of the queen’s Diamond Jubilee because she’s been reigning for 60 years,” explained the Grand Coteau Heritage & Cultural Centre’s Wendy Thienes.
The afternoon will also feature several displays of royalty related artifacts, quilts and a display of decorative hats.
Staff at the heritage centre saw the concert as a noteworthy heritage event to share with the community.
The Shaunavon Arts Council is sponsoring the evening celebration, part of their ongoing concert series.
“It is definitely part of our history and over the last year there’s been renewed interest in the Royal Family because of the wedding of William and Kate,” said Thienes. “We just thought it would be a great tie-in with the Arts Council’s harp performance, and February 4 will mark the start of celebrations across Canada.”
Organizers will also be collecting a silver donation for the tea.
Tickets for the concert, meanwhile can be purchased in advance at the Museum.
Denis, who can play both celtic and pedal harp with ease, promises to be a real treat for local audiences.
She received a Master in Performance from the University of Toronto where she studied with Judy Loman.  Denis also cultivated her love for the celtic harp while she performed solo at the Ontario Renaissance Festival for six consecutive summers.
Denis has performed in North America as well as in Europe.  She was a featured guest artist with the Regina Symphony Orchestra in February 2010, and performed the Debussy “Dances for Harp and Orchestra”.
Denis has recorded two CDs: “Harposphere” which features the celtic harp and “Nocturnes” by F. J. Naderman who wrote music for harp and French horn.
Today, she is Principal Harpist with both the Regina and Saskatoon Orchestras and is also the harp instructor at the University of Regina (Conservatory of Performing Arts).