Patricia Lee Rushton
Oct. 25, 1940 – July 31, 2010
California Celtic Harper, Patricia Lee Rushton, brings new life to music for the small Celtic harp in this, her second published collection of traditional (and some not so traditional) harp music. Patricia’s reason for arranging and writing music for the small 26-stringed harp was that “many of them were sold with the idea that they were ideal ‘therapy harps’, yet there was very little music available for them.” She thought there should be arrangements of lovely old tunes – and then some new melodies came to her while she was playing her own small harp.
Patricia grew up in Medford, Oregon and spent many years as a successful painter and visual artist in Maine and New York City. In the late 1980s she returned to the West Coast and began to both study the Celtic harp and research traditional Celtic tunes. She delighted in finding nearly forgotten ancient music for the harp and bringing it to light in her insightfully tasteful arrangements.
While obtaining her M.A. in Depth Psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute, Patricia focused her thesis on creativity and on following her own bliss: making music and encouraging others to follow theirs. Of a difficult period in her life, Patricia said, “Music sustained me; it was what I was breathing. Making music healed me.”
Through her arrangements and compositions Patricia’s music continues to heal, comfort and encourage. And we are delighted to offer this experiential evidence of her passion for the Celtic harp. — The Mixolydian Music Team