John Dorman – Alberta

harp maker . including a carbon-fibre collapsible harp!

From harpist Keri Lynn Zwicker –
2006 was the year Keri Lynn acquired one of the world’s only collapsible lever harps, made by John Dorman, whose workshop was located just outside of Edmonton in the city of Leduc. Long before anyone else had used carbon fibre to build a harp, John used his knowledge from his previous career in prosthetics to design a harp he intended to withstand the rigours of flying. What he didn’t expect was the harp to have a deep and resonant tone. Strung from top to bottom with fluorocarbon strings that John acquired from a fishing line company and hand-dyed himself, the harp had a consistent feel and timbre from high to low. With no bass wires, the lower octaves fell and sound the same as the middle. With the capacity to flat pack, this harp became the ideal instrument for Keri Lynn to tour with and to this day this the instrument she plays at all her folk shows. 

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From harpist Terry McDade: