In
1985, Lisa Coffey accompanied her now late
husband, Randal Grandstaff, on an expedition
to Mount Everest. Randal, a professional
U.I.A.G.M mountain guide of international
repute, was a member of a team that would
attempt to climb Mt. Everest by the perilous
technical route, the West Ridge
Direct.
For
professional harpist Lisa, three months away
from a harp was too long. She contacted Lyon
& Healy Harps for help. Her friends at
Lyon & Healy provided her with the
prototype of what would later be refined as
the Lyon & Healy Folk Harp.
The 34
string harp traveled by car, jet, rickshaw
and, finally, on the back of a yak across the
Khumbu Glacier to reach Mount Everest
Basecamp where Lisa practiced and played harp
music almost as near to the heavens as
it’s possible to be on earth.
