Kari Gardner Harpist from Grayslake, IL

Kari Gardner is a talented professional harpist who performs primarily in the greater Chicago, IL and Milwaukee, WI areas. Her amazingly extensive repertoire includes a broad range of styles, for example: classical (from Medieval and Renaissance to French Romantic and Contemporary), Celtic, Christian, Jewish, Chinese, Broadway, and popular (from the Phantom of the Opera to Enya, and from Sinatra to Metallica). She has had the pleasure of arranging music for the harp specifically to suit her client's requests. Some examples include Indian Bollywood movie music, 80's metal, current R&B hits, and Romanian hymns. For December events she can perform a mix of Christmas, Hanukkah, and secular seasonal music in order to be inclusive of all of your attendees, or narrow her repertoire to one category to suit your specific tastes. Background: Kari began studying music at the age of 2 1/2, starting with violin. By the age of 11 she was also taking harp and piano lessons. She went on to complete both a Bachelor's and Master's degree in harp performance from Northwestern University, where she studied under Elizabeth Cifani, Lyric Opera principal harpist. Other teachers include Minnesota Orchestra Principal Harpists Joan Mainzer (retired) and Kathy Kienzle (current). Experience: Kari has been freelancing part-time since she was in highschool and full time since obtained her Master's degree in 1996. She has performed as principal harpist for many orchestras, composes and arranges music for harp and various folk harps, and held steady background music gigs. Her longest running background music engagement was as a Sunday brunch harpist at a hotel in Deerfield, IL--every Sunday for six years as well as major holidays. In her work as a musician for weddings she has played for many types of ceremonies, including Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hindi, Zoastrian, multiple faith, non-religious, and various themed weddings. Wedding size has ranged from just the bride and groom, the minister, and Kari (she was even asked to sign as a witness!) to hundreds of people. She has the experience and professionalism necessary to make her part of your event smooth and worry-free.

• MOVIE MUSIC
• - | -------------------------------
• Beauty and the Beast | Ashmanarr
• Can You Feel The Love Tonight? | Elton John
• (Everything I Do) I Do It for You | Bryan Adams
• My Favorite Things | Rogers & Hammerstein
• My Heart Will Go On (Titanic - Celine Dion) | Horner
• One Hand, One Heart | (West Side Story)
• The Prayer (Celine Dion/Bocelli) | Sager & Foster
• Some Day My Prince Will Come | Churchill
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow | Arlen & Harburg
• Take My Breath Away | Moroder & Whitlock
• Theme from Somewhere in Time | Barry
• Through the Eyes of Love (Ice Castles) | Hamish
• A Time for Us (Romeo and Juliet) | Rota
• Time After Time (Sinatra) | Styne
• A Whole New World (Aladdin) | Menken
• You'll Be in My Heart (Tarzan) | Phil Collins
• -- | ------------------------------
• --- | -----------------------------
• MUSICALS
• ---- | ----------------------------
• All I Ask of You (Phantom/Opera) | Lloyd Webber
• Angel of Music (Phantom o/t Opera) | Lloyd Webber
• Music of the Night (Phantom/Op) | Lloyd Webber
• Think of Me (Phantom o/t Opera) | Lloyd Webber
• Memory (Cats) | Lloyd Webber
• Don't Cry for Me Argentina (Evita) | Lloyd Webber
• My Cup Runneth Over (I Do I Do) | Schmidt
• People (Funny Girl) | Styne
• They Were You (Fantasticks) | Schmidt
• Try to Remember (Fantasticks) | Schmidt
• ----- | ---------------------------
• ------ | --------------------------
• POPULAR (pop/country/R&B/etc.)
• ------- | -------------------------
• Always (Atlantic Starr) | Lewis
• Always and Forever | Heatwave
• Always On My Mind | Elvis
• Angel Eyes | Brickman
• Angels Among Us (Alabama) | Hobbs & Goodman
• At Last (Etta James) | Warren & Gordon
• Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion) | Warren
• Can't Help Falling in Love | Elvis
• Dreaming of You (Selena) | Snow & Golde
• Endless Love (Lionel Richie & Diana Ross) | Richie
• From A Distance (Bette Midler) | Gold
• From This Moment On | Shania Twain
• I Just Called to Say I Love You | Stevie Wonder
• The Keeper of the Stars | Tracy Byrd
• Like Someone in Love | Van Heusen & Burke
• More Than Words | Extreme
• Open Arms (Journey) | Perry & Cain
• One of Us (Joan Osborne) | Bazilian
• The Promise | Tracy Chapman
• Remember When It Rained | Josh Groban
• So Amazing | Luther Vandross
• Thank You | Dido
• Time to Say Goodbye | Bocelli & Brightman
• Tonight I Celebrate My Love | Peabo Bryson
• Unchained Melody | Righteous Brothers
• You Raise Me Up | Josh Groban
• -------- | ------------------------
• --------- | -----------------------
• ENYA (just a few examples)
• ---------- | ----------------------
• Book of Days | Enya
• Caribbean Blue | Enya
• Shepherd Moons | Enya
• Only Time | Enya
• ----------- | ---------------------
• ------------ | --------------------
• ROCK
• ------------- | -------------------
• Boulevard of Broken Dreams | Green Day
• Clocks | Coldplay
• My Immortal | Evanescense
• Nothing Else Matters | Metallica
• Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin
• Sweet Child o' Mine | Gunz N' Roses
• Under the Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers
• ------------- | ------------------
• -------------- | -----------------
• --------------- | ----------------
• SHOWTUNES (1920-1959)
• ---------------- | ---------------
• My Favorite Things | Sound of Music
• C'est Magnifique | Can-Can - Cole Porter
• Getting to Know You | The King and I
• Hello Young Lovers | The King and I
• Some Enchanted Evening | South Pacific
• How are Things in Glocca Moora | Finian's Rainbow
• Look to the Rainbow | Finian's Rainbow
• If I Loved You | Carousel
• You'll Never Walk Alone | Carousel
• Bewitched (Pal Joey) | Rogers
• Falling in Love with Love | Rogers
• Love Walked In (Goldwyn Follies) | Gershwin
• My Funny Valentine (Babes in Arms) | Rogers
• Where or When (Babes in Arms) | Rogers
• Embraceable You | Gershwin
• Someone to Watch Over Me | Gershwin
• ----------------- | --------------
• ------------------ | -------------
• STANDARDS
• ------------------- | ------------
• Ain't Misbehavin' | "Fats" Waller
• Body and Soul | Green
• Chances Are | Allen
• Everybody Loves Somebody | Lane
• It's Been a Long Long Time | Styne
• Moonglow | Hudson & DeLange
• Tea for Two | Youmans
• The Way You Look Tonight | Kern & Fields
• -------------------- | -----------
• --------------------- | ----------
• CELTIC
• ---------------------- | ---------
• Danny Boy/Londonderry Air | Irish
• Carrickfergus | Irish
• Butterfly Jig | Irish
• Lark on the Strand | Irish
• Last Rose of Summer | Irish
• My Thousand Treasures | Irish
• Minstrel Boy | Irish
• Star of the County Down | Irish
• Scarborough Fair | traditional/English
• ----------------------- | --------
• ------------------------ | -------
• ------------------------- | ------
• CLASSICAL
• -------------------------- | -----
• Air | Bach
• Arioso | Bach
• Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring | Bach
• Sheep May Safely Graze | Bach
• Air from "Water Music" | Handel
• Canon in D | Pachelbel
• Trumpet Tune | Purcell
• Trumpet Voluntary | Clarke
• Selections from "The Four Seasons" | Vivaldi
• Moderato Cantabile | Chopin
• Raindrop Prelude | Chopin
• Intermezzo from "Cavalleria Rusticana" | Mascagni
• Wedding March | Mendelsshon
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini | Rachmaninoff
• The Swan | Saint-Saens
• Ave Maria | Schubert
• Bridal Chorus from "Lohengrin" | Wagner
• Clair de Lune | Debussy
• --------------------------- | ----
• ---------------------------- | ---
• CHINESE
• ----------------------------- | --
• Jasmine | Chinese
• Embroidering on Silk Banner | Chinese
• Lullaby | Chinese
• Somewhere Far Away | Chinese
• ------------------------------ | -----------
• ------------------------------- | ----------
• JEWISH
• -------------------------------- | ---------
• Dodi Li | Chen
• Dodi Li | Sher
• Erev Shel Shoshanim | Hadar
• L'Kha Dodi | Zeira
• Od Yishoma | Carlebach
• Mitza G'dola | Hassidic
• Chorsha ha Eucaliptus | Shermer
• Al Kol Ehel | Shermer
• La Rosa Enflorece | Ladino
• ------------------------------- | --------
• -------------------------------- | -------
• ------------------------------- | ------
• CHRISTIAN
• -------------------------------- | -----
• Fairest Lord Jesus | Volkslieder
• Lord's Prayer | Malotte
• Abide with me | Monk
• Be Thou My Vision | Irish
• Faith of Our Fathers | Hemy
• Amazing Grace | American
• --------------------------------- | ----
• ------------------------------------ | ---
• CHRISTMAS/DECEMBER
• ----------------------------------- | --
• I'll Be Home for Christmas | Kent
• Silver Bells | Livingston & Evans
• Winter Wonderland | Bernard
• Let it Snow! | Styne
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas | Blane
• ------------------------------- | -
• --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Many more!