True to their name, Bronn and Katherine Journey follow a long, interesting and fulfilling road as a musical duet.
Bronn, a master harpist with a friendly and folksy style, and Katherine, a professional singer and pianist who charms audiences with her popular style and classical edge, form a delightful combination.
Such a unique sound, which began to take shape in Seattle many years ago, has carried beyond Northwest concert halls and community centers. The Journeys’ blend of music – from light classical to rich folk, from soft rock to soothing pop – can be heard throughout other parts of the country and Canada.
The Journeys typically fill more than 100 performance dates each year, both near and far. This year alone, the tandem covered roughly 40,000 miles and several states. The national act has reached approximately 30 states in the past eight years.
Despite long stints on the road, the Journeys have enjoyed sharing their love of music with others.
“Last year we made more money than Washington Mutual and GM combined,” Bronn said jokingly. “This is all we do, this is what we do.
“Sure, the driving gets to be hard. On the worst days, you feel like a van driver. When that happens, I just get out and play my harp,” said Bronn, 48, who has performed professionally since he was 16. “We’ll travel all around the country, but come Christmas time, we’re home.”
As they have done for 15 years, the Journeys from Sultan will return to Auburn to perform their traditional Christmas concert. Area folk group Erwillian will be special guests. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Auburn Performing Arts Center.
Combining Bronn’s 47-string concert harp with Erwillian’s high-energy instrumental lineup, the program will feature more than 1,000 strings on stage at one time.
“Auburn is a great place. We really enjoy coming there,” said Katherine, who met Bronn while on a West Coast concert tour. “I hope the (audience) comes away with a great understanding of what Christmas is all about, the warmth and wonder of the holiday season.”
The Journeys have found their niche, comfortably playing in front of audiences assembled in hamlets, small towns, such as Auburn, and occasionally, even bigger cities. It is at these spots where their music plays loud and clear.
“The people in smaller towns seem to appreciate the music that comes through there,” Bronn said. “They don’t have Broadways.”
The Journeys have had a long and successful career in playing for all types of audiences, both large and small.
Bronn’s versatility and humorous approach to a seriously classical instrument have made him a favorite among concertgoers. Bronn is suited to playing a variety of music, his selections ranging from classical to Broadway to hymns. Bronn even has played the National Anthem at Seahawks and Sonics games.
“He has a great sense of humor,” Katherine said. “I can truly say the man you see on stage is the same man I have at home.”
Bronn and the harp have a long relationship and a rich family heritage. His grandparents hail from Wales, but it was his persuasive mother who got him started in strings.
Once Bronn began to play harp, it naturally struck a chord.
One day, a volunteer with the Seattle Public Schools placed a harp in Bronn’s hands for the first time and began teaching the 11-year-old boy how to play. He advanced rapidly, and soon moved on to study with harpist Edith Lundgren. By the time he was 16, he was performing professionally in fine hotels and restaurants in the Seattle area.
After high school, Bronn was accepted to the School of Music at the University of Washington where he received instruction from Pamela Vokelek. He graduated with a music degree in 1985.
Katherine, meanwhile, began her musical training at age 8 with piano lessons after school. A native of Calgary, Alberta, she continued taking lessons through high school and college, graduating from Dordt College in Iowa with a degree in music education in 1982. Although piano was her primary instrument, Katherine always loved to sing in choirs and small ensembles.
Katherine’s solo voice training began in 1984, when she auditioned for and received the opportunity to study voice at the Music School at Arizona State University. She studied under Darlene Kliewer and graduated in 1987 with a masters degree in vocal performance.
“My wife is really the person in the couple,” Bronn said. “I’m the talker, but she’s the one behind everything.”
The Journeys have a son, Evan, who currently is serving in the Army in Iraq.
The couple has made it a busy and rewarding career with their inflective, thought-provoking music.
While the harp might be an unusual instrument, Bronn has made it universally applicable to all types of music, relating to all types of audiences. “I don’t play for other harpists,” said Bronn, an atypical harpist himself. “I just play for the people.”
Their music is driven more by mood and tone, not necessarily beat.
Whatever shape or tone their music might be, the Journeys will continue to hit the road and perform. Their careers have produced 19 albums, which are currently available on the Journey’s own label, “Phileo Music”. Their music is sold in fine gift shops across the U.S. and Canada, and accessible online.
Over the years, Bronn says he has recorded more instrumental harp music CDs than any other harpist. Each CD delivers different themes and types of music – light classical, soundtrack, romantic, Celtic, hymns, inspirational, Christmas, lullabies, American folk, and even the popular Beatles.
For the Journeys, there remains more music to make and more to perform.
“We enjoy it. We both love to do this,” Katherine said. “We meet a lot of interesting people. It’s not like a 9-to-5 job because of the variety of places we go to and the many people we see.”
====
Auburn Christmas Concert
• When:
• Where: Auburn Performing Arts Center, 700 E. Main St.
• Program: Bronn will delight with the shimmering sounds of the harp, the instrument of the angels perfectly suited for playing the songs of Christmas. Katherine will sing captivating classics. The Journeys’ special musical guests will be Erwillian, a guitar-based fun folk group from the Northwest.
• Tickets: 1-800-838-3006, www.brownpapertickets.com/event/82007
• Proceeds: Fundraiser for the Kent Guild of Children’s Hospital.
• Information: www.bronnjourney.com
