The Holiday Inn will be ushering in this holiday season with the magical sounds of the harmonica!

The Holiday Inn will be ushering in this holiday season with the magical sounds of the harmonica! Over one hundred harmonica players and lovers from all over the United States, as well as Canada, Italy and the Netherlands have registered to gather here as The Garden State Harmonica Club(GSHC) kicks off its 37th annual harmonica festival in Hasbrouck Heights, NJ from Thursday, November 19th through Saturday, November 21, 2009.

This year’s headliners include Rob Paparozzi, front man for Blood, Sweat and Tears, blues virtuosos Dennis Gruenling and Carlos Colina, master classical artist Jia-Yi He, a power trio The HARPbeats (Phil Caltabellotta, George Miklas, Wally Peterman), jazz greats, William Galison , Randy Weinstein ,Charles Spranklin ,Chris Bauer, the all around Sgro Bros., Daddy T(Charley Toker) and the 17 North Band , The Melody Men and Enrico Granafei, owner of the well known club”Trumpets”. The young “gunslingers of harmonica” will be represented by LD Miller, second place winner of “America’s Got Talent” television show, Jay Gaunt, Zack Gaviria and Josh King.

A group of world class harmonica players will be spending all three days teaching and sharing their craft with numerous seminars and workshops covering a broad harmonica spectrum from diatonic to chromatic to chord, bass and ensemble playing and much more. Harmonica vendors will be there to offer the latest harmonicas and equipment. Thursday and Friday evening will feature headline shows with a grand finale concert and banquet dinner on Saturday night. This year will also feature a special Saturday matinee show, also open to the public for only $10 and $5 for children under 12 years old. The highlight for many will be informal and formal jam sessions, morning, noon and night, including blues and jazz jams and lots of open mike playing.

Whether you are nine or ninety, amateur or professional, all join together with their common love and passion for music. Everyone is welcome and included in the fun This truly will be an intergenerational harmonica happening!

This year’s 37th GSHC Harmonica Festival comes at an opportune time as the harmonica is experiencing a fresh burst of attention. Historically, the world’s most popular and inexpensive instrument is even more appealing during challenging economic times. In August, SPAH (the Society for the Preservation and Advancement of the Harmonica) held its 46th Anniversary International harmonica Convention in Sacramento, California and set attendance records. This GSHC Harmonica Festival will be the premier harmonica event in the Northeast. Do plan on attending our annual festival, a “Fantasy Camp” for all harmonica lovers held at The Holiday Inn, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey!

For complete information and to register for this event, please visit : www.gardenstateharmonicaclub.org. The GSHC is a non-profit organization that was established in 1971.