(also known as Vendy, for those who get confused by the Czech first name and the Dutch family name.)
This phantastic, incomparable and beautiful prototype of a Czech musician does not only
play the harp and sing gory ballads about cannibalism and other Central European pastime,
but is also able to play music on crutches, and to cure nervous breakdowns in
harp meeting organisers. Together with her Dutch husband Floris, she was the invisible
fairy who constantly supplied coffee at the Nordic Harp Meeting 2008 in Lund,
and without them Josef would have died of starvation. Vendy also provided tremendous help
in
kantele support and every single
nocturnal session,
while Floris took hundreds of professional photographs, some of which now can be admired at the
gallery.
At the NHM 2009 in Turku, Vendy held a workshop for harp beginners, teaching some
short traditional Czech melodies, which are usually in major keys and based on 2-3 chords.
(By the way: Central European harpists have been touring the Nordic countries in the mid-19th century,
which greatly inspired Finnish kantele musicians to start to play tunes in major keys based on 2-3 chords.)
At the NHM 2010 in Gjøvik, Vendy was the person who was working and singing at the registration desk.
At the NHM 2011 in Broby, she will be at the registration desk again.
