Getaway

Getaway!

November 13-15, 2026

Bon Secours
Retreat & Conference Center

525 Marriottsville Road
Marriottsville, MD 21104

The annual WAFHS Getaway is a beloved event enjoyed by harpers and loved ones. We have inspiring and incredible instruction from eminent harp players as well as fun, a silent auction, and more. Join us this year at our new venue – Bon Secours.

We are excited to try out our new venue and to meet our presenters – Kim Robertson and Hannah Flowers. Read more about Kim and Hannah below.

From our President

Hello Harp Friends,

The Annual WAFHS Getaway will take place Friday, November 13 – Sunday, November 15, 2026, at our new venue – the Bon Secours Retreat and Conference Center in Marriottsville, MD. Please take the time to visit their website Bonsecoursrcc.org. There are improvements this year. We have elevators!! We have access to Internet and Wi-Fi service in the rooms. There are ceiling fans in the rooms and windows that open for fresh air. Unfortunately, the rooms only have one queen size bed. There are no rooms with two beds. I read reviews and they were excellent. They said that the food was exceptionally good and that the desserts were delicious.

The 2026 instructors for the 2026 WAFHS Annual Getaway are Hannah Flowers and Kim Robertson. You will notice on the 2026 registration form that after many Getaways, we have raised the class fee. We did this to cover the costs of bringing the talent that we bring every year to the Getaway.

When you decide to join us, please fill out and mail the registration form available below on this page. When you mail your registration form, it would help to send me an e-mail jmschwartz65@gmail.com notifying me that you have mailed it. That way I will look for your registration in the mail.

The cost for meals and lodging is $266.00 per person for two people sharing a room with a queen size bed and $396.00. for a single room. All 6 meals are included in these room rates, which include Friday night Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner on Saturday and Breakfast and Lunch on Sunday.

I must receive your registration form no later than October 15, 2026 (or at least notification that your registration form is in the mail, as I must give a room and meal count on October 16, 2026.
I will keep you up to date by sending you the schedule closer to the weekend, which will include the available workshop choices and any other pertinent information. One thing I must emphasize – if you notify me after the registration date of October 16, 2026, that you will not attend, we cannot under any circumstance refund your registration fees as we are obligated to pay for the number of attendees that I give on the 15th.

I hope you will join us for a weekend of fun and learning and I look forward to seeing you at the Getaway.

Judith Schwartz
President WAFHS and Getaway Operations Coordinator

Register now

Registration closes 15 October 2026.

To download this form, please click on the image (do not print the image itself). Print and complete it, and return by mail to:

WAFHS Getaway
Judith Schwartz, Registrar
14104 Rockingham Pike
Elkton, VA 22827

Send an email to jmschwartz65@gmail.com to confirm.

Our 2026 Presenters

Hannah Flowers

Minnesota-based Irish harpist and singer Hannah Flowers holds a B.A. in Music and an M.A. in Irish Traditional Music Performance from Maynooth University in Ireland. A childhood fascination with Ireland drove a life-altering immersion into Irish traditional music, which has led to dedicating herself to the performance and teaching of Irish music on the harp. In 2020, she was honored to be awarded the prestigious Fulbright research grant to Ireland to study harp accompaniment in the 20th century and pursued an MA in Irish Traditional Music Performance from Maynooth University outside Dublin. During her Fulbright year she was privileged to study with master harpers such as Grainne Hambly and Michael Rooney.

Hannah gave a wonderful workshop to WAFHS members earlier this year! If you wish to experience her before you come to the Getaway, consider buying one of her three recordings! They are “Amhrán na Cruite/Song of the Harp” (2018), and a second solo harp album of traditional Irish music and original compositions, “Hall-Gate House” (2022). Her third studio album is “The Harp and the Holly,” a collection of ancient carols and songs for the Christmas season that launched in December 2025.

Kim Robertson

Kim Robertson is a renowned performer, arranger and recording artist who has stretched the boundaries of the harp for a new generation of performers and audiences. As a pioneer in the American folk harp movement, she combines an improvisational spirit with a passionate sense of tradition, bringing a contemporary touch to a centuries-old instrument.

Born in Wisconsin, she is classically trained on piano and orchestral harp. In the mid-70’s, Kim’s discovery of the Celtic harp grew into a profound love for the instrument, setting her upon the path of exploration for which she is now widely known. Kim has traveled with her harp from concert halls to grass roots folk clubs, from luxury cruise ships to remote mountaintops; she has performed concerts by candlelight, delivered singing telegrams and played herself on an episode of “Beverly Hills 90210”.

She has toured throughout the USA, Canada and Europe and is still recognized as one of the most prominent folk harpists performing today. Her work encompasses numerous recording projects, published harp arrangements and an international itinerary of workshops and retreats.