Hilary Stagg was a new age harpist from Northern California.

1957 ~ 1999

Previously an electrician, Hilary Stagg's (named for Sir Edmund Hillary, the famous mountaineer) career path changed in his mid-twenties when he attended the concert of renowned new age harpist, Andreas Vollenweider. He was enthralled and was so inspired that he purchased a small harp. With a high school band sousaphone background, it was a delightful challenge for him to use his knowledge as an electrician to amplify his new instrument. As a result, his custom amplification was superb. He tried formal lessons but quickly decided he would learn to play the harp a different way. Hilary believed in and practised lucid dreaming and developed a way of dancing with the Muse in his dreams, a way of exploring and composing music in his "sleep" that became the core of his compositions. As he experimented, Hilary developed a gentle, yet powerful, melodic style that gave new meaning to soothing and relaxing music. He began performing regularly, refining his technique and confidence.

The results of his labor and dedication can be heard on seven titles for Real Music Records, Beyond the Horizon (1987), Feather Light (1989), Dream Spiral (1991), The Edge of Forever (1993), Winter Magic (Christmas selections) (1995), Sweet Return (1997) and finally, Hilary Stagg ~ A Tribute.

Hilary died suddenly after a brief illness in June 1999. His music is our gift, ready to comfort and uplift at the touch of a button. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.