Passion
Jerry Marchand began playing the Celtic harp in 1990 after
hearing the work of Kim Robertson; he first heard her beautiful melodies when he was mining Herkimer Diamond
Crystals in Fonda, New York. Later he studied with Joyce Rice, Kasha Breau and Felicia Swados. 
Jerry is an avid field collector of gems, minerals, crystals, and
fossils. He makes hand-made jewelry and operates his own business
selling these one-of-a-kind items, along with his
musical performances and recordings.
Jerry is a frequent performer
at area events, where fans come to see him year after year. He attracts
a loyal following who love his music and his exhibits of unique gems
and minerals that he has mined himself.
Teaching and Community Service
Jerry has done volunteer work with the harp at nursing homes, various hospitals
including the Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children, gone into area elementary schools and taught the
children the history of the harp, played for them and had them take
their own hand and try to play the harp.
He also supports local animal shelters by playing for them and raising money at various shows and functions. He volunteers at the Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Shelter in Springfield, MA, where he does cat care and helps in any other way he can. Jerry Marchand's community service is an expression of his love for music combined with his compassion for people and animals in need. For more details, please click here
Background
Jerry worked in the field of computers and electronics for 30 years and
currently works at the prestigious Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA in the Earth and Environment Department. He works with the mineral collection there and a Scanning
Electron Microscope. In a sense, this work dovetails with his experiences mining and selling minerals; he has a multi-faceted perspective.
