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Biography: 

"If my books can make classical music more accessible to kids,
that would be a dream come true."

Anna grew up on a farm in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina. She played the cello in the Greensboro Youth Orchestra and the drums in her high school marching band and jazz band. Music and the arts have always been an important part of her life.

Anna received her B.A. in art history and music history from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went on to study art history at the Rijks-University Gent in Ghent, Belgium. She received her M.A. in musicology from Duke University and later also received her Ph.D. She has received many awards and has published numerous works regarding music history and the history of art, including "Death Transfigured: The Origins and Evolution of Franz Liszt's Totentanz" in Selected Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on 19th Century Music (Ashgate) and "Carl Dahlhaus," "Edvard Grieg," "Iconography," "Romanticism," and "Scandinavia" in Reader's Guide to Music: History, Theory, and Criticism (Fitzroy Dearborn).

Anna's research and studies have taken her to many countries around the world, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. She has worked as a professional translator in Germany and Denmark.

Anna's expertise in art and music history, combined with her passion for music and her love of literature, led her to write The Farewell Symphony, her first children's book. She realized that there were few books that introduce children to specific works of classical music. Children are exposed to classical music everyday in commercials and cartoons and even in pop music, but they are not exposed to the stories and the history behind these compositions. In her workshops and children's classes, and now in her books, Anna ensures that children come away with an appreciation, even a love, of classical music.

Anna lives in Baltimore, Maryland.

Click here to download Anna's biography.

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Bach's Goldberg Variations Author: Anna Harwell Celenza   Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel ISBN: 978-1-57091-510-9 Ages: 5 - 9 Availability: In stock. Price: $21.95 Johann Sebastian Bach encourages Count Keyserlingk to take in a talented young orphan named Johann Gottlieb Goldberg. The Count is an insomniac, but hearing Goldberg play the harpsichord soothes him. Soon the Count challenges Goldberg to combine all the music he's learned and throw in a riddle. Under Bach's tutelage, Goldberg successfully plays a difficult piece that becomes known as Goldberg Variations. "[T]he story is wonderfully told in the tropes and manner of a folktale." — Booklist Qty:

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Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue Author: Anna Harwell Celenza   Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel ISBN: 978-1-57091-556-7 Ages: 5 - 9 Availability: In stock. Price: $21.95 It's 1924, and with just a few weeks' notice, George Gershwin has been asked to compose a new concerto that exemplifies American music. In his search for a new melody, Gershwin realizes that American music is much like its people -- a great melting pot of sounds, rhythms, and harmonies. JoAnn Kitchel's illustrations capture the 1920's in all their art-deco majesty. "A great way to introduce a classic to a new generation." — Booklist Qty:

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Pictures at an Exhibition - hc Author: Anna Harwell Celenza   Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel ISBN: 978-1-57091-492-8 Ages: 5 - 9 Availability: In stock. Price: $21.95 Modest Mussorgsky is deeply saddened by the death of his friend, Victor Hartmann. In his grief, Modest turns his back on his dream of bringing the glories of the Russian people to the world through his music. His friends must find a way to help Modest deal with the loss of Victor and inspire him to compose again. "[A] new gem for music lovers." — Booklist Qty:

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The Farewell Symphony Author: Anna Harwell Celenza   Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel ISBN: 978-1-57091-406-5 Ages: 5 - 9 Availability: In stock. Price: $21.95 A fictionalized telling of the true story behind Haydn's Farewell Symphony brings to life the long summer Haydn and his musicians spent at Esterhaza, the summer palace of Prince Nicholas of Esterhazy. When the musicians become homesick they devise a way to convince the prince it's time to go home. "An entertaining musical history and a well-produced package." — School Library Journal Qty:

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The Heroic Symphony Author: Anna Harwell Celenza   Illustrator: JoAnn E. Kitchel ISBN: 978-1-57091-509-3 Ages: 5 - 9 Availability: In stock. Price: $21.95 This fascinating tale reveals what motivated Beethoven to compose Symphony No. 3 Eroica and how the symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon and then "un-dedicated." Qty:

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