Camille and Kennerly Kitt
| Camille and Kennerly Kitt | |
|---|---|
|
Promo picture for an electric harp duet video | |
| Other names |
Camille and Kennerly Harp Twins Kitt Twins |
| Occupation | Harpists, Actresses, Arrangers |
| Years active | 2009–present |
| Website | |
| Official Website | |
Camille and Kennerly Kitt are American identical twin actresses and electric/acoustic harpists, who compose, arrange, and perform as The Harp Twins. The Kitt sisters have released over 40 singles online, as well as three physical cover albums. As actresses, the Harp Twins have appeared in several films.
Biography
The twins began playing piano as children, followed by the harp in junior high school. They earned money for their first harp by taking on jobs such as babysitting and dog-walking in order to show their mom they were serious about playing the harp. Their first harp was a pre-owned lever harp.[1]
Both sisters hold a Bachelor of Music degree in Harp Performance and graduated with highest honors at Wheaton College Conservatory of Music;[2][3] however, although they were trained classically, the Kitt twins' true musical passion is arranging and performing contemporary music for harp duets.[4] They are also third-degree black belts in Taekwondo, and former Taekwondo instructors.[5] While sparring, Kennerly broke two of her fingers, whereas Camille required stitches in her face as the result of a puncture wound sustained while holding a board that Kennerly was breaking; these incidents made them decide to stop practicing martial arts, focusing on the harp instead.[5]
Musical career
Camille and Kennerly comprise an internationally performing rock harp duo, commonly referred to as the Harp Twins; they are best known for their duet arrangements of contemporary songs from artists including Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Pink Floyd, Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Rihanna, Guns N' Roses, U2, Coldplay, and Journey,[6] as well as music scored for video games, films, and television.[7][5] The Harp Twins have posted 64 music videos on YouTube;[8] their cover of "Stairway to Heaven" alone garnering two million YouTube hits.[9]
Bailey Johnson, writing at the CBS News "Feed Blog", described their arrangement of The Cranberries' "Zombie" as an "elegant, wistful and an excellent tribute".[10] Huffington Post arts reporter Mallika Rao said of their Game of Thrones theme arrangement: "Yes, there have been other attempts to cover Ramin Djawadi's haunting tune before, but this one is now the only one."[11] Music theorist and harpist Megan Bledsoe remarks that while groups like Harptallica and the Harp Twins provide a new perspective on previous instrumentation choices within these genres, she notes that "the resulting sound of these ensembles, which very closely resembles any harp duet throughout history ... ultimately perpetuates the angelic, calm, feminine stereotypes of the instrument."[6] Playing up the contrast in styles, the group was featured in the June 2013 issue of Metal Hammer magazine.[12]
In October 2014, the Kitt sisters performed at the 8th annual World Harp Festival, in Asunción, Paraguay, which brought together more than 30 national and international artists.[13]
Camille and Kennerly perform on Venus “Classic” Concert Grand pedal harps[14] and Lyon & Healy “Silhouette” Electric lever harps.
Acting
Camille and Kennerly portrayed "The Merry Christians" in the film Politics of Love, directed by William Dear, and "The Marcelli Twins" in the dark teen comedy blacktino, produced by Elizabeth Avellan. Camille and Kennerly can be seen in the trailer for blacktino.[15] Additionally, the Harp Twins had minor roles in Delivery Man, starring Vince Vaughn.[16]
Discography
Albums
- Harp Attack (December 2013). Harp covers of rock and metal songs.[17]
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| 1. Fear of the Dark | 6:22 |
| 2. Send Me an Angel | 4:20 |
| 3. Nothing Else Matters | 5:33 |
| 4. Paint It Black | 3:35 |
| 5. Don't Fear the Reaper | 4:19 |
| 6. It's My Life | 2:32 |
| 7. Smoke On the Water | 3:33 |
| 8. Wish You Were Here | 3:22 |
| 9. Zombie | 2:11 |
| 10. With or Without You | 3:04 |
| 11. Sweet Child O' Mine | 2:36 |
| 12. Highway to Hell | 2:21 |
| 13. Stairway to Heaven | 4:05 |
| 14. Dream On | 3:47 |
- Harp Fantasy (December 2013). Harp covers of video game, anime, film and television soundtracks.[17]
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| 1. Game of Thrones Main Title | 1:48 |
| 2. Star Trek Main Title | 2:00 |
| 3. Misty Mountains (From The Hobbit) | 1:43 |
| 4. Mario: Rainbow Road / Dire Dire Docks | 2:48 |
| 5. Doctor Who Theme | 2:02 |
| 6. The Rains of Castamere (From Game of Thrones) | 2:45 |
| 7. Saint Seiya: Mime’s Requiem / Abel’s Harp | 2:45 |
| 8. The Walking Dead Theme | 1:38 |
| 9. Final Fantasy: Prelude / To Zanarkand | 3:40 |
| 10. Silent Hill: Promise (Reprise) / Not Tomorrow | 4:56 |
| 11. The Legend of Zelda: Ballad of the Goddess | 1:44 |
| 12. Hedwig’s Theme (From Harry Potter) | 2:36 |
| 13. Skyrim Main Theme (Dragonborn) | 3:04 |
| 14. Lord of the Rings Medley | 5:14 |
- Harp Attack 2 (February 2015). Harp covers of rock and metal songs.[17]
| Track | Length |
|---|---|
| 1. Dance of Death | 7:12 |
| 2. Hotel California | 4:57 |
| 3. Eye of The Tiger | 2:40 |
| 4. The Unforgiven | 4:58 |
| 5. Every Breath You Take | 3:32 |
| 6. House of the Rising Sun | 3:04 |
| 7. A Tout Le Monde | 4:03 |
| 8. My Immortal | 4:03 |
| 9. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | 3:39 |
| 10. Rhiannon | 3:12 |
| 11. Crazy Train | 4:39 |
| 12. The Bard's Song (In the Forest) | 3:38 |
| 13. Carry On Wayward Son | 3:16 |
| 14. Don't Stop Believin' | 2:23 |
| 15. Hotel California (feat. Sonido Urbano & Kevin Bartlett) | 5:08 |
Single Releases
The Kitts have released several of their harp duet arrangements online.
| Release Date | Track |
|---|---|
| June 28, 2012 | Sweet Child O' Mine |
| July 9, 2012 | Highway to Hell |
| July 9, 2012 | Zombie |
| July 9, 2012 | Game of Thrones |
| July 9, 2012 | Stairway to Heaven |
| November 7, 2012 | Skyrim Main Theme (Dragonborn) |
| November 7, 2012 | The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Ballad of the Goddess) |
| November 7, 2012 | Greensleeves |
| November 7, 2012 | Silent Night |
| November 7, 2012 | O Holy Night |
| November 7, 2012 | Nothing Else Matters |
| November 7, 2012 | Final Fantasy: Prelude / To Zanarkand |
| December 4, 2012 | The First Noel |
| December 4, 2012 | Carol of the Bells |
| January 8, 2013 | Paint It Black |
| January 26, 2013 | Misty Mountains Cold (from "The Hobbit") |
| February 5, 2013 | The Walking Dead Theme |
| February 27, 2013 | Fear of the Dark |
| March 20, 2013 | Doctor Who Theme |
| April 6, 2013 | The Rains of Castamere - Game of Thrones |
| May 15, 2013 | Star Trek: The Next Generation (Main Title) |
| May 25, 2013 | With or Without You |
| May 25, 2013 | Wish You Were Here |
| May 25, 2013 | It's My Life |
| May 25, 2013 | Dream On |
| May 25, 2013 | Don't Fear the Reaper |
| June 20, 2013 | Scarborough Fair |
| July 6, 2013 | Pachelbel's Canon in D |
| July 9, 2013 | Send Me an Angel |
| July 30, 2013 | Saint Seiya: Mime's Requiem / Abel's Harp |
| August 19, 2013 | Smoke On the Water |
| September 11, 2013 | Rainbow Road / Dire Dire Docks (from "Mario Kart" and "Super Mario 64") |
| October 9, 2013 | Amazing Grace |
| October 21, 2013 | Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) |
| November 12, 2013 | The Lord of the Rings |
| December 23, 2013 | Downton Abbey Theme |
| January 13, 2014 | Eye of the Tiger |
| February 9, 2014 | Every Breath You Take |
| February 27, 2014 | Hedwig's Theme (From "Harry Potter") |
| March 25, 2014 | The House of the Rising Sun |
| April 21, 2014 | Promise (Reprise) / Not Tomorrow (from Silent Hill) |
| May 13, 2014 | Dance of Death |
| July 26, 2014 | Crazy Train |
| August 20, 2014 | Star Wars |
| September 22, 2014 | Hotel California |
| November 11, 2014 | Don't Stop Believing |
| November 22, 2014 | The Bard's Song |
| January 20, 2015 | The Hanging Tree |
| February 13, 2015 | A Tout le Monde |
| April 6, 2015 | Girls Just Wanna Have Fun |
Filmography
- Delivery Man (2013)
- Politics of Love (2011) [18]
- blacktino (2011)
- T is for Twine (2011)
- Super Force 5 (2010)
- Elephant Medicine (2010)
- Inside America (2009)
- The End of Lost Beginnings (2009)
- Lost Along the Way (2008)
References
- ↑ "Harp Twins 'Game Of Thrones' Cover Earns Chicago Duo Fans' Praise". The Huffington Post. May 5, 2012.
- ↑ Benders, Sebastian (June 2010), Twee keer zo leuk om harp te spelen als je tweeling bent! 17 (2), FHF!, pp. 6–7, retrieved September 6, 2013
- ↑ "Gemelas del Arpa: "No sabíamos que teníamos tantos fans en Paraguay"". Última Hora (Paraguay) (in Spanish). October 6, 2014.
- ↑ "IRON MAIDEN's 'Dance Of Death' Covered By HARP TWINS (Video)". Blabbermouth.net. May 16, 2014.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Jones, Anna (May 8, 2013). "Identical Twins Who Play Harp Duets". LA Weekly.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bledsoe, Megan A. (2012). The Harp in Jazz and American Pop Music (Ph.D). University of Washington. p. 57.
- ↑ "Interview: Camille and Kennerly - The Harp Twins". Nintendolife.com. March 6, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ↑ "Camille and Kennerly". YouTube. Retrieved December 29, 2013.
- ↑ "Identical twin sisters become internet hit after covering famous rock hits using nothing but HARPS". Daily Mail. August 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Beautiful harp cover of The Cranberries' 'Zombie'". CBS News. March 7, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ↑ "The Harp Twins' 'Game Of Thrones' Intro". The Huffington Post. May 5, 2012.
- ↑ "HARP ATTACK!". Metal Hammer (244): 11. June 2013.
- ↑ "8VO. Festival Mudial del Arpa se Realizara en Asunción del 3 al 4 de Octubre Proximos". Municipalidad de Asunción (in Spanish). October 1, 2014.
- ↑ "Official Venus Harps website". Venusharps.com. Retrieved September 6, 2013.
- ↑ "blacktino SXSW Trailer". Vimeo. Retrieved September 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Delivery Man (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Harp Twins ~ Camille and Kennerly". Retrieved March 2014.
- ↑ Randeria-Leonard, Shyamal. "Mallika Sherawat Graces Naz 8 Premiere of ‘Politics of Love’". India-West. Ramesh Murarka. Retrieved September 25, 2014.