There have been timeless musicians throughout history whose hands seem to be guided by unseen forces. Possessing unexplainable musical genius, the exquisite beauty of their songs have delighted and mystified audiences the world over, somehow connecting us closer to heaven. Peter Sterling is one such musical treasure. A harpist of world-class skill, Peter’s eclectic music continues to touch the lives of thousands around the world. Devoted listeners over the years have consistently reported greater peace, spiritual visions, and even miraculous healings while listening to Peter’s heavenly albums, suggesting the astonishing potential of his uncanny musical gifts.
A precious few can claim the musical foundations that led Peter to play the harp. His unusual and inspiring story truly began during a series of life-altering divine encounters while living outdoors in the peaceful solitude of Sedona, Arizona’s Red Rock canyons. Spending countless hours at its sacred vortex sites practicing yoga and meditation amidst the brilliant scenery and vast silence, Peter one day experienced a genuine spiritual vision of angelic beings in a heavenly choir surrounding him. In this profound vision, Peter saw himself strumming a harp and allowing divine music to flow through him. Although Peter showed considerable musical talent as a child, having played the piano by ear and then dabbling with the flute and guitar over the years, music had not been a prevalent part of his life. Overwhelmed by the grandeur of this angelic experience, Peter waited for the next series of synchronicities to guide his choices.
Only a week later, Peter happened to meet an accomplished harpist who was selling a Celtic harp. Quickly acquiring the instrument and receiving one brief music lesson, Peter retreated back to the canyons where he humbly beseeched the heavens atop a red rock peak to allow the music of the harp to flow through him. Almost immediately his prayers were answered as he began to instinctively strum chords and simple melodies. “It was as if my hands knew what to do,” Peter said. It wasn’t long before the beginning melodies matured into distinct songs, closely resembling the heavenly tones he once heard among the silence of the canyons.
Incredibly, Sterling recorded his first album, Harp Magic, after a mere ten months with the harp, demonstrating a skill-level most experts would consider impossible after such a brief time. Nevertheless, this is the “magic” of Peter’s remarkable story. Harp Magic went on to be nominated for the “Naird Indie Award” for best string album of 1994 — a national honor. And ten year’s later Peter’s cd Harp Dreams went to #1 on the N.A.R. top 100 radio playlist for 8 weeks in 2004 and was nominated for “Album of the Year” by the same organization. As a result Peter signed with Real Music in the fall of 2004 to release his new CD Shadow, Mist & Light.
His earlier celestial sounds have evolved into a contemporary instrumental mix of world fusion, with an impressive advancement in his melodies complexity, groove, and inspirational quality, sounding at once seductive, hip and angelic.
Sterling’s music and presence are frequently requested around the world, especially by best-selling authors and teachers Neale Donald Walsch, Doreen Virtue Ph.D., and James Van Praag. Featured on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sterling’s music continues to broaden in its appeal. Offering flavors of jazz, classical, world music, and New Age styles, Peter’s music can be as rhythmic as it is healing. Sterling tours North America extensively, bringing his healing music to work shops, expos, and also hospitals and nursing homes where he continues to explore the field of sound therapy with the sick and elderly. He is also a metaphysical teacher and an accomplished stained glass artist, as well as a backcountry guide to the sacred sites of Sedona, Arizona. Peter Sterling currently makes his home in Southern California.