Bardina, a cousin of the fairy Thumbelina, is a bard: a person who sings songs and tells stories while playing the harp. Bardina is portrayed by composer/lyricist/harpist/vocalist Stephanie Bennett. SELECTIONS ON BARDINA'S FOREST: 1. Planets & Stars (4:02) a loving lullabye that also teaches the names of the planets. 2. Ballad of Gorilla and Bear (3:57) the TRUE stories of a bear who made friends with a cat, and a gorilla who uses sign language. "I learned from this, and in many other ways, that animals have feelings too... and I hope that you and I can remember to be as kind as that gorilla and bear!" 3. I Can Imagine (3:00) "to begin any project, you start with a dream..." 4. The Harper (3:33) in the time of lords and ladies, a harp hastens true love. 5. Flutter By, Butterfly (6:20) the amazing true story of the insect who leads "four different lives"! 6. Crazy, Mixed-Up Platypus (9:07) this incredible animal has a secret weapon & unusual parenting techniques! 7. October Suite (5:52) celebrates the inspiring beauty of Autumn. 8. The Snow Queen (17:25) a little girl with a kind heart, courage and determination, rescues her friend. 9. Going Home (4:49) the joy & comfort of returning to the familiar after great adventures. 10. Pathétique (CD bonus track) instrumental version of Going Home. Total running time: CD 63 minutes, cassette 59 minutes. Stephanie Bennett: electric harp with digital effects, Celtic harps, vocals and narration. With: flute, french horn, percussion, and string quartet. All music by Stephanie Bennett except Going Home and Pathétique, music by Beethoven. "One of our country's top harpists" -The Hollywood Reporter Stephanie Bennett has performed in the United States, Japan, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Uruguay, Panama, France and Switzerland, including solo harp performances of her own compositions at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland), as a guest artist at the International Music Seminars in Montpelier, France, and at the International Conference on Women in Music. She has performed for the Mayor of Los Angeles, the Governor of California, the Prime Minister of Israel, the President of Israel, and the President of Ireland. Stephanie lives in the Los Angeles area, where she composes, records and produces her own CDs, composes music which has been heard on television shows such as MURPHY BROWN, PARTY OF FIVE and THE SINGLE GUY, and on the feature film A TIME FOR DANCING; writes musical arrangements for other artists (including arrangements for Celtic harpist Julie Mondin, rocker Ozzie Osbourne, Native American flute player Golana, Celtic fiddler Mary Barton, New Age ensemble Midnight Skye, and alternative songstress Chloé), plays harp on soundtracks for movies and television, and plays harp on recordings by many other artists (including Lee Ann Rimes, Linda Ronstadt, Everlast, and Ray Conniff),teaches harp students, writes lyrics which have been recorded by other vocalists, and composes chamber music which has been performed by ensembles such as "Entr'amis" (classical harp, flute and viola trio), and "Campanile", (renowned contemporary handbell ensemble). She has also appeared onscreen in television, movies and music videos, including Celine Dion's 1998 Christmas special, 1999 hit movie THE OTHER SISTER (with Diane Keaton, Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi); LOVE AFFAIR with Warren Beatty, GYPSY with Bette Midler, COBB with Tommy Lee Jones, the FRANK SINATRA mini-series, A ROMANTIC CHRISTMAS by John Tesh, music videos including Trisha Yearwood and HOLE IN MY SOUL by Aerosmith, and television shows including MURPHY BROWN, FALCON CREST, SISTERS, and PICKET FENCES. Stephanie Bennett's recordings are heard on many American radio shows including the syndicated shows ECHOES and MUSICAL STARSTREAMS, as well as on many overseas radio stations. Stephanie Bennett began studying the harp as a junior high school student in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after having studied some guitar and piano as a child. She continued her studies of classical harp performance with Ruth Dean Clark at the University of Michigan, where she also studied composition with Pulitzer Prize winning composers Leslie Bassett and Ross Lee Finney. She continued her music studies at the Dick Grove School of Music and at UCLA Extension, with courses in Advanced Modern Harmony, Arranging, 20th Century Harmony, Film Scoring, etc.