Newsletters 2010-2011

Summer 2011

Chapter Picnic – August 13

It’s summer and picnic time! Edie Prest has invited us to her home, overlooking beautiful Lake Ontario, for a chapter picnic on Saturday afternoon, August 13.

Those arriving at 3:30 or so have the opportunity of canoeing on the lake and/or playing music together. 5:30 is the time for everyone to enjoy a potluck supper. In addition to recorders, bring a dish to pass, a significant other (if you wish), and take advantage of the opportunity to get to know your recorder friends a little better.

Edie asks that you let her know via e-mail, preferably before Aug. 4, if you are planning to come. She lives on Lake Road in Webster.

We Need New Members

With our membership dropping and rental/insurance costs rising, we desperately need to recruit new converts to the joys of recorder playing. Each of you can do your part! Talk up our chapter’s fabulous activities, bring a friend, post flyers—do anything that will help us increase our membership. We have a flyer explaining our chapter and meeting times. Please print out multiple copies and distribute them to friends, relatives, neighbors, colleagues, and place them anywhere that seems appropriate. Please, help grow our chapter!

September 13: Registration Night

Our new season begins on Tuesday evening, September 13. Bring not only your recorders but also your checkbooks. After registering and announcements, we will have slightly shortened classes.

Outreach

The Outreach Group, some 15 participants strong, has played at two markets, Webster and Irondequoit, to date. Two more sessions are on the agenda for early September, one at Westside Market and a repeat at Irondequoit. We may also have the possibility of providing music for a cookbook- sale-launching event sponsored by the Rochester Area Interfaith Hospitality Network in September.

Upcoming Concerts of Interest

The Finger Lakes Choral Festival is presenting Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion in two free programs this weekend. Hochstein is the venue on Sat., July 23, at 8 p.m. and Sun., July 24, at 4 p.m. The chorus is joined by the Penfield Orchestra and fine soloists. The performance is in English with the evangelist parts read by Thomas Paul.

April/May 2011

Prism Mini Coming Up!

Here’s a chance for an individual, a duo, any group, a class to play a short piece at a mini. The idea is the groups play one after another, ideally with no break between. It’s next week, April 12, so let’s hear how you would welcome Spring, this year’s theme!

Otto Green Day - Clean-up at the Church

Save the date by marking your calendars now! It’s Saturday, May 7, from 9:00 to 12:00. Raking, trimming, and weeding are tasks where we can lend a hand. We have a reputation for a good turn-out, plus there are usually early morning snacks and a light lunch available at noon.

Spring Concert

Sunday afternoon, May 22, is the date for our annual spring concert, a time for us to invite friends and family to enjoy an afternoon of recorder music. It’s a chance to let others know what we’ve been doing and even attract newcomers to our chapter. Each class plays a piece or two, and it’s also customary for the whole chapter to play an opening number together. We will practice this during the break between classes on our regular Tuesday evenings. We also gather earlier on that Sunday afternoon to rehearse our class pieces once again. Details about times will follow at meetings.

Summer Outreach?

A few in the outreach group have indicated a wish to play at farm markets again during the summer. Maybe we can find some other venues as well. Are others interested? Let Liz know.

Learn the Bass!

The Chapter’s donated bass can be borrowed if you need an instrument to learn the bass. See Neil.

Ornaments

Other Dates

Jessica is happy to report that Brennan progeny v2.0 is right on track for an early August debut.

February/March 2011

Come to Our Workshop!

Many of you have already indicated that you will be taking part in our “Spanish Spice” workshop with Larry Lipnik on Saturday, March 12. But for those of you who have not, are you aware that this is a rare opportunity to be coached by a nationally known musician, someone who is not only knowledgeable but also enthusiastic and fun?! So come for the full day ($40) or a half day ($25) (9-12 or 1-4 with registration earlier). If you will not be at ARS on March 8 for the final count, please let Edie know that you are coming. We need the number of attendees so we have enough music.

Lessons and small-group coaching on Friday and Sunday afternoons are also available. Check with Liz.

Gardenscape 2011

16 of your recorder-playing friends will appear on stage at the Dome Arena from 3:00 to 3:40 on Friday, March 18, as part of the musical enter- tainment for Gardenscape 2011. Come out and enjoy the sights and aromas of spring as you listen to our “band.” While there, you might even talk to other folks listening about ARS and how much fun it is to play the recorder! What great PR!

Note to Gardenscape Players

Our rehearsals will be on Tuesday, March 1, and Tuesday, March 15, at 7:15 at the church. (Sorry, other sight-readers, to preempt your time.)

Thoughts for next year?

What types of second-hour classes would you be interested in for the next season? If you have ideas, please let DeeDee Heyer, our teacher coordinator, know.

Ornaments - Upcoming Concerts

Mon., Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall, the Eastman Collegium presents a program of early music. Free.

Sun., Mar. 6, at 3:30 at Asbury Methodist Church, the Oratorio Society presents an all- Baroque program including Bach’s Cantata No. 80, “Ein’ feste Burg ist unser Gott” (“A Mighty Fortress ...”), and works by Handel, Monteverdi, Gabrieli. Tickets $20.

Sun., Mar. 27, at 4 p.m. at Hochstein, Pegasus Early Music presents “Terpsicore,” Handel’s opera-ballet with singers, dancers, and instrumentalists.

Note to Board Members 

Meeting on March 29, (5th Tuesday) at 7:15 at the church. Agenda items? Let Liz know. All are welcome to attend.

January/February 2011

“Spanish Spice” and Larry Lipnik

We are fortunate indeed to welcome Larry back again this year to lead our spring workshop. A popular workshop leader, teacher, performer on recorder, viol and voice, Larry will bring us a taste of Iberia with music from the Renaissance to the present with side trips to Italy and beyond. Saturday, March 12 is the date, so mark your calendars now for a full day (or half day) of enjoyable music-making as we explore a musical world unfamiliar to many of us. Edie Prest is coordinating, but details are also here on our web site. Larry will be available for lessons and coaching on Fri. p.m. and Sun. a.m.

Gardenscape 2011?

Many of you recall our debut at last year’s flower/garden show with 18 of us taking the stage at the Dome Arena. Due to a communications snafu, the promised Saturday time slot is not available this year. However, we have the possibility of playing on Friday afternoon, March 18, either at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. Are any of you interested? We will need to practice as a group several times during February and March. A sign-up sheet will be available at Tuesday’s meeting for those of you who are willing to commit. (The organizer needs to know by mid-week.) I suggest that you choose one or, at most, two instruments to play.

Play-the-Recorder Month

March is designated by our parent organization as Play-the-Recorder Month. Does anyone have ideas for activities? If so, talk to a Board member. Do you have a group that plays publicly? if so, schedule your program(s) for March. Will Rochester ARS win another prize this year?

Ornaments - Upcoming Concerts

Early Music: Feb. 6, at 4:00, Downtown Pres. Church, Pegasus presents lute virtuoso Paul O’Dette in music of Dowland and Bacheler. Check: www.pegasusearlymusic.org.

Baroque Organ

Have you heard the Baroque organ at the Memorial Art Gallery? The only full-sized Italian Baroque organ in North America is featured in short programs every Sunday at the Gallery. Check: www.mag.rochester.edu

Eastman Collegium, the student early music ensemble led by Paul O’Dette and Christel Thielmann, presents a program on Monday, Feb. 28, at 8 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall. The ensemble has singers and strings, sometimes winds and viols. Check: www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/

September 2010

Registration – September 14

Greetings! And welcome to a new season of the Rochester Chapter of the American Recorder Society. Registration starts at 7:15 in Hubbell Hall at the First Baptist Church, Allen’s Creek and Clover St. As usual, we will pay our yearly dues, buy instruments and music as needed. There will be enough time to have shortened classes, both first and second hour, so come with instruments in hand.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 14!elcome to the 2010-2011 Season!

Play-the-Recorder-Month Prize

Congratulations to our Chapter, which once again has been awarded a prize for our playing activities during the month of March. As before, the Board has decided to hold a raffle, this time with two $50 prizes, compliments of the von Huene Early Music Shop. The lucky winners may pick their own prizes. Of course, it’s possible to choose an item that is higher in value than the $50 and make up the difference. The drawing will be on October 26. More details to follow on registration night.

Summer Activities

The Chapter Outreach Group has been active, providing music for shoppers’ listening pleasure at five farmers’ markets in the city and suburbs. The 12 participants rotated so that we had six to ten players at each “performance.” Braving sun and wind were: Frank Amato, Ellen Brannin, Joe Clark, Pat Hanley, Susan Hollis, Mary Jones, Tom

Mangialino, Katy Mulvey, Edie Prest, Liz and Neil Seely, and Richard Taglieri. All in all, it was fun and enhanced our treasury by $ 72.00.

Several other groups played in a variety of venues over the summer.

Other ARS members were involved in summer workshops, opportunities to spend a week in concentrated music-making with expert coaches and to hear beautiful concerts. Marian Henry and Edie Prest were fully occupied and stimulated at the

Amherst Early Music Festival in Connecticut. Both Tom Grande and Frank Peterson enjoyed the challenges offered at the Mid-East Workshop near Pittsburgh. These are ARS-sponsored workshops. Comprising one fifth of the student population at Baekeland Camp in the Adirondacks, a private workshop, were Pat Hanley, Marian Henry, Katy Mulvey, Liz and Neil Seely. (Were there others?) Talk to any of these folks about their vacation activities. You may want to consider such a concentrated musical week next summer. It’s both fun and energizing as well as being an in-depth

learning experience. There are also many weekend workshops available during the year.

Dates to Note

Pegasus Early Music season opens October 1st and 3rd with lute songs of our favorite renaissance composers performed by Laura Heimes and Deborah Fox. Check: pegasusearlymusic.org.

Pat Hanley welcomes donations for the Lupus Walk on October 2nd.

A harp concert with soloist Roxanne Ziegler is planned for November 3rd at 7:30 at the church. A free-will offering will be taken.

Saturday, November 13, is the morning for our fall in-house workshop and play-day. Keep 9-12 a.m. open!

Our spring workshop will once again feature one of our special past workshop leaders: Larry Lipnik. The date is March 12. If you have ideas for a theme or want a particular era or style of music, speak with Edie Prest, our workshop coordinator.

Ornaments

Bring a friend to registration night. Our two beginner teachers are eager to have participants. No musical experience is needed. There’s a special group for former wind players.

Join National ARS

Stay current on news in the recorder world, get advice on various topics of interest to recorder players, read reviews of music and recordings, find out where recorder workshops will be held, plus more when you receive American Recorder, the journal of

the American Recorder Society. A subscription is one of the benefits of membership in our national organization. Information at: AmercanRecorder.org.