June and August meetings are directed by chapter members here at SFRS. Any member is welcome to try their hand at it, we would love to have you bring your favorite selections to conduct. Contact Greta to volunteer!
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| Bonus meeting to be presented by SFRS member Ray White! |
Our in-person meetings have been suspended for over a year now due to the pandemic (see our News & Events page). Most of us can hardly wait to play music in person and it is looking very possible to resume in August or September! Our host venue, Christ Church Lutheran, has begun holding limited services in person and is eager to welcome us back as soon as possible. We may try a 'hybrid' Zoom/in-person meeting in August via the Zoom Conferencing platform. Since June of 2020, players from other chapters have been invited to join our meetings, and last September we joined forces with the Sacramento Recorder Society to present excellent online meetings. We've had the pleasure of being directed by teachers in every time zone and have had an attendance of between 35 and 50 recorder players, resulting in an SFRS record of 55 paid memberships. We are SO grateful for the support and enthusiasm shown by so many outside of our local area.
Although it is historically a month with no SRFS meeting, we are thrilled to announce a BONUS meeting in July this year! Ray White (EBRS, MPRO, BCRO), who has been an SFRS member since the beginning of our online meetings, will lead those in attendance in music that he has set. He modestly says he is not qualified to be a conductor, but he will present gorgeous music for our enjoyment on THURSDAY, July 22 at 7:30 PM Pacific time. All of his selections are from el Escorial library in Spain (ms IV a 24). Each piece is in at least 2 versions: 4' pitch (SATB), and 8' pitch (TBGrBCtB) so if you have big recorders this will be a great opportunity to get them out for some good exercise.
We are thrilled to once again join forces with the SRS to present this unusual program with a presenter who is new to us. Ray's enthusiasm for this music and for our beloved recorder will show in the work he's put into this presentation. We are very grateful to him for the gift of this playing opportunity.
To participate, send an email to Greta and be placed on our invitation list.
NOTE: Be sure to keep your Zoom account up to date (now at version 5.7.1) for the best online musical experience. Click HERE for a PDF sheet of tips to help you with settings for the best results for playing of and listening to recorders on Zoom. Most of these tips - all of the ones pertinent to our needs - are still applicable to the latest Zoom version, although the document was created a while back.
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| James Chaudoir will conduct in June |
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JAMES CHAUDOIR is Professor Emeritus of Music Composition at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh As a composer, performer, and educator, his musical career has spanned several decades. He has written a wide range of works for vocal and instrumental ensembles--from solo performer to choir and orchestra--and many pieces incorporating dance as well as the electronic medium.
Since his retirement from academia, Chaudoir, an avid recorder player, has devoted most of his creative energy to exploring the technical possibilities of the instrument while arranging music for recorder consorts of various sizes, and composing new works for recorder solo and ensembles. His SATB composition “Waltz” was featured as the 2017 Play-the-Recorder Month Composition for the American Recorder Society (ARS).
James is Music Director of both the Milwaukee Area Recorder Society (MARS) and The Renard Consort based in Appleton, WI. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Oak Park Recorder School (Chicagoland), and recently completed a term on the ARS Board, though he continues to serve as a consultant for Play-the-Recorder Month compositions.
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Although we really miss playing together in person, most of us are almost getting used to attending online music playing events. As we near the end of our season, we want to express our appreciation and gratitude for each conductor's unique approach to the art of online presentation.
We look forward to next season when we hope to play together again in person and have another brilliant slate of professional musicians direct us. Meanwhile, we will do our very best to stay well and keep up our enthusiasm for playing our beloved recorders while staying well ... and getting vaccinated as soon as possible!
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| Pied Piper illustration - the top of an old model Mollenhauer recorder box |
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