ATTENTION RECORDER TEACHERS:
You have been receiving our newsletter UPBEAT as a courtesy of the MPRO Board of Directors this past year. We will be happy to continue the service to you next season, but if this rag is circular file fodder in your household, we'd prefer to avoid the unnecessary postage. Please let us know that you WOULD LIKE TO CONTINUE to receive this rare and rich bit of Recorder arcana by contacting Dick Davies, Editor, daviesrm@pacbell.net before August 1st. Failure to do so will have the unfortunate result of eliminating you from our mailing list!
ATTENTION MPRO MEMBERS:
You are invited to assist the Board of Directors in their efforts find new concert venues. If you know of a potential location, give the name and address of the site to a Board member who lives in the area of the site.
BETTER LATE THAN-----:
Len Greenberg is leaving us and moving to Atlanta! So, in recognition of his consistent attendance at rehearsals, and generous contribution to the Great Bass fund, (see Mary Cardigan's report in this issue) it is appropriate that we learn a bit about him before he migrates to the Far East. He writes the following:
"I grew up in Joliet, Illinois and graduated from the University of Illinois. What followed was a rather undistinguished career in computer programming and I retired in 1990. In my youth I had two burning ambitions: to play a musical instrument and to learn to ride a horse. They say that with age comes wisdom, but in my case age came alone because at 50 I decided to learn to ride. For the next 15 years I lived my dream and was good enough to compete in Western Regional Friday Events."
"About four years ago when I felt I was getting too old to be jumping over stone walls and ditches, I discovered a Palo Alto Adult Education recorder class and it opened a new world of pleasure (I even like to practice). One of my most enjoyable experiences was taking part in the Berkeley Early Music Festival last year. Since my retirement I have volunteered at Pets In Need, Big Brothers, and last year I taught beginning recorder to children at the Redwood City Boys and Girls Club. I'm sad to say that I will be leaving the area soon and I will miss the Orchestra and the friends that I have made here. Len Greenberg"
Jumping stone walls and ditches, at age 50, yet!! When I was that age it was an effort for me to jump on a bus. Len, we wish you well and hope that you keep us in your thoughts occasionally by sending a report of you current activities.
CONDUCTOR'S CORNER
Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,
The orchestra's spring concert will take place at Avenidas, 450 Bryant Street in Palo Alto, on Saturday, June 2 at 2:00 P.M. All those planning on taking part in this performance are expected to attend the dress rehearsal at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday, May 30, at Avenidas. A sign-up sheet for those planning on taking part in this performance will be available at the meetings through May 16.
Small ensembles are invited to appear in this concert, and those groups which intend to perform on June 2 are asked to give me the following information by May 16: the title(s) of the music to be performed, the name(s) of the composer(s), the name of the ensemble (if any) and the names of the ensemble's members. I encourage all MPRO members to take part in the spring concert and to invite their family and friends to attend.
Listed below is the music for the next two meetings of the orchestra. Please note that krummhorn players will be needed for the meeting on May 2, which begins at 7:30 P.M. and will be a joint rehearsal with the Palo Alto Madrigal Singers.
May 2
This meeting begins at 7:30 P.M.
Lassus: Tutto lo di
Schütz: Jauchzet dem Herrn
Mozart: March of the Priests
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me
I look forward to seeing you at these upcoming meetings.
The MPRO holiday concert will take place at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, December 8, 2001, at the Hope Evangelical Lutheran Church, 600 West 42nd Avenue in San Mateo.
Add new participating member Michael Hirohama, Menlo Park, to your membership list. Welcome to MPRO, Mike! (See printed newsletter for new email address).
We are still soliciting donations for MPRO's Contra Bass fund. So far we have $825 and need about three times that amount to purchase an instrument for the orchestra's use. Any donation you make to MPRO is fully tax exempt. Mary Carrigan will gladly explain the process for donating so that you get a letter to verify your tax-exempt donation. You can donate any amount for the bass fund or the general fund.
Pictured in printed newsletter, (left to right) is the Moeck Bass, Great Bass, and Contra Bass recorders.
that the first ARS Summer Workshop (then called "Seminar" was held in Mendocino in 1949? The location was the Arts Center, newly opened, in conjunction with "The Music Box", a shop owned by Grace West and Don Frye which specialized in recorder music. The faculty consisted of Kenneth Wollitz, Joanna Bramel, Hazelle Milaradovitch, Peter Ballinger, Leo Christiansen and LaNoue Davenport. Classes were offered for intermediate and advanced recorder, viola da gamba, solo literature of the Baroque, recorder technique, and a Collegium Musicum of Mixed Instruments. Sixty students attended, primarily from northern California, but some came from Vancouver, BC and other west coast states. This was the beginning of recorder activities on the other side of the Golden Gate. Is there anyone still around who remembers?
"T’Andernaken" was written in Henry VIII's time for alto, tenor, and bass crumhorns. However, the alto player was not allowed to breathe, so two alto players were required to play the top line of this piece in shifts!
KYRIE: A Workshop For Recorders. On Saturday, April 21, 2001, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm at the Saratoga Youth Hostel. Led by Roger Morris. Call Anne NG at (408) 257-6506, or e-mail anneng@aol.com.
Marin Headlands Workshop, near Sausalito, is the location of the annual Workshop for Recorders and Viols on the weekend of May 11-13. Contact Britt Ascher at (925) 283-7134, e-mail brittascher@home.com.
Port Townsend Early Music Workshop will be held on July 8-14, 2001, at the Fort Worden State Park Conference Center, a mile from Port Townsend, WA. For information and registration form, call Ellen Seibert at (206) 329-2774 or e-mail ellenseibert@qwest.net.
San Francisco Early Music Society Summer Recorder Workshop will be held at Dominican University in San Rafael, July 22-28. Call SFEMS at (510) 528-1735, or e-mail sfems@sfems.org. (See www.sfems.org website.)