FEBRUARY, 2012
DaliaÕs Musical Journey
(Welcome
to the fray!)
I was born and lived the first
29 years of my life in Israel. I
grew up in a small rural town, and was not aware how poor we all were at that
time. We were never hungry or cold,
but there were none of the fancy extra things people are so dependent on
today. School was just 4 hours a
day, to cover reading, writing, and math. We had homework from day one, but we
also had plenty of free time to play.
When I was in first grade, one
teacher volunteered to teach us music, as an after-school program. It was free. What he meant by "music" was
"play the recorder."
Everyone in my class participated, but over time all those who did not
practice - left. By third grade,
most of my friends were gone. By
this time we played "real music," and by the following year my
teacher decided he would produce a real concert, and
we would play Haydn's "Toy Symphony."
This was a big deal: I had never
been in a concert before; we did not even have a record player to listen to
classical music at home. I did hear
"Peter and the Wolf" over the radio, but I could not tell many of the
instruments apart. The teacher
collected all the children who played anything, and after a few months we
performed. It was amazing.
I continued to learn and
progress until I was in 6th grade. By then my teacher thought I should
learn to play the alto recorder.
The change in fingering and key were frustrating and I lost interest in
the recorder. I wanted to play the
piano, but that is another story.
In high school I took a music appreciation class, started to go the
performances in the big city, and my musical horizons opened.
Since 6th grade, I played the
recorder just occasionally, and only when my friend Anna told me about
this recorder orchestra - I started to think about it again. I found my playing
is exactly where I left it: some difficulties producing the very high
notes, but I keep the rhythm pretty well. I am looking forward to getting over
these challenges so I can enjoy being part of
this talented group.
Dalia Orr
ConductorÕs Corner
Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula
Recorder Orchestra,
I want to take this opportunity
to thank those who made the January 21 MPRO workshop a resounding success. These include Mary Ashley, Marguerite
Dilley, George Greenwood, Christopher Flake, Claire Heinzelman,
Margaret More, Leslie Pont and Stevie White as well as the workshop director,
Glen Shannon. Because of their
efforts, workshops presented by the orchestra remain a vital part of the Bay
AreaÕs recorder scene. I am also
pleased to announce that Irene Beardsley will be playing keyboard with MPRO at
its February 15 meeting. Since this
will be one of the few opportunities to rehearse some of the music for the June
2 concert with all forces present, I encourage everyone to attend this meeting.
Listed below is the music for the orchestra's next two meetings. Please note that there will be sectional seating for the Stradella Sonata, with those playing the Soprano 1 and 2, Alto 1 and Bass 1 parts sitting on the right as they face the conductor and those playing Alto 2, Tenor, Bass 2 and Contrabass on the left. Please observe this seating arrangement when you choose your place at the beginning of the meeting on February 15. Please note as well that bass viola da gamba and great bass recorders will be needed at both meetings and sopranino and contrabass recorders, dulcien and krummhorns, on February 15.
February 15
Stradella: Sonata
Hovhaness: Let them praise the name of the Lord
Brade: Allmand
Schmelzer: Sonata ˆ 7
February 22
Dunstable: Sancta Maria
Piazzolla: Resurrecci—n del Angel, Un Dia de Paz,
Los
Paraguas de Buenos Aires
Schmelzer: Sonata ˆ 7
I look forward to seeing you at these upcoming meetings and working on this music with you.
Sincerely,
Fred Palmer
Recorder
Instruction Available
Judith Linsenberg currently has openings in her Palo
Alto studio for both private recorder lessons and coached ensembles. All levels welcome. Special offer: first lesson for
new students is half-price! Other incentives for longer
commitments.
Judy is the director of the Baroque ensemble, Musica Pacifica, holds a doctorate in early music from
Stanford, and has taught at recorder and early music workshops across the US
for over 25 years. For more on
Judy, please visit her websites: http://www.linsenberg.com
and http://www.musicapacifica.org. Contact her at judy@linsenberg.com
or 510-444-4113.
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From Glen Shannon
Hi all,
Saturday's workshop with MPRO was a total blast for
me, thanks for having me as your workshop director this year! I hope you all enjoyed
the day as much as I did- it was such a joy to have everyone
dive into unfamiliar territory with enthusiasm and even a little bit of
pre-practicing.
Thanks to George for getting the music out to everyone
and printing the contingency sets of copies that we needed to get music to some
of you.
A big thanks
also to Leslie Pont for keeping me updated on the registrations so I knew who
was coming.
Finally, thanks to all of you for keeping the energy
up (even during Totally Tropical) and the spirits high! It really was a party!
Best
regards, Glen
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Word
From Our Treasurer
I would like to thank all of you who attended and
worked so hard to make MPRO's workshop, International Block Party, a
success. Our part of the profits
amounted to about $800, and this will certainly help with our annual
expenses. However, we still expect
to have to dip into our General Fund this year to make up our projected
deficits, so please don't let this good result keep you from considering making
a tax deductible donation.
Thanks again!
Leslie
Pont, Treasurer
Tales of the City
The San Francisco Recorder Society presents a musical tour of the cities of Europe from the Middle Ages to today with Louise Carslake and Hanneke van Proosdij. Saturday, February 25, 2012, 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m; Christ Church Lutheran, 1090 Quintara Street (at 20th Avenue), San Francisco. Tuition: $40 ($45 after February 10). Bring a music stand, pencil, and a bag lunch. For information contact Florence Kress, (415) 731-9709, or fkress@aol.com
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Hospitality Committee
Claire Heinzelman is now in charge of
the Hospitality Committee. Many thanks to
Stevie White for her years of faithful service in this capacity.
The Board: President: Amy Booth; Treasurer: Leslie Pont; Membership: Chris Flake; Publicity: Marguerite Dilley;
Newsletter Editor: Dick Davies; Music Sales: Laura Gonsalves; Graphics: Mary Ashley; Webmaster: Dan Chernikoff;
Workshop Coordinator: TBD; Consort Coordinator: TBD; Hospitality: Claire Heinzelman; Historian: TBD;
Music
Director: Fred Palmer. MPRO website: < http://www.mpro-online.org >
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