FEBRUARY 2021

COMING EVENTS

MPRO’s next online rehearsal using Zoom will be held on Wednesday, February 10.   See Fred Palmer’s column in this issue for detailed information.

The monthly meeting of the East Bay Recorder Society is scheduled for Saturday, February 6 at 10:00 a.m. with director Andrew Levy. The focus will be on duets. For more information see the Society’s February 2021 newsletter at:

http://www.eastbayrecorders.org/pdf-items/mouthpiece-feb2021-final.pdf,

The San Francisco Recorder Society is planning a Presidents Day Workshop on Monday February 15, with Rotem Gilbert and Hanneke van Proosdij. See:

The San Francisco Recorder Society (SFRS).

Amherst Early Music has scheduled a variety of online classes in February. Class descriptions are available at: AEM ONLINE FEBRUARY CLASS SCHEDULE.

The Portland [Oregon] Recorder Society will hold a virtual version of its annual Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat on March 20-21, with six faculty members. including Adam Gilbert. Registration starts on February 16.  See: portlandrecordersociety.org/columbia-gorge-early-music-retreat/.

CONDUCTOR’S CORNER

Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,

        Ray White and I will be co-hosting a virtual MPRO meeting via Zoom on Wednesday, February 10, at 7:30 P.M.  Those attending will be admitted to the meeting starting at 7:15 P.M.  We will be working on the following music:

Schein:  Suite No. 15, Gagliarda and Courente

Mesomedes:  Hymn to the Sun

Dufay:  Quel fronte signorille

Telemann:  Rondeau and Gigue

 I have sent PDF files of this music to all MPRO members in the event that some may not have copies.  Please remember that I will be conducting each of the selections scheduled.  This means that the music will not appear on the screen, and those attending will need to read from hard copies they have downloaded when playing along with the sound files.  I will also be including instructions on how to log into and participate in a Zoom meeting that the orchestra’s Assistant Director, Greta Haug-Hryciw, has generated for those taking part in the virtual meetings that she directs.  Finally, Ray White has sent out invitations to all MPRO members with a link to the virtual Zoom meeting and other information.  Please contact him at <rayhwhite@yahoo.com> if you did not receive an invitation.

Best wishes, stay healthy and I look forward to seeing those that will be attending the meeting on February 10.   -Sincerely, Fred Palmer.

AMERICAN RECORDER SOCIETY RESOURCES

The ARS has a new online “Play-alongs Library,” including more than 130 pieces. Links are available to logged-in ARS members through the drop-down Publications menu near the top of the ARS home page (americanrecorder.org).  Sheet music, including scores and parts, is provided for each piece, and there are multiple “minus one” recordings so that users can play their parts along with an ensemble.

The ARS celebrates each March as “Play the Recorder Month,” with “Play the Recorder Day” on the third Saturday (March 20 this year).  The ARS usually encourages its members to play recorders in public at these times, but this year’s activities will be virtual. The ARS commissions a new piece to mark the month and day every year.  This year’s piece, titled “Transparent Letters Across the Sky,” is by Boston composer Melika M. Fitzhugh.  It was inspired by a poem with the same title by Pablo Neruda, a Chilean poet-politician who won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1971.  Recorder players can join Melika and her ensemble in an online en masse orchestra performance of the piece on March 20.  Sheet music will be available ahead of the date.  Melika will also offer an online lecture about music composition for the recorder.  For more information, see the “Programs” drop-down menu near the top of the ARS home page.

ARCHIVES OF MPRO’S EMAIL LISTS

If you are logged into a Google account, you can access the archives of MPRO’s email mailing lists by going to groups.google.com and clicking on the “My Lists” link.  Archived messages include attachments such as sheet music, MIDI files, and past issues of Upbeat.  Google has recently made cosmetic changes to the Groups page but the information is essentially the same.  MPRO has three different lists, which are moderated and maintained by Chris Flake. (Thanks, Chris!!!)  All members are already subscribed to two or three of the lists; there is no need to “join” through the archives pages in order to post messages. The “mpro-board” list is for communication among members of MPRO’s Board of Directors.  All MPRO members receive messages posted to the other two lists, “mpro-members” and “mpro-interest.”  Non-members who attend our concerts and workshops can subscribe to the “mpro-interest” list” by signing up to receive notices of future MPRO events.

“THE BIG WHEEL KEEPS ON TURNING”

This is the title of the latest broadcast in the archives of the National Public Radio program Harmonia.  It focuses on 14th century music related to the concept of the Wheel of Fortune, including dances, motets and chansons.  You can listen to the full (almost one hour) program and see a playlist at:  Big Wheel Keeps on Turning | Harmonia Early Music.  For still more music, see the dropdown menus for “Podcasts” and “Archives” near the top of the page.

The Board: President: Judith Unsicker; Treasurers: Chantal Moser and Mary Ashley; Recording Secretary: vacant; Membership: Chris Flake and Tom Granvold; Publicity: vacant; Graphics: Mary Ashley; Newsletter Editor: vacant; Workshop Coordinator: vacant; Hospitality: vacant; Music Sales: Laura Gonsalves; Historian: vacant; Webmaster: Dan Chernikoff;  Music Director: Fred Palmer.  MPRO website: http://www.mpro-online.org      

Past Months' Issues: http://www.mpro-online.org/MPROArchives.htm