NOVEMBER 2018
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Annual Workshop with Frances Blaker. Registration is now open for MPRO’s annual workshop, to be directed by Frances Blaker on Saturday, February 9, 2019 in Palo Alto. The workshop flyer and registration form can be downloaded and printed from MPRO’s website at www.mpro-online.org. The theme of the workshop is “From Old to New/An in-depth study of medieval, renaissance, baroque and modern music for recorders focusing on a representative selection from each period.”
Frances Blaker is well known throughout the San Francisco Bay Area as an accomplished recorder player, recording artist, music director, author and composer. She received her Music Pedagogical and Performance degrees from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Copenhagen. In addition to regular appearances with Tibia, the Farallon Recorder Quartet, and Ensemble Vermillian, she has performed as a soloist and with various ensembles in the United States, Denmark, England and the Netherlands. She teaches privately and at workshops throughout the United States and is the Director of the Amherst Early Music Summer Festival.
Publicity. MPRO members who have email addresses should have received copies of the flyers for our 2019 workshop and the December 8, 2018 Holiday Concert. Members can help to publicize these events by distributing the flyers to friends and posting them in public places or on social media.
In Memoriam. Longtime MPRO members may remember recorder player and music enthusiast Eleanor “Kelly” Moore, who died in Placerville on September 26 at age 90. She was a former resident of San Jose. Her obituary was published online at: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/mercurynews/obituary.aspx?n=eleanor-moore-kelly&pid=190431040.
-Judith Unsicker
CONDUCTOR’S CORNER
Dear members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,
Listed below is the music for the orchestra’s next four meetings. Please note that the meeting on Monday, December 3, will take place at Grace Lutheran Church, 3149 Waverley Street in Palo Alto at 7:30 P.M. as will the meeting on Friday, December 7, which is the dress rehearsal for the orchestra’s holiday concert. The holiday concert will take place at Grace Lutheran Church on Saturday, December 8, at 2:00 P.M. All those planning on taking part in this performance are expected to attend the dress rehearsal on December 7. As in the past, small ensembles are encouraged to appear in this concert. Those groups that intend to perform at the holiday concert are asked to send me the following information by November 23: 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. Please note that great bass and contrabass recorders as well as bass viola da gamba and guitar will be needed at all four meetings and sopranino recorder and krummhorns will be need at the meetings on November 28, December 3 and December 7.
November 14
Anonymous: O Maria, virgo davitica/O Maria, maris stella/ Veritatem
Koechlin: Assez lent
Schmelzer: Sonatina
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1
November 28
Anonymous: O Maria, virgo davitica/O Maria, maris stella/ Veritatem
Koechlin: Assez lent
Janequin: Il estoit une fillette
Schmelzer: Sonatina
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1
Monday, December 3
MPRO meeting
Grace Lutheran Church.
3149 Waverley Street in Palo Alto, 7:30 P.M
Schmelzer: Sonatina
Janequin: Il estoit une fillette
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1
Anonymous: O Maria, virgo davitica/O Maria, maris stella/ Veritatem
Koechlin: Assez lent
Friday, December 7
Dress rehearsal for the MPRO holiday concert
Grace Lutheran Church, 7:30 P.M.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Silent Night; Jingle Bells
Schmelzer: Sonatina
Janequin: Il estoit une fillette
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1
Anonymous: O Maria, virgo davitica/O Maria, maris stella/ Veritatem
Koechlin: Assez lent
Saturday, December 8
MPRO holiday concert
Grace Lutheran Church, 2:00 P.M.
Schmelzer: Sonatina
Anonymous: O Maria, virgo davitica/O Maria, maris stella/ Veritatem
Koechlin: Assez lent
Janequin: Il estoit une fillette
Handel: Concerto Grosso Op. 6, No. 1
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Silent Night; Jingle Bells
I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meetings and concert.
Sincerely, Fred Palmer
YEAR-END DONATIONS TO MPRO
Donations to MPRO are always welcome. They are one of our main sources of funding along with dues and income from the annual workshop. The orchestra has non-profit status under the auspices of the San Francisco Early Music Society (SFEMS). SFEMS handles our paperwork for the Internal Revenue Service and charges us an administrative fee (currently 7.5% of donations). If you plan to make a year-end donation to MPRO, and want to itemize tax deductions next year, checks for donations should be made payable to SFEMS. Please do not mail donations for MPRO directly to SFEMS, or try to donate to MPRO online through the SFEMS website. There has been confusion in the past that led SFEMS staff to interpret donations for MPRO as donations to SFEMS. Checks should be given or mailed to our Treasurer, Chantal Moser, who will send them to SFEMS with instructions to credit them to MPRO. SFEMS will do the tax paperwork and send us checks reflecting cumulative donations over a given time period. If you don't plan to itemize deductions, it is easier for us if your check is made to MPRO, and it will be deposited directly to our bank account. (This also saves us the SFEMS administrative fee.) Checks should be given to Chantal at a rehearsal, or mailed to her at the address on the MPRO membership mailing list. There will also be a basket for donations in the vestibule of Grace Lutheran Church at the Holiday Concert. -Judith Unsicker
The Board: President: Judith Unsicker; Treasurers: Chantal Moser and Mary Ashley; Recording Secretary: vacant; Membership: Chris Flake; 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; Assistant Music Director: Greta Haug-Hryciw. MPRO website: http://www.mpro-online.org
