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Welcome to ARS NEWS, an e-newsletter for recorder players that has taken the place of our printed quarterly ARS Newsletter. Please make sure to scroll to the bottom to see upcoming recorder classes and events. Enjoy!
Click here to view email as a Webpage
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The Winter Issue of American Recorder Magazine is Mailed and Available to Members Online
Some of the highlights of this issue include the following:
- In NEWS & NOTES, the ARS Board presented a posthumous Resolution in Gratitude and Appreciation to recorder innovator Adriana Breukink (1957-2022). See the online News Story here and see a PDF of the Resolution here
- Also in NEWS & NOTES are ARS financial updates, including income/expense pie charts and accompanying text from ARS President Carol Mishler, plus the annual focus on ARS Business Members.
- In FEATURES, Beverly R. Lomer and Sian Ricketts write about the extraordinary life and exuberant music of Hildegard of Bingen. The article includes musical examples, all also played on recorders by Ricketts on the ARS YouTube channel
- Extended versions of the article's printed music excerpts are in AR Extras.
- And for a more trendy touch, Medieval group Alkemie (including Ricketts) has recorded the historically-informed soundtrack to a new Xbox game, Pentiment, here, with a PDF listing sources of soundtrack selections in AR Extras. Follow along!
- In LEARN, Lobke Sprenkeling lays out basic ideas on how to add diminutions to Renaissance music, with one full musical piece included in the article and another in AR Extras.
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The music enclosed with the Winter issue is the piece for Play-the-Recorder Month 2024, by Providence, Rhode Island-based composer Jamie Allen. It is entitled “een mentaliteit” and was inspired by a recorder icon Frans Brüggen (1934-2014) was known for saying “Blokfluit spelen is een mentaliteit” (“Recorder-playing is a state of mind”). This year’s Play-the-Recorder piece is an homage to this great artist, who would have turned 90 years old in 2024. ARS members can log in and access the piece, along with other PtRM pieces, in our PtRM Music Library.
| Miyo Aoki, a recorder professional and teacher, has recorded play-along music audio tracks on the PtRM 2024 music page here, as well as our annual PtRM music video below. | |
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Give the Gift of ARS with a Gift Membership
The half-price new member rate applies to qualified individuals - those who have never been a member, or have lapsed for over five years. Learn more and fill out the Gift Membership Form here.
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Secondary members
Did you know that ARS offers a free co-membership to another person in your household who is also interested in the recorder? This is called a Secondary membership, and allows a spouse/partner/child to have their own member login. Please contact the ARS office to make the request.
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Snowbird alert: Seasonal Addresses
If you are an ARS member with a second home, please let us know your alternate address and the dates to send mailings to which address. That way you won't have to wait for it to be forwarded.
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Where's the Medieval Audience?
Apropos to the article on Hildegard of Bingen in the Winter American Recorder, in an article for Early Music America's EMAg, "Toil & Trouble: Where's the Medieval Audience?" mezzo-soprano and teacher Judith Malafronte bemoans the fact that, despite so many performers and performances of Medieval music around, it still seems to be a "niche" form of music. The article mentions the Medieval ensemble Alkemie (whose recorder player is Sian Ricketts, co-author of the AR Hildegard article) and its score to the Xbox game Pentiment.
Click to read more
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Last Call for Managing Editor Applications; Print Layout Specialist Applications Now Open
The search for American Recorder Magazine Editor Gail Nickless's replacement is ongoing; the application period ends on November 30, 2023. Applications for Print Layout Specialist are open until March 30, 2024.
Click to read more and apply
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In Memoriam
Katherine Bracher passed away on October 26, 2023, at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.
Click to read more
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Checking in with Chapters, Consorts, and Recorder Orchestras | |
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North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) Welcomes Annette Bauer as New Music Director
The online chapter bids farewell to outgoing director Rachel Begley and welcomes Annette, who has toured with Cirque du Soleil among many other accomplishments.
Click to read more
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Highland Park Recorder Society Plays Irish Tunes During PtRM 2023
The NJ chapter marked Play-the-Recorder Month with a lively concert celebrating Irish music.
Click to read more
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ARS Chapter Representative Roundtable Dates for 2023/24
The Member Benefits Committee has set the Chapter Rep Round Table schedule for the upcoming year. The dates are on the ARS homepage Events Calendar. All times are 2:00pm - 3:30pm Eastern time.
- December 2, 2023
- March 2, 2024
- June 1, 2024
If you have a topic suggestion or haven’t been receiving announcements about the roundtables, please contact Phil Hollar.
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ARS offers a webpage with all the chapters offering virtual meetings. There are several chapters with a worldwide membership, led by world-class music directors, thanks to the wonders of Zoom.
(Is your group offering virtual meetings but not on the list? Email us!)
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A Brief Reminder of ARS Scholarship & Grant Deadlines
Weekend Workshops: Apply four weeks before funding is needed. Virtual events are also eligible for funding from Grants and Scholarships, as long as the amounts do not exceed stated limits.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Grant: Any chapter, recorder orchestra, or consort may apply. Partner Workshops and Businesses are also eligible. Apply anytime.
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Want to Share Your News?
To submit your news using an online form, please go to https://americanrecorder.org/newsform. You may also email an article and photos. We love to hear stories of how the recorder community is still going strong. Send any of the types of news items you have seen in the paper newsletter or past ARS NEWS emails. Digital photos are welcome, as are digital videos for YouTube (DropBox or Google Drive suggested). Send your articles/photos to newsletter@americanrecorder.org.
Want to Share Your Upcoming Events?
Virtual events can be publicized by emailing Jennifer Carpenter. In-person events can be publicized using our online Events Calendar (only ARS members may submit). Event info will appear in the calendar on the ARS homepage.
The deadline for ARS NEWS (this publication) is the 20th of the month. Send news to Susan Burns and event information to Jennifer Carpenter. ARS NEWS is emailed the last Tuesday of every month, with occasional exceptions.
Newsletter editors and publicity officers for Chapters, Consorts & Recorder Orchestras should make sure that your regular communications like e-newsletters are sent to the ARS office.
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4th Annual Online
Christmas Music Workshops
with Rachel Begley
8 Opportunities!
12/5 at 7:30 PM, ET; Winter: Watching and Waiting Part 1
12/7 at 7:30 PM, ET; Winter: Watching and Waiting Part 2
12/9 at 4 PM, ET; Joy, Praise, Love
12/19 at 7:30 PM, ET; Angels All Around
12/21 at 7:30 PM, ET; A Babe is Born in Bethlehem
12/23 at 4 PM, ET; Christmas with Charpentier Part 1
12/23 at 7:30 PM, ET; Christmas with Charpentier Part 2
12/26 at 7:30 PM, ET; Christmas Pastorales
In each of the first five workshops, we will be playing a wide range of music from across the centuries, based on seasonal themes. Each session promises a mix of holiday moods, from joyful and exuberant to poignant and reflective.
The remaining three workshops include two almost back-to-back Charpentier sessions (with a dinner break in between) on December 23 which will feature almost the entire Messe de Minuit de Noel, along with the French carols on which the mass is based. Our final workshop on December 26 is a suitably calming session after all the pre-Christmas activity.
Each workshop lasts 90 minutes, and there’s something here for players of all levels (easier parts will be available), even for those who just want to listen! Join us for just one, for all eight, or somewhere in between.
Cost: Workshops are $20 each for 3 or more (or $25 each for 1-3). And if you sign up for all eight ($140), you get one workshop for free! To register or for more information, contact Rachel at rachelbegleyrecorder@yahoo.com.
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Two Class Options
with Anne Timberlake
1) RECORDER MESSIAH!
Wednesday, 12/13 at 7 PM, CT
It’s the Messiah you didn’t know you needed! Too long have recorder players languished in the wilderness of a Messiah-less holiday season, watching as others play (over and over again) Handel’s masterwork! This December, it’s our turn! In this live 75-minute Zoom playing session, we’ll tackle some of Handel’s best beloved choruses and airs, making the Messiah our own!
Includes brand new, original arrangements for 2023!
To register, visit my website. The registration fee is $22. If you have questions, or if you prefer to write me a check, you can contact me at anne@annetimberlake.com.
2) Wednesday Webinar: Alternative Fingerings: 1/17/2024, 7:00 PM US CT
Alternative fingerings are a topic of great curiosity for recorder players. They are a valuable tool in your toolbox, but they can also compromise your progress if you use them in the wrong way. In this live, one-hour Zoom webinar, I’ll share the alternative fingerings I consider most essential, as well as why and where to use them.
To register, please visit my website. The registration fee is $20. If you have questions, or if you prefer to write me a check, you can contact me at anne@annetimberlake.com.
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Crooked Tunes
with Debby Greenblatt
Tues, 1/9/24 at 7 PM, ET
Wed, 1/10/24 at 10 AM, ET
Fri, 1/12/24 at 7 PM, ET
*Different tunes will be played at each session.
We will read, play, and discuss various survival skills for these charming pieces. A treble clef version of the sheet music for the tunes being played will be displayed on the screen during the workshop.
There is limited enrollment, and pre-registration is required. The cost for each workshop is $10. The cost of each optional book is $15 (includes shipping if ordered with workshop registration).
For more information, and to register:
https://www.greenblattandseay.com/workshops_crooked.shtml
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Virtual Recorder Warm-up Class
with Sarah Cantor
Monday and Thursday mornings: 9:30-10 AM, ET
Add structure to your practice routine! After doing the warm ups together, you will be inspired to practice on your own.
Each half-hour class will feature 15 minutes of breathing, tone, tonguing, or coordination warm ups for all levels; as well as 15 minutes of advanced technique taken from excerpts in baroque repertoire.
Cost: 5 Classes for $100
Contact Sarah at cantornote@icloud.com to register.
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NAVRS presents their November Playing Meeting
with Wendy Powers
When: Saturday, Dec 16, 2 - 3:30 PM, ET
Cost: NAVRS Membership is $20 and each playing session is $15; membership is not required for your first meeting but there is a charge of $15.
The New-yeeres Gift: Named after a piece by Anthony Holborne, which we will play along with pieces from across the centuries that celegrat
For more information and to register, visit the NAVRS website.
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Phone: 1-704-509-1422
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