Portland Recorder Society December Newsletter

Well, we have done it! The IRS approved our application, took our money and PRS is now an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization!! What does this mean for you? Yes, another deserving arts organization will be soliciting year-end tax deductible contributions. We recognize these are uncertain times for many, but music making must go on regardless! Our goals are to continue to support and enrich the amateur recorder community and bring high quality coaches to Portland Recorder Society functions. Membership fees will not cover all our expenses. We need your participation AND financial support. Please consider a gift in any amount and know it will be put to good use in our music community.
Thank you and Happy Holidays!
Zoe
PRS Chair

Upcoming Playing Sessions

Dec. 19, 2008, Vicki Boeckman conducts
Jan. 16, 2009, Eileen Hadidian conducts
Feb. 20, 2009, Eileen Hadidian conducts
March 27-30 2009, Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat - no session this month.

Message from our Music Director

Greetings and Happy Holiday Season to all! We have come a long way in just one year.
I am so very much looking forward to leading the meeting again and I hope to see many of you there. Please drive carefully and give yourself a lot of time for traffic delays, on this last Friday before Christmas.

We will jump right in with Pete Rose's Mega RONY, an 8 part, 3 movement work commissioned by the Recorder Orchestra of New York in 2004. The members of RONY come from all walks of life and this delightful piece is meant to portray the routine day of an average person in New York. Mega RONY has jazz elements, Native American and Latin influences, and certain sections seem to echo the feeling of a medieval estampie. The Final movement, Evening Celebration is truly a celebration of life and all players will eventually wind up playing percussion for the insistent 8 bar theme. This is not an option!!! Please bring your favorite implement of percussion! Anything will do, a pot and wooden spoon, a frog, you get the picture...! Pete Rose is recognized as one of the leading composers and performers of contemporary music in the United States, and his eclectic repertoire has made him welcome in diverse venues all over the world. Many of you might recognize his name as columnist, critic or contributing editor for the American Recorder Society magazine. In 2005 he was the recipient of the ARS Distinguished Achievement Award. This is a great piece that I am looking forward to sharing with you. I am also looking forward to sharing a piece with a holiday theme, entitled Attende Ad te Noli Flere arranged by Seattle's own Peter Siebert. Guaranteed to bring smiles to all your faces!
See you soon,
Vicki

Only 17 Shopping Days Left....

...to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount for the Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat!! What better gift could you give yourself (or a friend or family member) this holiday season than four music-filled days in the beautiful and historic Menucha Retreat Center overlooking the Columbia River Gorge.

Here's a sneak peak at some classes this musical gift includes:

Music from Nueva Espana
Ancient Greek Music
Renaissance Ornamentation
Music of Matthias Maute
Technique with Telemann
Ragtime, Swing, and Count Basie
Musick Fyne
and more!

Register before December 31st and save $100!!!

Early Music Classes at the Community Music Center Start January 7th, 2009

Community Music Center Early Music Classes - if you love early music and early instruments, or want to learn, come join us. Classes meet weekly on Wednesday evenings; Winter classes start Jan. 7th, 2009. Fall, Winter and Spring Terms follow the schedule below:

Recorder Level 1 (Beginning) - 7:30
Learn to play correctly from the start. No prior musical experience is necessary. All sizes of recorder welcome.

Recorder Level 2 (Intermediate) - 8:30pm
For the player who has mastered the basics of fingering and sight-reading. May play either C or F recorders; soprano players are encouraged to play tenor as well.

Recorder Level 3 (Higher Intermediate) - 7:30pm
For the intermediate player of three or more years. Emphasis on cut time. Soprano players must also play tenor. May play either C or F recorders, playing both is encouraged. Well developed sight-reading skills necessary.

Renaissance Song - 6:30pm
An early singing class for instrumentalists who like to sing. Vocal technique, pronunciation, sight singing will be discussed.

Advanced Ensemble - 6:30pm
For the advanced early musician. Challenging ensemble music for recorders and other instruments. Must play both C and F recorders. Advanced sight-reading skills necessary.

Renaissance Winds - 7:30pm
A unique class combining soft early double reed instruments and other instruments. Reed and instrument maintenance is discussed. We also sing one piece.

Loud Wind Band - 8:30pm
For advanced players on cornetto, curtal, sackbut, crumhorn, corna musen, and others. We also play one challenging modern piece for recorders.

The instructors are Gayle Neuman, Philip Neuman, and Cindy Markham.

For more information, call 503-631-2973. To enroll or to receive a catalogue, contact the Community Music Center at 503-823-3177. The Community Music Center is located at the corner of SE 33rd Place and Francis St. (one block south of Powell) in Portland.
Visit www.portlandparks.org for online registration.

	Music Available
If you are interested in practicing the music we will be playing December 19th, PDF files of specific parts (SATB) are available this month. Please contact Zoe at pdxrecorders@comcast.net and I will email whichever part you request.

	Thank You Volunteers!
Thank you to all who signed up to bring snacks for enjoyment after our playing sessions. And just a friendly reminder to Carol Dumond and Judy Seubert - you're on for December 19th. Simple and healthy is ideal: water, juice, fruit, cookies, etc. Thanks to Elanore and Mary for bringing juicy oranges and cookies last month!!

	Don't Forget to Renew/Begin your Membership!
Portland Recorder Society membership includes: ~monthly playing sessions (Sept-May) coached by professionals ~Discount to Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat ~Monthly e-mail newsletters ~Networking opportunities with like-minded musicians Yearly dues are $40, additional donations welcomed and are tax deductible. We have recently become an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization! Click HERE for a link to our membership registration form. If you are not a member, drop-in fees are $10 per playing session; your first visit is free to try us out!

Upcoming events

PRS members are welcome to submit recorder/early music related items for this section. Deadline is 7 days prior to the next PRS playing session. Submit to pdxrecorders@comcast.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat: March 27-30, 2009, Menucha Retreat Center, Corbett, Oregon. Faculty include Vicki Boeckman, Eileen Hadidian, Marilyn Boenau, Gayle and Phil Neuman. Early Registrants get $100 off!! For registration and more information, go to the CGEMR WEBSITE.

Oregon Renaissance Band will perform their Christmas Concerts at the Community Music Center (3350 SE Francis, Portland) on Dec. 26 at 7:30pm, and on Dec. 27 at 3pm and 7:30pm.

Classified Ads

PRS members are welcome to submit recorder/early music related items for these ads. Deadline is 7 days prior to the next PRS playing session. Submit to pdxrecorders@comcast.net
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Esther Saulle-Simek with RE/MAX equity group inc.

Portland's only crumhorn playing Realtor, will donate $25 to the Portland Recorder Society for any referral (buying or selling a home) up until December 31st 2008.

Esther Saulle-Simek
Broker
237 NE Broadway Suite 100 Portland, OR 97232

503-495-5769 direct | 503-522-2951 cell
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR SALE:

Two Renaissance flutes (tenor and alto). $400 for the two of them (a great price!). They belong to Eileen Hadidian, but I have them in Portland for you to try if you are interested. They are both in maple and were made in England by Barbara Stanley. Since they were made as a matched set in terms of intonation, they must be purchased as a set...they sound wonderful together and in mixed consorts with other instruments! Contact Charlie Schweigert at 503-788-1206 or cjschweigert@earthlink.net.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**DISCOUNT AMERICAN RECORDER SOCIETY MEMBERSHIPS**
Are you a PRS member? Have you not yet joined the ARS? Until 1/28/09, the ARS is offering a $10 discount on its NEW memberships to honor the formation of our new chapter! The promotional rate is $35 for one year. Just be sure to tell them you're from the new Portland Recorder Society! Here is the link to the ARS website.