Welcome to the Sixth Season of the Portland Recorder Society! 

Welcome back!  I hope you were able to participate in some of the great recorder-centered events this summer: the American Recorder Society Festival at Reed College, the Portland Recorder Orchestra at Sunday Parkways, the concert by Michala Petri, just to name a few!  These things give us such inspiration, and have made me anxious to get back to regular playing and practicing.

Another summer highlight was the honoring of our very own board member, Jeanne Lynch at the ARS Festival.  She was awarded a plaque and a piece of music for recorder quartet by Frances Blaker in recognition of her outstanding work with the ARS Festival Committee.  It was a real treat to hear the quartet performed by faculty members at the ceremony!  

 On the agenda for September's playing session is approving the PRS board roster, voting on snacks, renewing yearly memberships, making permanent name tags for members, and playing some amazing music that Vicki has described below.  As always, invite your friends as new folks are more than welcome!

Hope to see you there,

Zoe Tokar

PRS Chair 

Greetings, fair Portlandia recorderists!

My, what an active summer this has been! Such a wealth of inspirational activities with the recorder in focus. Kudos Portland!! I am looking forward to another stimulating season and hope that everyone has had settled into their work, school and play routines again.

For September's session we'll start with an arrangement of Engelbert Humperdinck's famous Abendsegen, better known as Children's Prayer from his opera Hansel and Gretel. (Not to be confused with the contemporary pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck!) Hansel and Gretel was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893, followed by its Hamburg premiere on September 25, 1894, conducted by

Gustav Mahler! So we're in fine company. The lovely song comes from Act 2 where fourteen angels appear and arrange themselves around the children to protect them as they sleep. Hopefully you will not fall asleep as we play it, but be enchanted by the simplistic beauty of the song.

Then we will segueway into three beautiful Welsh folk tunes tastefully arranged by Alyson Lewin. She calls the collection West of the Severn. I've had this on order since May and it finally arrived on Friday - none too soon! The folk tunes are the famous Tros y Gareg about a warrior returning home to his beloved after a battle, Bugeilio'r Gwenith Gwyn which dates back to the 1700s - a love song about man that will forever be in love with one particular girl in spite of what she does, and Hela'r Y sygfarmog - roughly translated as Hunting the Hare.

Then...ta DAH! For those of you who played in the Grande Bande at the Port Townsend Early Music Workshop last year you may remember Frances Blaker's invigorating transcription of Vivaldi's La Tempesta di Mare. Frances has given me permission to use it, so get ready for a wild and stormy ride!

Start practicing your scales and arpeggios in F and C major! She has included parts for all viol sizes as well as recorders, so come one, come all!

Recorder sizes from Soprano to Contrabass will be needed, and all sizes of viols or other stringed instruments are most welcome. For any of you who would like parts ahead of time, I am happy to send you pdf files. Please email me directly (vickiboeckman@comcast.net) and tell me know what part you want to play.

Looking forward to sharing all this wonderful music with you!

Thanks and see you soon!

Vicki

Membership dollars pay our conductors, the Community Room rental fee, and sheet music copying costs.  Please support our efforts to create a fun and educational non-profit organization!

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 are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization!

Click HERE for a link to our membership registration form, or pick one up at the next playing session.  Please make checks out to "Portland Recorder Society".  You may mail your check and form if you choose to our treasurer, Robin Teitzel 9385 NW Murlea Lane, Portland, OR 97229.

If you are not a member, drop-in fees are $10 per playing session; your very first visit is free to try us out!

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