Chicago Recorder Society

Welcome Recorder Players of all ages and abilities!

The Chicago Recorder Society, a chapter of the American Recorder Society, works to enhance the knowledge, appreciation, and playing of recorders and recorder music in the greater Chicago area. 

Our monthly meetings are usually held 2-5pm on the third Sunday, September thru May, at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 3857 N Kostner Ave, Chicago.  Guests are always welcome and free to attend our meetings and playing sessions.  Check our Meetings & Events page for more information.

Latest News

  • Join us on March 15th to welcome Spring with a little polyphonic music!

    On March 15th David Echelard presents: “The Art of the Motet ; Exploring the Stile Antico”. This is the pure, balanced, woven style of music that made the 16th century the golden age of polyphony. We’ll work through the masterpieces of four giants who defined this sound: Willaert, Lassus, Victoria, and Palestrina. For recorder players, this will be an exercise of playing the recorder with an awareness of how a singer sings, focusing on vocalized articulation, using the underlying text vowels and consonants of the motets to dictate our tonguing, phrasing, and breathing.

    All music for March will be available here. Meeting location information is found here. See our latest newsletter here.

    Please join us in March for this great opportunity to delve into the wonderful polyphony of the Renaissance! All are welcome!

Our 2025-26 Season

Sunday September 21, 2025Monthly meeting with Lisette Kielson
Sunday October 19, 2025Monthly meeting with Gail Gillispie
Sunday November 16, 2025Monthly meeting with Lisette Kielson
Sunday December 21, 2025Yuletide Concert & Social
Sunday January 18, 2026Monthly meeting with Lisette Kielson
Sunday February 15, 2026Monthly meeting with Lisette Kielson
Sunday March 15, 2026Monthly meeting with David Echelard
Sunday April 19, 2026Monthly meeting with Lisette Kielson
Sunday May 17, 2026Spring concert, annual meeting, and social