Chicago Recorder Society

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  • Come join the Chicago Chapter’s playing session on November 17 at 2 PM!

    In the first hour, Nancy opens with a session on crumhorns and recorders in mixed consort. (Some crumhorns will be available to borrow.) Hear our April rendition of O Sanctissima on YouTube!

    At 3 PM, Lisette returns to direct us in Suite à 5 by German composer Johann Christoph Pezel (1639 – 1694), to perform for the Yuletide concert on December 15. The session will also include Tallis’ O Sacrum Convivium and Bruckner’s Locus iste.

    All the music for November is now available here. Meeting location information is found here.

    For more chapter info, see our latest newsletter here.

  • Enjoy a cool, musical Fall afternoon with the Chicago ARS on October 20th!

    Join us on Sunday October 20, at 2 PM, for some adhoc playing. Then, Mirja Lorenz, member (center) of the Chicago Recorder Trio, directs at 3 PM, with some information about music theory and a few basics of harmony, and lots of recorder playing!

    Mirja plans to warm up with a happy little Yiddish folk song, Hot a Yid a Weibele. Then she’ll return to Sonata 15 by Dario Castello, a piece we have played before which is “way too beautiful to only scratch the surface”, as Mirja says. If time allows, we will explore the sea shanty Wellerman Quartet, and perhaps for an encore, a recorder version of Puttin’ On The Ritz!

    All the music for October will be available here; some pieces are available now. Meeting time and location information is found here. For more information, see our latest newsletter here.

    Save the date: Saturday, March 22, One-day Chicago Chapter Spring Workshop, with Liza Malamut of the Newberry Consort! Check our webpage here for the latest updates.

  • Join us on September 15th when we open our 2024-2025 Season!

    Join the Chicago Chapter on Sunday September 15 at 2 PM as we begin our new season, with a change in start time and meeting place! All the music for September is now available here. Meeting time and location information is found here.

    This season Lisette Kielson leads us in four meetings, each filled with sight-reading sessions and preparation for three performances; details below.

    The journey begins at our first meeting on Sep 15th when Lisette will direct us in Pezel’s Suite à 5 (to be performed in Dec and Feb), Andrew Melville’s 2-choir Lachrimae Tango (SATTB, TBBgBcB) to be performed next May, and more! For those who want to get a head start on practicing, these pieces are now available on the website here. (More music to come!)

    SAVE THESE DATES!
    Sunday, December 15 at 2:00PM: Perform Pezel Suite at Yuletide Concert
    Saturday, February 8, 2025 (mid-morning): Perform Pezel Suite at UChicago Folk Festival

    Saturday, March 22, One-day Chicago Chapter Spring Workshop, with Liza Malamut of the Newberry Consort (more info to come!)


    Sunday, May 18th at 2:00PM: Perform Lachrimae Tango at Spring Concert

    Check out our latest newsletter here!

  • Thank you for our outstanding 65th recorder season! See you in September!

    We’ve had another wonderful season of meetings, concerts and special events, thanks to our chapter members and good friends. Our May concert was especially memorable, with a performance of the Chicago Recorder Trio, and (finally) our chapter premier of Friendship Canzona by our good friend and composer, Glen Shannon, long delayed by the pandemic. But well worth the wait!

    Note that we plan to meet in a new location next season: St. John’s Episcopal Church at 3857 N. Kostner Ave. in Chicago.

    Please keep in touch with us on Facebook and on this website. Details about next season, starting on September 15, will be posted on this home page.

    Have a great summer!

    The Chicago Recorder Trio performed the Davenport Blues at our Spring Concert on May 18.

  • Join us for our Spring Concert and celebrate the close of our 65th recorder season!

    Come to our May meeting and Spring concert on May 19th, when all are invited to play, in any solo or group arrangement, or just to listen!

    Refreshments and group playing will follow!

    Make plans to join us for our final meeting of the 2023-2024 season, our spring concert on May 19 at 1 PM. All are invited to perform, or just listen and enjoy, and all types of music are welcome. If you would like to play in the program, send the names of the performers, the title of the pieces you plan to play, and the name of the composer or composers, to Mark Dawson, msjddawson@sbcglobal.net.

    Some of the music selections for group playing after the concert are found here. Meeting location information is found here.

    For more information on our April meeting, see our May newsletter here.

    Registration still open for the Early Music Festival, May 31 – June 2, in Whitewater, WI! New U of W dorm suites! New instructors! Same great music experience! Early registration is still open; late registration begins after 5 PM on Friday, May 10th.

    Class info and registration available on the EMF website, here.

  • Enjoy a lovely, musical Spring day with the Chicago ARS on April 21st!

    Join us at 1:00 PM when Nancy Chabala presents music for krummhorns and other capped reeds. (It’s been a while since we’ve played them.) Recorder folks don’t despair! All the music works perfectly fine for mixed consort, including recorders. And for those who have always had a secret yen to try one, Nancy has SAT’s and one B to loan. Music will be on the website or provided at the meeting.

    In Lisette’s session from 2:00-4:00, we will have a final opportunity to rehearse and run through Glen Shannon’s Friendship Canzona (before performing it at the Spring Concert!) and also explore Priuli’s 17th century, 7-part Canzone and selections from Challinger’s Ballad, Blues, and Riffs.

    All the music for April available here. Meeting location information found here.

    For more chapter info, see our latest newsletter here.

    And save the dates May 31 – June 2, for the new and improved music festival in Whitewater, WI! New U of W dorm suites! New instructors! Same great music experience! Registration is now open!

    Class info and registration available on the EMF website, here.

  • Come celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the Chicago ARS on Mar. 17th!

    Join us at 1:00 PM for an introduction to playing jazz on the recorder. We’ll get into the swing of things (bad pun, sorry) with Ja-Da, St. James Infirmary, a riff blues, and (of course) When the Saints Go Marchin’ In. Be there or be square!

    Lisette then leads us from 2:00-4:00 PM in Glen Shannon’s Friendship Canzona (to be performed at the Spring Concert in May) as well as a 17th century 7-part canzona by Priuli, a 16th century 6-part madrigal by Gesualdo, Marshall’s arrangement of the Irish tune Star of the County Down, and Challenger’s popular Ballad, Blues, and Riffs!

    All the music for March is now available here. Meeting location information is found here.

    For more chapter info, see our latest newsletter here.

    And save the dates May 31 – June 2, for the annual music festival in Whitewater, WI! This year we’ll be staying in fancy new U of W dorm suites!

    Class info and latest updates are always available on the EMF website, here.

  • Show some Valentine’s love for recorders at our Feb. 18th meeting!

    Join us at 1:00 PM to start the meeting with a selection of Chaconnes by Purcell and Dornel, plus a short but interesting piece by Telemann!

    Lisette leads us at 2:00 PM with selections from Tomaso Albinoni’s 4-movement Sinfonia Op.2 (ATATB, NOT ninoSATB), Franz Tunder’s sacred Ach Herr arranged in two choirs for recorders (SATB, SATB), and movements from Celtic Cluster (SAATTB) by England’s popular Steve Marshall.

    All the music for February is now available here. Meeting location information found here.

    For more chapter info, see our latest newsletter here.

    And save the dates May 31 – June 2, for the annual music festival in Whitewater, WI!

    Latest updates always available on the EMF website, here.

  • Start the NEW YEAR right, with music, and join us on Jan. 21, 2024!

    Happy New Year!

    In the 1st hour of our January meeting, Lisette will bring in the new year with technique in F Major, followed by Philip van Wilder’s 16th century Fantasia and Antonio Bertali’s baroque Sonatella (both in the key of, you guessed it, F Major!). For the 2:00-4:00 Session, we will rehearse Gioseppe Guami’s La Todeschina (from the November meeting) to be performed at the U of C Folk Music Festival; read through our audience play-along dances; and explore William Cornysh’s FA LA SOL and Pierre de Manchicourt’s Adieu!

    All the music for January is now available here. Meeting location information is found here.

    For more chapter info, see our latest newsletter here.

  • Join us for our annual Yuletide Concert on December 17th at 1 PM!

    All are invited to participate in the 1 PM concert, performing or listening. If you or your group would like to perform, contact Mark Dawson at msjddawson@sbcglobal.net . Let him know ahead of time to be included in the printed program, but all will be welcome to play in any case.

    The traditional holiday treats table will be featured after the concert portion of the meeting. Feel free to bring some holiday edible to share – or not!

    We will then close the meeting with some group playing of music to be provided by the chapter. View a list of music choices here.

    Please mark December 17th on your calendar and come to our annual holiday celebration!