DECEMBER, 2012 Ð JANUARY,
2013
MPRO Celebrates 50th Year Anniversary
At the conclusion of a very successful Holiday Concert on December
8th , MPROÕs celebration
of its 50th year anniversary came to fitting climax when founding
music director Bill Barnhart was
led to the podium to conduct Good
King Wenceslas. Then Angela
Owen, MPROÕs second music director,
led the orchestra in God Rest Ye Merry,
Gentlemen. Finally, third and
current music director, Fred Palmer, mounted the podium to conduct We Wish You A Merry Christmas. It was memorable event!
After the concert, Bill Barnhart, Angela Owen and Fred Palmer met
with some of BillÕs longtime friends from Stanford days who now live in the
Palo Alto area. Bill described his
experiences singing with the Roger Wagner Chorale in Los Angeles during the
1950s and what it was like working under the direction of the ChoraleÕs
director. Bill, Angela and Fred
also talked about the changes that have occurred over the last fifty years in
regard to MPRO as well as recorder playing and its performance in general. Of particular interest was the high
level of current amateur playing and the impact of modern technology on the
availability and distribution of music as well as its use as a practice
tool. It was clear that Bill
thoroughly enjoyed getting reacquainted with his friends and sharing stories
with them. It was also wonderful
for Angela and Fred to meet some of the people who had known Bill when he was
forming and directing MPRO.
ConductorÕs Corner
Dear
members of the Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra,
I
want to thank those who took part in the December 8 holiday concert for a fine
performance that was not only a resounding success but also a fitting way to
celebrate MPROÕs fiftieth season and pay tribute to the orchestraÕs founder,
Bill Barnhart, and Angela Owen, who succeeded him as its music director. It was wonderful to have both of them in
the audience so that they could hear how the orchestra has grown musically over
the last fifty years and to once again play under their direction during the
Christmas carol sing-along. I would
also like to thank those who added a special touch to the orchestraÕs sound.
These include Irene Beardsley on keyboard, the members who doubled on
krummhorns and Bill Lazar who played dulcien and viola da gamba.
And
now, here are some of the highlights for the second half of the orchestra's
2012-2013 season: MPROÕs spring
concert will be scheduled early in January. You will be informed of the date and
location as soon as reservations for the performing venue have been
confirmed. On Saturday, January 19,
Claudia Gant’var will be directing a workshop for MPRO. You will find details about the workshop
in this issue of Upbeat. Claudia
Gant’var has enjoyed a successful international career both as a recorder
soloist and teacher. Originally
from Columbia, she now resides in the Bay Area, and this is a wonderful
opportunity to work with an exceptional artist and musician who specializes in
early music and the recorder. I
encourage everyone in the orchestra to take advantage of what promises to be a
unique, interesting and musically rewarding experience by attending this workshop
next month. I am also pleased to
announce that Irene Beardsley will be playing keyboard with the orchestra at
its upcoming spring concert. She
will also be with us at the January 9 meeting, and since this will be one of
the few opportunities to rehearse the music that calls for keyboard with all
forces present, I encourage everyone to attend that evening. Music for the second half of the
orchestraÕs 2012-2013 season will include an antiphonal canzona by Giovanni
Gabrieli and the Concerto Op. 6, No. 2 by Arcangelo Corelli as well as the
following music from the first half of the season: Psallite,
Unigenito by Michael Praetorius, Adieu
ces bons vins de Lannoys by Guillaume Dufay and Impressions Around G by Nancy Bloomer Deussen.
Listed
on the next page is the music for the orchestra's first three meetings of the
New Year. Please note that there
will be sectional seating for the
Gabrieli Canzon Septimi Toni, with those in Coro Primo sitting on the right as
they face the conductor and those in Coro Secundo on the left. Please observe this seating arrangement
when you choose your place at the beginning of the meetings on January 7 and
February 6.
Please
note as well that bass viola da gamba will be needed at all three meetings,
sopranino recorder on January 7 and January 23, krummhorns and dulcien on
January 7, great bass recorders on
January 23 and contrabass recorders on January 7
and February 6.
January 9
Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni
Praetorius: Psallite,
unigenito
Corelli: Concerto Op. 6, No. 2
January 23
Dufay: Adieu ces bons vins de Lannoys
Bloomer Deussen: Impressions Around G
Corelli: Concerto Op. 6, No. 2
February 6
Gabrieli: Canzon Septimi Toni
Bloomer Deussen: Impressions Around G
Corelli: Concerto Op. 6, No. 2
I look forward to seeing you at
these upcoming meetings and working on this music with you. Please let any of your friends who play
early instruments know about the orchestra's varied activities and invite them
to attend an MPRO meeting, workshop or concert.
Sincerely, Fred
Palmer
u u u u u u u u u u
Richard Geisler
Dear
Friends,
Although some of you likely have
heard this sad news, I wanted to be sure that you had learned of the death of
AROW founder Richard Geisler. Many
of us knew him personally through our participation in his recorder orchestra,
and this news undoubtedly comes as a shock. It is through Richard and AROW that
many of us came to know one another, experience the joy of playing and
performing in a large ensemble and allowed us to grow as musicians. His creative talent for music selection
and arrangement was nothing short of amazing. Over the years, under the name of
Village & Early Music Society he developed an extensive catalog of
self-published arrangements of folk, traditional, popular and even classical
music for recorders and other instruments, infused with love, sentimentality
and humor. He also lovingly self-produced CD recordings of each AROW concert
series which have become treasured mementos for former members of the
orchestra.
Greta Haug-Hyrciw
MPROÕS Workshop Ð Saturday,
January 19
The Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra will present a
workshop on Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 9:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at Holy
Trinity Episcopal Church, 330 Ravenswood Avenue in
Menlo Park. (See the
enclosed flyer.) The workshop will
feature the music of Spain and colonial Latin America from the 16th
to the 18th centuries.
The workshop will be directed by Claudia Gant’var, who has a Concert
Diploma in recorder from the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, has served as
professor of early music studies at the University of Columbia in Bogat‡ and is
the founder of the ensemble La Esfera Armoniosa. She has performed throughout Europe as
well as in Latin America. For further information please contact Liz
Brownell at 650-223-7139.
The Board: President: Amy Booth; Treasurer: Leslie Pont; Membership: Chris Flake; Publicity: Mary Jeanne Fenn; & Marguerite Dilley;
Newsletter Editor: Dick Davies; Music Sales: Laura Gonsalves; Graphics: Mary Ashley; Webmaster: Dan Chernikoff;
Workshop Coordinator: TBD; Consort Coordinator: TBD; Hospitality: Stevie White & Claire Heinzelman; Historian: TBD;
Music
Director: Fred Palmer. MPRO website: < http://www.mpro-online.org >
