Your Recorder Community

Share your musical gifts during a week-long intensive early music workshop. Enhance your skills in small classes each day taught by expert instructors with emphasis on improving technique and playing with ensembles – master classes and consort classes. The workshop includes four daily classes, morning exercise/stretches, impromptu group playing, and a daily happy hour. Wednesday includes a free afternoon to explore the beautiful Monterey area, play music, or just relax! There is a faculty concert and at the end of the week participants perform in an orchestra ensemble, then celebrate the last evening with an open mic party.

The workshop 2024 theme is Continental Connections: Exploring the relationships between native composers and émigrés in Italy and Germany from 1300 – 1750 and beyond. Musicians often traveled far from home, going where the work called them. European courts vied for the best composers, singers, and instrumentalists, luring them with competing salaries and prestigious positions. The result? A rich blend of Franco-Flemish with Italian styles, and English and Italian influences on German genres. This year we’ll explore the distinct styles of these countries and the gorgeous new sounds created by contact with “foreign” composers and colleagues.

The workshop takes place at the Hidden Valley Music Seminars, An Institute of the Arts in Carmel Valley, California, nestled amongst oak and buckeye trees below majestic hillsides. Along with our rich opportunities for music making, bird watching, walking, and many other local activities can be enjoyed nearby.

This program is for intermediate to advanced recorder and viola da gamba players. Recorder players must be able to play at least two sizes (at least one F instrument and one C instrument).

Registration Deadline: All Road Scholar programs close enrollment 35 days before they start. This means that you MUST register for the Early Music Workshop week #1 through Road Scholar by Saturday September 21st. Road Scholar does not offer any exceptions to this rule.

This hour-long free event will allow you to meet other members, provide an opportunity to ask questions about membership benefits, show you all everything the American Recorder Society website has to offer, and end with a virtual play-a-long! Hosted by Jody Miller and Phil Hollar.

This class is available at no charge to both ARS members and non-members. Click HERE to join the ARS.