For our April 6th seminar, Lewis Baratz will guide us through the development of ornamentation in solo and consort music during the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. We will learn to ornament in the style of late Renaissance musicians as discussed by Silvestro Ganassi (1535) and Diego Ortiz (1553). We will then explore three genres of ornamentation that appeared during the 17th century: the diminution and variation style of Jacob van Eyck (1649); the early baroque expressive ornaments invented by Giulio Caccini (1601/2); and French graces as documented by Jacques-Martin Hotteterre (1707). We will then explore the ornamentation of the late Baroque era, with examples by William Babell, Handel, and G. Ph. Telemann. Bring your soprano (or tenor) and alto recorder along on our journey as there will be several examples for participants to try.
Please join the St Louis Recorder Society for our springtime full day workshop, led by Anne Timberlake!
For the Birds
The recorder has long been renowned for its sweet, bird-like timbre. We’ll take full advantage of its melodious capabilities as we sample several centuries’ worth of music about birds. Tweet the old-fashioned way!
Co-Directed by Letitia Berlin and Amy Domingues. With recorder faculty Letitia Berlin, Rainer Beckmann, Frances Blaker, and Wendy Powers.
Bring any size of soprano, alto, tenor, or bass recorder that you have. You will have a chance to explore more than one part of each piece. Both plastic and wooden instruments are welcome. Pitch is A=440.
Please bring a music stand. We recommend that you bring a stand light to supplement the ceiling light.
More info: https://www.nyrg.org/
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The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin at 145 West 46th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Manhattan. Meetings are held in St. Joseph’s Hall, a side chapel of St. Mary's. Located in a brick building to the left of the main church, the entranceway is distinguished by the street number 145 displayed on the door.
1:30-3:30 PM. Doors open at 1PM.
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Meeting Fees:
$20 per meeting for members
$30 per meeting for non-members
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FULL SEASON PREPAYMENT OPTION: $180. Includes annual membership dues and meeting fees for the entire 2025-26 season.
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Send payment using Zelle to NYRG treasurer Judith Wink at jwink@nyc.rr.com. Please put your email address in the Notes field. Alternatively, send checks to New York Recorder Guild, 145 West 93rd Street, Apt. 2, New York, NY 10025.
Medieval Mondays runs from February to May in four sessions. Each class will focus on a particular medieval topic, composer, or musical source. The sessions include a brief overview of the composer and information about the music’s historical context then a selection of music to discover and play. Scores will be available for registered participants a week ahead of each class. Medieval Mondays will take place on the following dates, always from 12:30-2pm Eastern:
- Feb 9: Chansonnier Cordiforme - 15th Century Songs of Love
- Mar 16: O Fortuna! Songs from the Carmina Burana
- Apr 13: “Eye Music” - Music Written in Extraordinary Notation
- May 4: Composer’s Portrait: Gilles Binchois - A Musical Miniaturist Please note: If you miss a session, each Zoom meeting will be recorded and will stay available and on demand until one full month after the final class
This course will use the following method book which provides excellent methodical exercises to learn fingerings, while providing simple tunes to satisfy the soul!
The Sweet Pipes Recorder Book: A method for adults and older beginners by Gerald Burakoff and William E. Hettrick. Soprano, Book One.
Dates:
Tuesday, April 14 at 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT, 4:00pm PT)
Thursday, April 16 at 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT, 4:00pm PT)
Tuesday, April 21 at 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT, 4:00pm PT)
Thursday, April 23 at 7:00pm ET (6:00pm CT, 5:00pm MT, 4:00pm PT)
Each session will comprise ~35 minutes of instructional time, followed by ~10 minutes for questions
Students will need to purchase a copy of the "Sweet Pipes" Recorder book (links below) for the class.
Do you need to purchase an instrument? You cannot go wrong with a good plastic recorder—they can actually sound better than a poor wooden one! Yamaha and Aulos make very good plastic sopranos. For tenors: Yamaha provides an exceptional tone, while Aulos is lighter-weight with a smaller reach. Consider purchasing an instrument from one of our business partners:
Von Huene Workshop (The Early Music Shop of New England), Boston, MA: (617) 277-8690
Honeysuckle Music, St. Paul, MN: (651) 644-8545
Lazar's Early Music, Carson City, NV: (866) 511-2981
Recorderforge.com, Happy Valley, OR: (503) 210-1643
The Von Huene Workshop & Honeysuckle Music also offer the Sweet Pipes Recorder book.
The Farallon Recorder Quartet, featuring stellar instructors and players Miyo Aoki, Frances Blaker, Tish Berlin, and Vicki Boeckman, will be leading an extra-special 2026 NW Recorder Meet on April 18 at Sand Point Community UMC, 4710 NE 70th St, Seattle. They will not only teach, inspire, and conduct us in a full day of playing sessions, but also play a concert in the evening. The concert will be open to the public as well as to Meet attendees.
Exploring and experimenting with jazz melodies, rhythms, and improvisations on the recorder. No matter if this is your first time as a participant in Tali's workshop on performing jazz on recorders, or if you have already taken one or both of her previous NAVRS workshop offerings in past years, there will be something new to explore for everyone! Come unleash your inner jazzer!In this workshop we will revisit some basic concepts (swing, rhythm, scales), as well as try to tackle a famous jazz standard with harmony which is a bit more complex.
Tone and Phrasing - Alto Recorder with Dan MeyersContinue your alto recorder study with this Second Level course from the American Recorder Society. This course is a continuation of the beginners' course offered in March. We'll build on the skills we discussed in the first class, and discuss ways to make your airstream more reliable and your sound more beautiful and consistent across the range of the instrument. We'll also look at how to combine a variety of articulations to create musical phrases, and learn some exercises to increase your finger coordination and speed, all while exploring some great repertoire!
Attendees are expected to be able to play low F to high C (an octave and a 5th) including Bb, B natural, and F#, and read those notes and general rhythmic patterns, down to the level of the 8th note, on the music staff. All music will be provided. You don't need to be confident, just familiar with the notes and fingerings; we'll work on increasing your comfort level over the course of the classes.
Course Dates:
Tuesday, April 21st at 6PM ET (5PM CT, 4PM MT, 3PM PT)
Tuesday, April 22nd at 6PM ET (5PM CT, 4PM MT, 3PM PT)
Tuesday, April 28th at 6PM ET (5PM CT, 4PM MT, 3PM PT)
Wednesday, April 29th at 6PM ET (5PM CT, 4PM MT, 3PM PT)
This class is available at no charge to ARS members, only. When registering, use the email address associated with your ARS membership. If you are not an ARS member, you may click HERE to join. These classes are limited in size to allow for more interaction between the teacher and students. If you have already taken two or more of our Second Level classes, please wait until one week prior to the start of class to sign up, in order to allow a larger number of people to take advantage of these opportunities.
Join us for a series of Consort Studio Workshops in central New Jersey, monthly sessions in ensemble playing for intermediate to advanced level recorder players to learn to play with one another and other instruments under a skilled conductor, with professional accompaniment.
These events will be led by conductor, recorder player, and harpsichordist, Steven Russell (see below). It is an opportunity to play a variety of Baroque literature for small ensembles, through rehearsal, instruction, and demonstration, in a supportive environment, with a focus on ensemble playing, and end with the option to play the lead alto part with a professional ensemble. We will have opportunities to warm up on Renaissance music with SATB recorders, so bring all sizes. Register early to receive the music well in advance. Auditors welcome to attend. Sessions culminate in a performance.
Dates: One Saturday of the month, 1:00 – 5:00 P.M. w/ a 15-min. break
Nov. 8, 2025 Open for General Registration. A Taste of Things to Come
Jan. 10, 2026 Feb. 28, 2026 March 14, 2026 April 25, 2026
May 9, 2026 Workshop-Rehearsal June 13 Oct. 10 Nov. 14, 2026
Location: Reformed Church of Highland Park, 19-21 South Second Avenue, Highland Park, NJ. There is plenty of parking at the location, which is a 30-minute walk or 5-minute taxi ride from the New Brunswick NJT train station.
To register, Visit https://hprecorder.org/events/2026-consort-studio/. For more information contact recorderdonna@gmail.com
Join us for “Medieval Gems,” an inspiring session with Tom Beets and Joris Van Goethem of the Flanders Recorder Duo.Step into the colorful sound world of the 14th and 15th centuries as we explore a carefully curated selection of late medieval masterpieces. From the chant-inspired polyphony of O Virgo Splendens (Libre Vermell) to the English elegance of John Dunstable’s Quam Pulchra Es, and concluding with the festive, fanfare-like energy of Propinan de Melyor, this session promises contrast, depth, and musical joy.
The repertoire is suitable for various recorders (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass), with flexible options to adapt parts to your instrument.
Presented by Héloise Degrugillier, in this online workshop, we will explore music by Johann Mattheson from his first opus through the lens of musical rhetoric. We will examine how affect, gesture, and rhetorical figures inform phrasing, articulation, and ensemble dialogue, with the goal of making the music speak clearly and persuasively.
Music for 2-3 altos by Mattheson will include
- 2 Gigues,
- Sonata No. 7
- Sonata No. 1
All are welcome! We will be using alto recorders. A=440hz
Ready to take your recorder playing to the next level? Join recorder player and teacher Teresa Deskur to find out what happens after "B-A-G"! We'll build on skills from the Beginner Level course, explore the high and low registers, enjoy ensemble music, and further develop your technique. Players should feel comfortable with low C up to 4th line D, and be able to read these notes on the staff. We will use a combination of provided music and Sweet Pipes vol. 1 (soprano). Let's make some music together!
Dates:
Tuesday, April 28th at 7PM ET (6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT)
Thursday, April 30th at 7PM ET (6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT)
Tuesday, May 5th at 7PM ET (6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT)
Thursday, May 7th at 7PM ET (6PM CT, 5PM MT, 4PM PT)
The Von Huene Workshop & Honeysuckle Music offer the Sweet Pipes Recorder book, required for this class.