3:00 pm - 4:15 pm Pacific/4:00 pm - 5:15 pm Mountain/5:00 pm - 6:15 pm Central/6:00 pm - 7:15 pm Eastern
Warm-Up for Workshops! Getting in Shape for the Summer
Whether you're new to a week-long workshop, or a bit rusty in your skills, this class will help you gain confidence in your ensemble playing and prepare you for whatever awaits you this summer in the music world. We'll drill changing sizes of recorder and clefs at the drop of a hat, playing alto and tenor up an octave, tenor in bass clef, and bass in treble clef. We'll practice counting (and feeling!) the half note, and even the whole note, as the beat. Our repertoire will include music from the late 15th century up to the end of the Renaissance. Bring your questions, banish your fears! You'll get more out of your summer workshop experience if you come prepared. Geared toward recorder players who are at the low intermediate level and others who need to polish their skills.
To register, email tishberlin@sbcglobal.net.
As part of the Festival, ARS will host the Recorder Relay, a BFX Fringe Concert that gives skilled recorder players an opportunity to perform for one another. Up to 11 performing ensembles (or soloists) may perform on the Relay. Each performance is limited to 15 minutes, which also includes any set-up time. Mixed ensembles are welcomed, but the recorder must be the star! To register to play in the Relay, please complete this application.
ARS Recorder Relay information:
Monday, June 8, 2026, 2 - 5 PM, PT
First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley (in the Mears Room)
2407 Dana St (at Channing Way)
Berkeley, CA 94047
So, you want to add some ornaments to a baroque sonata movement. Where to start? Using Eric Haas’s recently updated and expanded The Grammar of Ornament as our text, we’ll break it all down. What are the main types of ornaments and where should you use them? How do you pace your ornamentation so that it flows well and enhances the original piece? What are the keys to making your ornamentation seem cohesive and distinctive? Do you have to be original, or can formulas help? For alto recorders at A=440, Intermediate and up.(Please note: It is not necessary for participants to purchase Eric Haas' book ahead of this workshop, as Eric has graciously agreed to having select excerpts from The Grammar of Ornament be used for this occasion. However, anyone wanting to dive more deeply into Baroque ornamentation will benefit from owning their own copy of this invaluable resource! The book can be purchased via the Von Huene webstore at https://www.vonhuene.com/.)
The Barbary Coast Recorder Orchestra (BCRO), co-directed by Greta Haug-Hryciw and Glen Shannon, will present their BFX reprise of the 15th season concert “Moodscapes” on Monday June 8 at from 12:30-1:30pm, in the First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley (FPCC) sanctuary, 2407 Dana St. at Channing Way in Berkeley. Music will span the centuries from Dufay through the Beatles and featuring the US premier of Glen Shannon’s “Alpine Moods” arranged specially for BCRO. Other selections include recorder arrangements of pieces by Elgar, Gounod, Shostakovich, Andrew Challinger and a mid-Renaissance keyboard work by Martin Peerson (1571-1651).
BCRO has recorders from TINY to TITAN creating a wonderful rich sound! Donations gratefully accepted at the door. BCRO is an Educational Outreach program of Voices of Music, voicesofmusic.org.
Visit the American Recorder Society's table at the Exhibition from June 11-13 in Unity Hall of the Festival's headquarters: First Church, Dana St. between Channing Way and Durant St.
Join the celebration! Come and go as you please during the continuous "relay-style" performances by local amateur and professional ensembles. You will hear diverse music from the Middle Ages to the 21st century that celebrates the recorder and its players. At the start of this year's Relay, ARS Board member Jody Miller will detail the special recognition of Mark Davenport as this year’s recipient of the ARS Presidential Honor Award for his extraordinary contribution to the North American recorder community.
The ever-popular ARS Recorder Relay is is held on alternate years at the the Berkeley Festival and the Boston Early Music Festival to showcase the versatility of this historically important and highly relevant instrument.
The Relay will be held in the Mears Room of Westminster Hall at First Presbyterian Church
The Relay is free to the public! Visit the American Recorder Society's table at the Exhibition from June 11-13 in Unity Hall of the Festival's headquarters: First Church, Dana St. between Channing Way and Durant St.
This seminar offers a historical exploration of Italian secular music in the 16th century, a period marked by significant musical innovation. We will contrast the lively, straightforward frottole of the early 1500s with the more expressive and refined madrigals of the century’s later decades. In addition, we will examine virtuosic instrumental works based on popular tunes (capricci) alongside pieces inspired by the polyphonic tradition of Franco-Flemish chansons (canzoni). The session will conclude with a selection of ensemble dances drawn from a range of sources, rounding out this rich musical journey.
All are welcome! SATB Recorders, A=440hz
The workshop will explore tunes from our Book of Rounds collection. It has 40 tunes in 13 keys from 12 countries. The lyrics for 27 tunes are included, with handy indexes to organize it all.
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm Pacific/4:00 pm - 5:15 pm Mountain/5:00 pm - 6:15 pm Central/6:00 pm - 7:15 pm Eastern
Warm-Up for Workshops! Getting in Shape for the Summer
Whether you're new to a week-long workshop, or a bit rusty in your skills, this class will help you gain confidence in your ensemble playing and prepare you for whatever awaits you this summer in the music world. We'll drill changing sizes of recorder and clefs at the drop of a hat, playing alto and tenor up an octave, tenor in bass clef, and bass in treble clef. We'll practice counting (and feeling!) the half note, and even the whole note, as the beat. Our repertoire will include music from the late 15th century up to the end of the Renaissance. Bring your questions, banish your fears! You'll get more out of your summer workshop experience if you come prepared. Geared toward recorder players who are at the low intermediate level and others who need to polish their skills.
To register, email tishberlin@sbcglobal.net.
The workshop will explore tunes from our Book of Rounds collection. It has 40 tunes in 13 keys from 12 countries. The lyrics for 27 tunes are included, with handy indexes to organize it all.
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
3:00 pm - 4:15 pm Pacific/4:00 pm - 5:15 pm Mountain/5:00 pm - 6:15 pm Central/6:00 pm - 7:15 pm Eastern
Warm-Up for Workshops! Getting in Shape for the Summer
Whether you're new to a week-long workshop, or a bit rusty in your skills, this class will help you gain confidence in your ensemble playing and prepare you for whatever awaits you this summer in the music world. We'll drill changing sizes of recorder and clefs at the drop of a hat, playing alto and tenor up an octave, tenor in bass clef, and bass in treble clef. We'll practice counting (and feeling!) the half note, and even the whole note, as the beat. Our repertoire will include music from the late 15th century up to the end of the Renaissance. Bring your questions, banish your fears! You'll get more out of your summer workshop experience if you come prepared. Geared toward recorder players who are at the low intermediate level and others who need to polish their skills.
To register, email tishberlin@sbcglobal.net.
Berlin-based, Italian-born recorder player and neyzen Valentina Bellanova brings a selection of Italian consort repertoire from the Medieval and Renaissance periods. The program will include dances and songs such as Non posso far bucato, Schiarazula Marazula, and other pieces connected to Italy’s rich musical traditions. Through these pieces, we will look at how elements of folk music appear in this repertoire, paying attention to phrasing, modal color, and rhythm. We will also bring in a short introduction to the tarantella tradition, working with a simple melodic pattern inspired by traditional music from Southern Italy.Photo credit: Agnes Fox
- Advanced Consort Class Online Summer 2026 term: The 10 week term begins Wednesday June 24th at 7:00pm PDT and Saturday June 27th at 10:00am PDT on Zoom. Cost: $100*. The 90-minute play along sessions, geared toward players of recorder, viol and other early instruments, include playing a mélange of renaissance, baroque, medieval and modern music with the ORB Trio (Gayle Neuman, Phil Neuman and Cindy Markham) in real time with performance advice, historical information and lively banter. Come join the fun! To register and pay, click here: Advanced Consort Class You can attend one or both weekly sessions.
Questions? Write to us at pneumantartold@gmail.com. - Intermediate Consort Class Online Summer 2026 term: The 10 week term begins Tuesday June 23rd at 7:00pm PDT and Saturday June 27th at 1:00pm PDT on Zoom. Cost: $100*. The 90-minute play along sessions, geared toward players of recorder, viol and other early instruments, include playing a mélange of intermediate level renaissance, baroque, medieval and modern music with the ORB Trio (Gayle Neuman, Phil Neuman and Cindy Markham) in real time with performance advice, historical information and lively banter. Technique and interpretation advice will be geared towards players of intermediate ability, with a bit more repetition than the advanced consort class. Join the fun! To register and pay, click here: Intermediate Consort Class You can attend one or both weekly sessions.
Questions? Write to us at pneumantartold@gmail.com.
* If you take both Advanced and Intermediate classes you get a $20 discount on the second class (the total is $180 for both.) To register and pay for both classes with the discount, click here: Both Advanced and Intermediate Consort Classes