Author: Laura Conrad

Report on the October 26, 2010, meeting

We played:

Schedule

The meeting next week will be in the usual time and place,
Tuesday, November 2, at 7:45 PM, at my place. Bea
has the key and will open up, and I’ll join you in progress if
closing up the polling place goes smoothly, and for a
much-deserved beer if it doesn’t.

After that, there will be normal dropin meetings for the
forseeable future.

Report on the October 19, 2010, meeting

We played:

Schedule

Next week will be a regular dropin meeting; the following week
is election day, but it sounds like there will be a meeting,
either at the usual place or at Stuart’s. After that I don’t know
why there wouldn’t be regular dropin meetings for a while.

The regular dropin meetings are on Tuesdays, starting at 7:45
PM, at my place.

Report on the October 12, 2010, meeting

We played:

Schedule

I don’t know of any reason why we won’t have our regular dropin
meetings on Tuesdays at 7:45 PM at my place
through the month of October.

On November 2, election day, I’ll be working as Warden of precinct 10-3 in
Cambridge, so someone else will have to run a meeting if you want
to have one.

Speaking of election day, people who aren’t registered to vote where they live should
register today, if they want to vote where they live in November.
Most offices are open until 8 PM.

Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky

This
movie makes me feel a lot better about the ability of
cinematic costume designers to show us good clothes than the last
movie about Coco Chanel I saw. The dress he seduces her out
of is just brilliant.

There are two other reasons the movie is worth watching. One is
the piano
lesson he gives her, where he has her play:

[first piano lesson exercise]

and then improvises on it underneath her. If piano lessons
were like that, I’d have stuck with them. But there’s no
evidence that she did.

The other is that the whole first 20 minutes is the original production
of The Rite of Spring that incited the riot. I’ve
never understood before why that music would have incited a riot
— it isn’t that different from what Debussy and other people
were doing at the time. But if you see the costumes and the
dancing, and realize, as Diaghilev remarks in the movie, “They
wanted to see Swan Lake,” the riot makes more sense.

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=laymusicorg-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B003L20III&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Report on the October 5, 2010, meeting

we played:

Schedule

I don’t know of any reason why we won’t have our regular dropin
meetings on Tuesdays at 7:45 PM at my place
through the month of October.

Knitting project — chair seat covers

One of the reasons there haven’t been many posts lately is that
I spent August and most of September battling pneumonia. Battling
in this case means spending a lot of time watching television,
which is boring even when you’re as sick as I was, so I made some
progress on my latest knitting project.

When I moved into my current condominium, I was thinking harder
than usual about interior decorating, and one of the things I
noticed was that all the chairs people were using to reserve the
spaces they’d shoveled the snow out of were nicer looking than the
1960-vintage dinette chairs I was using in my new dining room. One
of my friends was making furniture, so I asked him if he wanted to
make me some chairs.

They came out really nice, and we upholstered the seats with
some red high-quality cotton duck upholstery fabric. After my cat died, I
decided it was time to replace the seats which he had considered
very high-class scratching pads, and I bought some upholstery
fabric, which turned out to not be as high quality as what my
friend bought, so it’s now well past time to be replacing them again.

[Chair with new seat cover]

Chair with new seat cover

I realized that the chair seat is roughly the size of the front
or back of a sweater, and most of the fun of knitting a sweater is
the first front or back you do, so I’m knitting 6 sweater fronts
to replace the seat pad covers. I’m also replacing the foam
rubber, which is making them both better looking and more
comfortable.

I did a prototype with stash yarn that didn’t turn out to be a
very good piece of intarsia knitting, so I won’t show it to you.
The first real cover is from the Water Lily jacket in Alice
Starmore’s Book of Fair Isle Knitting.

[new seat cover]

new seat cover
[Central pattern]

central pattern
[Edge pattern]

Edge pattern


http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=laymusicorg-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0486472183&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

Report on the September 28, 2010, meeting

We played:

Schedule

I don’t know of any reason why we won’t have our regular dropin
meetings on Tuesdays at 7:45 PM at my place
through the month of October.

Cantabile on youtube

Ishmael put up one of the pieces we sang on September 19. You
can see it in my blog
entry or at the main Cantabile page.

Report on the September 21, 2010, meeting

We played:

Schedule

As far as I know, we will have normal dropin meetings through
October on Tuesdays at 7:45 PM at my place.

Concert Announcement

The Cantabile
Renaissance Band will play an all-Morley program at 12:30 and
I’ll play a Boismortier suite with my
sister at 1:30.

Arts Around the Block 2010

The Classical Venue
Church of the Holy Spirit, 160 Rock
St., Fall River, MA

September 19, 2010

Outside on the green

1 PM
Ishmael Stefanov, Olde Englishe Country Fiddle
1:30 -3:30 PM
The Stonebridge Gambol Renaissance Dance Group
3:30 PM
The Fall River Fipple Fluters.

The Chapel

12:30 PM
Cantabile Renaissance Band playing music of Thomas Morley, from
the Age of Queen Elizabeth I and Shakespeare – Laura Conrad, Anne
Kazlauskas and Ishmael Stefanov
1 PM
Judith Conrad plays Spanish Golden Age Keyboard music on Harpsichord
– Antonio de Cabezon – 500th anniversary this year
1:30 PM
Boismortier Suite, Laura Conrad, Recorder, Telemann Sonata, Frank
Fitzpatrick, Recorder accompanied by Judith Conrad on Harpsichord
2 PM
Jagan Nath Singh Khalsa and Jacob Litoff, violin/viola duo Urs Jacob
Flury Rousseau Suite and a Mozart duo for Violin and Viola in G major,
and a Grand Duo by Ignace Pleyel.

The Sanctuary

12:30 PM
Wildwood Strings: Violins: Carolyn Conrad, Louise Brady;
Viola: MaryAnn Nichols Hubbard; Cello: Paula Boyle. Bach’s Brandenburg
Concerto No. 3, Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and other classical
favorites.
1:30 PM
Harold Fortuin and Benjamin Fortuin (age 5) on piano, playing
solos and duets by Beethoven, Ravel and Fortuin.
2 PM
Judith Conrad Playing Schumann (200th anniversary this year). Scenes
from Childhood and Phantasie, Opus 19
2:30 PM
Otto Guzman, Cello, with Judith Conrad, Beethoven Variations on
Hail the Conquering Hero Comes’
3 pm
Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofief, led by Judith Conrad from
the piano, Sam Swidey, Narrator, with Jagan Nath Singh Khalsa, Dan
Moniz Carroll Grillo Brown, Joan Genereux, Peter Genereux and Harold
Fortuin.

Performers

Wildwood Strings
a classical string quartet, is based in
southeastern Mass. Four compatible musicians formed the group four
years ago, and have performed in concert, in churches, and at special
events since then. The group’s members are: Carolyn Conrad and Louise
Brady (violins); Mary Ann Nichols Hubbard (viola); and Paula Boyle
(cello).
Jagan Nath Singh Khalsa
studied violin in Chicago and in
St. Louis. He is a member of the Sikh ashram community in Millis,
MA. His love of music extends to orchestral, chamber music, and most
especially music for church. He also teaches violin and plays in local
community theater shows. He has played at several previous Arts Around
the Block Festivals.
Jacob Litoff
got his B.S. in music at Boston University. and
performs on violin and viola in several orchestras including the Dirk
Hillyer Festival Orchestra, The Charles River Sinfonietta, Merrimack
Valley Philharmonic, and as concertmaster for shows done by the Star
Players of Bristol County. He is president on the board of the
Charles RIver Sinfonietta,. He teaches many students on violin and
viola privately , and plays chamber music all the time. He and Jagan
Nath have been performing some violin/viola duets for events at many
private houses lately.
Frank Fitzpatrick
flautist and recorder player, has a B.S. in Music
Education from Rhode Island College, where he graduated magna cum
laude, and is working towards a masters degree in special education at
Bridgewater State University. He is the music teacher at a school for
children with autism. He currently studies recorder with John
Tyson. As a composer, Frank has written music for recorders, big band,
string quartet, piano, computer, and other pieces and songs for
various ensembles. He has written one symphony. He is better known in
Fall River as the initiator of the hard work by so many that placed
ex-priest James R. Porter in prison. He lives in Cranston.
Otto Guzman
a native of Guatemala now living in Pawtucket, is the
principle cellist in the Fall River Symphony. He is playing cello,
tenor viol and recorder, and also plays cornetto, trombone and
lute. He has built many of his own instruments.
The Cantabile Renaissance Band
specializes in the music of the
sixteenth century that was written to be played in the home. They meet
most Tuesdays in a Cambridge living room, and for much of the year
anyone who wants to is free to drop in. They play regularly for the
Project Bread “Walk for Hunger” on the first Sunday in May and at the
Arts League of Lowell gallery, and have performed on the Lowell
“Destination World COOL” event, the Boston Public Library “Never too
Late” series, and the Loring-Greenough House concert series.

Stonebridge Gambol is a group of dancers and musicians dedicated to
promoting the learning and enjoyment of all forms of Renaissance
dance. The group is active primarily within the Society for Creative
Anachronism (SCA), although participation in the SCA is not necessary
for participation in Stonebridge Gambol. Dance practice is held every
Sunday afternoon from 4-6 PM at Goff Hall, 124 Bay State Road,
Rehoboth, MA. All dancers and musicians are welcome to join
us. Admission is free. They are directed by David Barnes.

Laura Conrad
a Durfee High graduate, now lives in Cambridge MA
where she directs the Cantabile Renaissance Band and studies recorder
with John Tyson. She is the webmaster for Laymusic.org and
SerpentPublications.org, two websites which support musicians who play
Renaissance Music in small groups. She is playing recorder today; she
also plays serpent, an ancestor of the tuba which was widely used as
the loudest bass instrument available between 1600 and 1850.
Anne Kazlauskas
is a 1978 Ithaca College voice graduate. A church
singer and keyboardist for over 30 years, she now concentrates on
early European, traditional Scottish, English West Gallery and
American shape note music. She is regularly heard with Convivium
Musicum, West Gallery Quire and Norumbega Harmony.
Harold Fortuin
Pianist and composer, Harold lives in West
Roxbury but has played at two previous Arts Around the Block
Festivals. His music has been featured at numerous festivals in the
US and abroad, and he has developed microtonal musical instruments
and software. He has taught at Olivet College, Michigan State
University, and the University of Glasgow, Scotland. Today he is
joined by his 5-year-old son Benjamin, making his piano-playing
concert debut.
Ishmael Stefanov
studied violin, winds and voice, and played with
school and community orchestras, bands and choirs. Following
graduation from engineering school, he discovered the world of Morris
and contra dancing. He plays with the Black Jokers Morris Team and the
West Gallery Quire, and sings in Norumbega Harmony.
Dan Moniz
a Swansea resident, is the first-chair clarinettist in
the Swansea Community Musicians.
Carroll Grillo Brown
a Fall River resident and chemical engineer,
plays all sizes of saxophones. She currently performs weekly with the
Swansea Community Musicians.
Peter Genereux
plays trombone is two area big bands and other
groups. He enjoys reading, riding bicycle and outdoor work.
Joan Genereux
has taught instrumental music at the Gordon School in
East Providence for many years. She plays in several area wind
ensembles an big bands as well as a saxophone quintet and saxophone
quartet. Here she is playing the baritone saxophone.
Sam Swidey
is a retired English teacher, adjustment counselor, and
principal in the Fall River School System, and an adjunct teadher at
BCC. He lives in Somerset with his wife Mary whom he met in French
class at Stonehill College when he whispered an answer to a question
the professor had asked her. They have 5 children and 11
grandchildren.
Judith Conrad
who lives in Fall River and graduated from Durfee
High, is the organist/pianist at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in
Kingston RI. She studied piano with International Concert Pianist
Theodore Lettvin in Boston, and with Freeman Koberstein at Oberlin
Conservatory, and holds a degree from Harvard University. She will be
playing harpsichord and recorders today. She will be playing at the
celebration of Cabezon’s 500th birthday in October in Almeria, Spain
next month. A specialist in early music and performer on clavichord
and harpsichord, she is the Founder/Director of the Delight Consort
and of the Fall River Fipple Fluters. She is also the originator of
the conceit “Clavichordists for World Peace”.
The Fall River Fipple Fluters
are an amateur recorder-playing group
founded in 1991 by Judith Conrad. They play together for fun every
Friday at Four-thirty in Fall River. New members are always welcome,
willingness to try to learn recorder is the only requirement. They
play all sizes of recorder and many different styles of music, the
core repertoire being Western classical music from the 16th to the
18th centuries, the heyday of the recorder. For further information
call Judith Conrad, 508-674-6128 or e-mail her at
judithconrad@mindspring.com.

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On 10 Sep 2010, 10:41.