Welcome to the 4th issue of the OCRS Early Music Newsletter for December. I hope that you all had a relaxing Thanksgiving filled with gratitude for friends, family, and the opportunities that fill our lives.

First thank you to Tom Axworthy for leading us in November with a wonderful selection from Marais’ Alcione that challenged us with several tempo changes to make beautiful music. This month we are again fortunate to have Sally Price leading us with some of her favorite seasonal pieces as we celebrate our annual Christmas meeting. Musica Ficta with four outstanding musicians will be playing for us at the Prelude starting at 7:15 so please plan to be there early to enjoy these 4 beautiful selections.

The plans for this season’s Recorder Workshop on Saturday, February 17th are moving ahead, and registration is now open—please see the registration flyer OCRS Workshop2018. This year we will have two excellent musicians, educators, and performers leading us in what will be an outstanding program entitled “Make a Joyful Noise” as they explore the importance of breath, articulation, and phrasing which lie at the heart of recorder playing. The last few years, OCRS participants have been joined by members of SCRS, SDCRS, and CCRS among others, which has provided a fun time to see and play with old friends and new. These days, most of us no longer need more “things” to clutter up our homes and lives as we realize that it is the “experiences” that have lasting importance. So as you start to make your Christmas list, this would be a unique gift to provide a friend or receive yourself.

I want to thank those of you that made contributions to OCRS. Contributions this year will go far in helping us meet our operating budget for the year, since membership dues only cover approximately 75% of our budget. Please, there is still time for you to make a tax-deductible donation this tax year in any amount that you are comfortable with and you will receive sincere thanks and satisfaction for your support of OCRS. And if you have not paid your membership dues this season, please plan to send or bring a check to Susan Mason.

In these times of turmoil, I wish each of you a peaceful Holiday Season, and I hope to see you at our meeting on Friday, December 9th.

—Win Aldrich