Thanks for sharing your favorite memories and thoughts on what you love most about SFEMS’ early music programs and activities. We are happy to announce that Bill Lazar is the winner of our drawing and will receive two tickets to an upcoming ARTEK concert in February! Bill is a longtime member of SFEMS, active in the South Bay and Monterey Bay early music scenes. He is the owner of Lazar’s Early Music, a regular exhibitor at the Berkeley Festival and Exhibition.
We put out a call to our community last fall, asking how you came to discover early music, your favorite memories and important musical experiences, and what SFEMS has meant to you; we also shared a number of extended interviews with longtime members and friends. If you haven’t read these, check them out for the insight they offer into the Society’s history, what SFEMS has meant to so many people, and why we find early music is so compelling. Robert Mealy remembers growing up in Berkeley and discovering early music through SFEMS and Cal Performances. Harvey Malloy recalls his discovery of early music through the new music scene in LA. Randy Matamoros reflects on the intertwining experiences of hearing performances and attending workshops on the same music. Frances Feldon and Priscilla Winslow share their fond memories the SFEMS workshops in the early ’90s and the remarkable sense of community they created; see also Jonathan Harris’s memory of one of the same events.
We also received many thoughtful and heartfelt responses to our online survey from members and friends. Here are a few excerpts:
“The first Baroque Workshop, especially, blew my mind in so many ways. It opened doors into musical realms I’d never known or imagined. And it introduced me to a community of creative, supportive, friendly people, some of whom became teachers, some good friends, and some colleagues. It felt at once like discovering a new world and coming home.” —SFEMS member, 25+ years
“Last year, Matthias Maute’s concert was delightfully engaging – and then I was able to study with him at the summer recorder workshop, a wonderful combination of experiences that helps inspire my continuing musical endeavors.” —SFEMS member 11+ years
“Being a member of SFEMS is a delightful way to support some of the most wonderful music being made in our community, by our local professional musicians as well as by groups visiting from far away.” —SFEMS member, 11+ years
“While I greatly enjoy the concert series and Berkeley Festival/Exhibition, I treasure the summer workshops. I’ve been an attendee of the Med/Ren (and Recorder) workshop since my first in the early eighties. I also appreciate the support the affiliates program gives to local groups.” —SFEMS member, 25+ years
These words remind us that your membership, support and participation in SFEMS’ early music programs is vital to the future of the organization and this wonderful community. With eagerness, we look forward to the SFEMS stories that will be told as the next decade unfolds!
