Fall Classes with Tish Berlin

Tish Berlin will be offering two classes in September and October. The classes take place on Tuesdays, from September 24 through October 22, at Tish’s home in Albany.

The first class, “Church and Chamber: French Psalm Settings and Chansons in the 16th Century,” offers a tour through the many facets of French vocal music in the 1500s with works ranging from reverential psalm settings by Huguenot composers Claude LeJeune and Claude Goudimel to the saucy songs of Josquin and Claudin de Sermisy. This class is open to intermediate and upper intermediate to advanced recorders, viols, and voices. The class runs from 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. and requires a minimum enrollment of 4 to a maximum of 7 participants.

The second class, “Improvisation: Using Medieval Dances and 17th Century Ground Basses as Guides,” is designed to unlock the musical mysteries within your soul through improvisation, with the goal of becoming adept at moving around on your instrument. While improvisation may seem scary, you will gain confidence through learning its basic elements. We will focus on two genres: Medieval dances, and 16th–17th century ground bass divisions. We will study existing examples of both repertories, practice their building blocks, then make up our own dances and divisions. The class is open to upper intermediate to advanced instruments. The class runs from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. and also requires a minimum enrollment of 4 to a maximum of 7.

These classes will take place at Tish’s home in Albany. Students must be able to navigate uneven path on a hill. The cost for each class is $125 for the full session or $30 per class if paying weekly. For more information or to register, please email Tish at [email protected], or leave a message at 510-882-1169.

Written by Jonathan Harris