Greetings everyone, I hope you all are well sated after the holidays and looking forward to a new year of music making in whatever ways light you up and bring joy. Rather than making resolutions, I find this is a time for reflection – be it on highlights over the past year, or on what I have learned, which brings clarity and anticipation for what is mine to do in the year to come.
I’m sure it comes as no surprise to those of you reading this, that performing with friends and colleagues is one of the things that sustains me and lights me up the most. I’m so grateful and thankful that I’m still in the game and being asked to perform after the bleak years of the pandemic. One of the most recent highlights recently was playing John Williams’ magnificent score for the Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban with the Eugene Symphony with my dear friend Miyo Aoki. There are some beautiful recorder parts, and it was a thrill to be asked. This was the fourth production that the two of us have participated in, and the first since the pandemic, so it was a special treat. Audiences are encouraged to clap or shout whenever they are so moved, and at one point in the performance someone shouted out, “We love you, Eugene Symphony!” 😊
Another recurring highlight is being back in person and leading you in our hybrid meetings. It is truly lovely to see the smiles on your faces and be able to chat after playing. I think that we can safely reinstate having light refreshments after our playing sessions, so it would be helpful to have one or two volunteers for organizing that.
It gives me great pleasure to invite Charles Coldwell to lead the January 5 meeting. Please keep reading to see what he has planned, but (spoiler alert) I think you can look forward to a particular new year’s tradition…one that he arranged…. Also, Laura Townsend will be leading the Back Room Gang.
Links to the pdfs and to the Zoom session will be available on Monday January 2. If you need hard copies brought to the meeting, please email Charles at cpcoldwell@hotmail.com
May the new year bring joy and light to us all.