Post Quarantine Renaissance - A Chapter Check-in

This has been a very long two years for most of us in the recorder universe. We have had to content ourselves with solo or virtual experiences. Of course, Zoom and other digital platforms have helped us to stay connected and keep our societies afloat. Sadly, some have been dormant since COVID struck, and may not wake from their slumber.
 
What is the secret of societies that are thriving despite it all?
Lucie McNeill has approached some of the most active American Recorder Society chapters in Canada and the United States, and common findings emerge. All of them embraced technology, welcomed new members from afar, and put the emphasis on keeping their community together. As a result, all of them, including the ARS itself, report increasing memberships, enhanced engagement, and healthy finances – indeed many are in better shape than before March 2020.
 
Some of the initiatives of the COVID era could become ongoing features for most groups. As in-person activities resume, there is a determination to retain members who live far away by instituting a hybrid format. The ARS will continue to provide free online recorder classes for beginners, so the recent influx of new players can continue. The newly formed ARS chapter, the North American Virtual Recorder Society, will allow more isolated players to find a community of their own.
 
The remaining challenge, as many share below, will be to help members overcome their apprehensions and come back to live sessions with fellow members. “Playing in front of a screen is not the same,” as ARS president David Podeschi says. Without the joy and energy of playing live, when we feel that powerful harmony surrounding us, people could easily drift to other pastimes, and chapters may find it hard to survive.
 
Perhaps the most heartening finding of this informal survey is that the most vibrant chapters, two years into the pandemic, are those where volunteers and members have demonstrated a real determination to safeguard their societies. Despite the isolation and discouragement brought on by successive waves of the pandemic, committed volunteers and music directors rolled up their sleeves and took action to keep everyone connected and playing.
 
As we emerge from the COVID tunnel, this cohesion and resilience will serve us well.  Because as Rachel Begley of the Recorder Society of Long Island tells us, the most successful recorder societies are not event organizers, they are genuine communities. “We’re not in the business of producing events,” she said, “we’re in the business of serving people.”

Read on below to find out how these groups are preparing to forge into the post-pandemic world with new resolve.
 
THE AMERICAN RECORDER SOCIETY
“We’re doing fine,” says ARS president David Podeschi, “thanks to our decision to tackle this issue immediately. We did things that resonated with the community, helping us all to stay connected.” 
 
These initiatives, many of which will continue beyond the pandemic, include grants to chapters, hiring professionals to teach free beginners’ lessons on Zoom, the launch of a North American virtual chapter with, at last count, over 90 members, and enlarging the play-along library. Podeschi says one of the pandemic’s upsides has been to discover how loyal and generous ARS members are, renewing their memberships and increasing their donations to support grants to artists and programming.
 
The record is impressive. Total membership has grown from the pre-pandemic base of 2,000, to the present 2,575 -- 1,248 of them belonging to ARS chapters. There are 804 new members who joined after March 2020, and 614 of them are still active now. There are even a few new chapters and consorts, although some others have become inactive and planning to start up when feasible. The ARS has distributed $52,000 of members’ donations – the Recorder Artist Relief Fund – to 51 professionals.
 
The biggest challenge facing most recorder societies, according to Podeschi, will be to take the leap and return to in-person playing. Without that, the concern is that people will start drifting away and find more engaging activities, or that recorder societies will dissolve into smaller consorts that can meet to play face-to-face. Podeschi does not believe this would be positive for the community. “The ARS needs to support chapters so they can ramp back up and we can play like we used to,” he says. “Playing alone in front of a screen is not the same.”
 

UNITED STATES RECORDER SOCIETIES
 
Dallas Recorder Society (TX)
The DRS is doing well, with membership up and finances in healthy shape, thanks to the board’s determination to keep all members engaged.
 
With public health measures somewhat more relaxed in Texas, the DRS was able to hold in-person meetings from September 2021 until this past January, when an ice storm meant a return to Zoom. The April meeting is expected to be live again.
 
Because virtual meetings have brought in new members, the DRS decided to make its meetings hybrid. Board member David Podeschi gets to the venue a little early, sets up his laptop and audio equipment, and ensures remote participants can see the conductor and get to hear the most confident players, so they can play along and take part in some of the socializing.
 
Podeschi attributes his society’s resilience to the passion members have for playing together, for their commitment to this glorious music, and to the solid friendships formed over the years. But while Zoom has allowed DRS members to remain connected through the worst of COVID-19, “there are limits,” says Podeschi, adding: “I’m not sure the recorder community could take many more years of this.” The challenge will be to get people to trust they can be in a room together and play music in safety.
 
Denver Recorder Society (CO)
As president Sharon Bolles sees it, the Denver RS has “settled into the new reality of the pandemic world. There is a sense of acceptance in seeing each other and playing virtually.” And by all accounts, the society is doing well, with a larger membership – half of which is now from outside Denver – and a healthier bottom line.
 
As do others, Bolles attributes this to the early switch to Zoom, which attracted out of town members, and to the dynamism of music director Jennifer Carpenter who has led a majority of the sessions. “People leave wanting more,” she says, “and they come back.”
 
The transition to virtual meetings has allowed everyone to "visit" other chapters and get better acquainted. “It’s not something I expected when we first turned to Zoom,” she says. This kind of initiative took an innovative turn when the Connecticut Recorder Society tapped the Denver RS to hold a joint session last January. Says Bolles: “This was easy to set up, fun to do, and may be something that catches on with other chapters in the future, regardless of whether there is a pandemic.”
 
Denver RS is experiencing what many other societies are reporting: the challenge of maintaining member engagement on a virtual platform. “Some are not interested in Zoom,” she says, “and are not responding to invitations to join the chapter this year or to attend any of the sessions.” Bolles says they have also lost members because of COVID controversies.
 
But Denver RS board and volunteers are planning for better days ahead, with a gradual acclimatization to the face-to-face world. “Once we believe it is safe to return, we are planning some informal get togethers prior to our playing meetings,” she says. They have also found a new venue, a beautiful historic church, where a summer gathering could be held, allowing members to get acquainted with their new home. “The whole idea is to get many present and past members back together again,” she says, “to remember the good days, friendships and fun times we all had playing together.  Hopefully this will rekindle interest, and more will get their recorders back out!”
 
Denver RS has been online until this March, but starts hosting hybrid meetings in April, a format the society will retain to serve out-of-town members. “I am grateful to everyone for continuing to prioritize music and recorder playing,” concludes Bolles.  “Now more than ever, I believe music soothes the soul and we all need all the soothing we can get!”
 
Recorder Society of Long Island (NY)
With some 20 active members who are committed to the music and play at a fairly high level, the RSLI was also fairly quick to pivot onto Zoom after the March 2020 outbreak of COVID-19. Music director Rachel Begley has focused on the importance of keeping the community together through the long months of uncertainty about shifting public health measures. “For me, it was really important that we hold this community together,” says Begley, adding that if members don't play together regularly, “something else can take precedence in their lives.”
 
During the initial months of pandemic, Begley organized coffee mornings on Zoom so people could socialize; she also organized an online workshop on recorder care and maintenance. Virtual playing meetings started in earnest in September 2020, all of them led by Begley.
 
This past September, the RSLI shifted to a hybrid format. Only fully vaccinated members can participate in person, roughly half of the membership. “This vaccination requirement was for me, but also for them,” she says. “We meet in a preschool!” The Omicron wave has kept the meetings virtual for the first part of 2022, but Begley is confident they will resume hybrid sessions in April, and possibly hold in-person meetings in September. “Zoom fatigue is real,” she says. “We need to get back in the rooms. And we need to support our local leaders, and sustain our local musical ecosystem.”
 
For as long as hybrid meetings are required, Begley is intent on delivering a high-quality experience for members who join online, by investing in good microphones and cameras, and ensuring that reliable players for all voices are positioned close to the microphones. That way, members at home get the satisfaction of playing along with a solid ensemble. In person, the society has continued to pair mentors with mentees, so each inexperienced player is well supported. “It’s worth the effort because musically, the results are there, and on both sides of the camera, people are happy,” she says.
 
As with other societies holding virtual sessions, the RSLI has gained a handful of long-distance members, one from as far as South Africa. Begley hopes that any stranded virtual member could possibly find a home with the new North American Virtual Recorder Society, launched with ARS assistance a few months ago. Begley is also its music director and has been intentional in creating a sense of community among its 92 far-flung members.
 
For RSLI, the tally at the end of these two difficult years is fairly positive. “We’ve actually flourished,” she says. “Given what it could be, it’s amazing how close we still are, and how much people are making music and staying connected.” Begley attributes the resilience of the society to its solid mission of serving its members. “That sense of preserving the community, and what we all mean to each other, is what has kept us going.”
 
Mid-Peninsula Recorder Orchestra (CA)
This 40-member ensemble is based in Palo Alto, CA, and was founded in 1962 – the second oldest in the world.  In the “before times,” MPRO members met twice a month to rehearse for their biannual concerts. The pandemic dealt them a heavy blow, forcing a suspension of rehearsals for nearly a year.  Members started to hold virtual playing sessions in December 2020, although a few prefer not to play online. The adjustment was considerable for music director Fred Palmer, who had to re-tool and upgrade everything from his computer to his wifi connection. “It was a big learning curve,” he says. 
 
MPRO has yet to resume in-person playing. “This area is extremely careful about any kind of COVID-19 transmission. Although California has dropped mask requirements for most venues, some counties and businesses still require masks,” says Palmer. In addition, churches seem to be hesitant to rent their halls for in-person activities, making it “very difficult to find a rehearsal or performing space”, he says. But virtual meetings will keep the RO going until they can get back in person, perhaps in September.
 
Palmer is impressed at how stalwart his membership has been. “We’ve been around a long time, we have a loyal core of members, and key players are sticking with us. We have very good leadership with hard-working officers. These are people who really want to do more than sight-read music. They join the orchestra to play in public, so they have more of a stake in participating.”
 
But the worry remains: Will members come back, even after the “All Clear” signal is given? Palmer is concerned some people will remain risk averse. In addition, the players’ ensemble skills will need to be resharpened. “It’s going to take time to get everyone back in shape for performance,” he says. But Palmer is getting prepared, dusting off one of his favorite programs, eager to teach, play, and perform with people in person. “You simply can’t do in a virtual meeting what you can do live, and Zoom meetings require much more work and multitasking, which can burn you out quickly if you’re not careful.”
 
Philadelphia Recorder Society (PA)
President Dan Franceski sounds a little surprised when he says that for the PhRS, “things are working as well or better than one would expect. We’re still making music together and enjoying it.” PhRS finances have been stable, membership is up by about 10 percent, and most members gladly joined the monthly virtual gatherings as soon as they started in April 2020. Although the technology has kept some away, the group has garnered new recruits from farther afield. “At the close of our playing sessions, we get thanks from people for keeping things going,” he says.
 
Franceski indicates that consorts are resuming in-person playing, so PhRS is assisting small-group formation by circulating a questionnaire and matchmaking playing partners. He adds that in recognition of the added work of leading Zoom sessions, PhRS has increased conductors’ fees. Their plan is to hold virtual monthly playing meetings until May, while adding a few outdoor playing sessions this spring to test the waters. And then, an in-person, indoor session in June. “The vast majority of our members feel that the pandemic is temporary,” says Franceski, “but I feel that even if this lingered on, we would still keep this Zoom thing going. If we can’t get out and play together, this is so much better than not playing at all. It’s still a musical experience.”
 
Portland Recorder Society (OR)
Society president Susan Campbell takes stock two years into the pandemic and sees a positive picture for the 70-strong organization, thanks to the influx of some 30 new members from outside the immediate area, and to the decision to hold a virtual version of the beloved four-day Columbia Gorge Early Music Retreat. “We have managed to stay connected to our membership these past two years with Zoom. But we feel bereft of personal contact,” she says.
 
The pandemic has also halted an important activity for PoRS – the promotion of the recorder among younger and more diverse audiences in the community.  “With COVID, that kind of outreach has not been possible,” she says.
 
There is also a concern that board members could burn out. Campbell says the board is widely credited for the society’s resilience and current excellent health. Campbell explains her board colleagues “work hard each month, finding presenters, getting the word out, updating the website and moderating the monthly sessions.  It’s a lot of work -- much more so than preparing for an in-person meeting.”
 
Like so many other societies, PoRS is grappling with the decision to return to in-person sessions, although they haven’t yet taken the plunge. But a change could be imminent. As Campbell puts it: “We are eager to start meeting in person as soon as it seems safe. We’ve discussed the idea of hybrid meetings, where folks can show up in person or participate online.” Of course, that will depend on volunteers’ willingness to host those Zoom sessions – most likely those from among the board. Stay tuned!
 
San Francisco Recorder Society (CA)
Assessing how things are going for SFRS, music director Greta Haug-Hryciw exclaims: “We’re still thriving!” Membership remains strong, thanks to new recruits from far afield, more than making up for losses due to Zoom fatigue. Monthly meetings are attended by some 25 people, doubling the local membership. SFRS has prioritized local conductors to ensure they get the support, while also bringing in guest conductors from around the country. Membership feedback has been excellent.
 
Haug-Hryciw believes the society has been resilient because members want to stay connected and are determined to keep SFRS alive. As for the new recruits from outside the area, she says many have joined because they know SFRS members from past workshops and want to stay in touch. In fact, an unexpected benefit of virtual meetings has been the more personal connection among people in different recorder societies and conductors from other regions. “It means there are more familiar faces and names,” she says. “It has expanded the community and the connections.”
 
The SFRS is considering offering hybrid meetings, in order to offer the flexibility of virtual attendance to members who, for a variety of reasons, may not be able to attend in person. Haug-Hryciw has noticed how some members have appreciated the Zoom sessions since they can participate from the comfort of their homes and enjoy the music, without worrying about making mistakes.
 
Still, sizeable challenges remain. “As you know, playing the recorder is a very social thing,” says Haug-Hryciw. “The chapters have been a wonderful way to get together once a month and plan events together. These are all off the table right now.”
 
SFRS is aiming for in-person meetings come September, with a hybrid option to retain its new members, and with a cast of entirely local conductors. Haug-Hryciw is upbeat about the coming year. “I’m enthusiastic and optimistic,” she says. “There are uncertainties, but even if we have to keep going like this for another year, I think we will remain a viable chapter.”
 
Triangle Recorder Society (NC)
The TRS, located in North Carolina, has been weathering challenging storms over the past few years. As president Sue Ann Wright explains, “TRS is managing this second year of the pandemic well, but we are facing a decline of active members.” Initially, the society’s music director and some of its more tech-savvy members had virtual meetings set up fairly rapidly. “This resulted in us quickly being able to have Zoom sessions and keep in contact with our members,” she says.
 
Being in the vanguard allowed TRS to attract new members from near and far, especially during the stringent early lockdown phase. Wright observes that participants’ response was excellent. “The sessions were fun and people seemed excited to attend them,” she says.  However, two years later, there is such an abundance of online offerings that TRS is experiencing a smaller attendance, though visiting conductors seem to draw more participants.
 
Perhaps the biggest challenge for the society has been the loss of its music director earlier this year. Wright notes that the society has “several talented members who have and will be helping to lead playing sessions, but we don't have the feeling of cohesion that we have had in the past.” And while many among TRS belong to smaller consorts who practice and play together, “everyone is missing the good feelings that come from making music together in a large ensemble,” she says.
 
But she remains optimistic and believes that if TRS can resume in-person meetings in the near future, membership can be rejuvenated. Wright says that in North Carolina, “as restrictions are loosening, we hope to have outdoor playing sessions for the end of this season. Hopefully the pandemic will lessen, and we will be able to stay in-person for our next season.”

CANADIAN RECORDER SOCIETIES
 
British Columbia Recorder Society
As president Andrea MacDonald puts it: “I feel a little guilty about this, but the BCRS is actually thriving.” Membership has grown, including from elsewhere in Canada and the United States, and engagement is solid, thanks to the society’s early pivot to online sessions conducted by a wide range of guest leaders. “Finances are up too,” she says, “primarily because we increased the frequency of our workshops from three or four, to about nine per year.” The society has also launched a YouTube channel dedicated to all things recorder, and its website has the latest information on the many virtual recorder sessions on offer everywhere.
 
MacDonald says quick decision-making and hard work have ensured members could stay involved. “We recognized the need to maintain some sort of human connection in our community,” she says, “and we tried to meet the challenge as best as we could.”
 
Two years into the pandemic, BCRS is facing a difficult transition. As MacDonald says, “The very thing that kept us going – Zoom – is also standing in our way. You are in essence playing by yourself and that camaraderie is definitely missing.” Still, it is difficult to decide when to resume in-person meetings. MacDonald says the board’s chief concern is: “Will there be another variant, and when will members feel safe enough to attend? Events are planned months in advance, which makes it difficult to pivot quickly to changing scenarios.”
 
BCRS is planning to survey its membership before making plans for the Fall 2022 season. But even when in-person activities resume, MacDonald says she is loath to abandon new members who can only attend online. She says the society may continue to organize some virtual workshops, thereby tapping into the wealth of talented conductors who are unlikely to ever visit Vancouver.
 
Montreal Recorder Society 
The populous and long-lived MRS was somewhat inactive once the pandemic struck, with a long hiatus before the board and its team of conductors decided to plunge into the world of Zoom possibilities. But ARS liaison Mary McCutcheon indicates that the society is now back on an even keel. Members are once again signing up, and there has been a series of playing meetings and workshops on offer for the past year. It is a testament to the loyalty of members and their appreciation for the society’s many excellent conductors that the MRS is once again thriving.
 
McCutcheon says the pandemic brought about some unexpected benefits, foremost of which has been the discovery of what other recorder societies provided online, including, she says: “ARS’s plethora of excellent offerings, if you have time”.
 
The ongoing challenges remain the uncertainty of public health measures, which makes planning difficult, and the fact that many of the usual venues have not yet welcomed them back. For the time being, the society continues online and will decide later this year whether or not to start meeting in person again.
 
Toronto Early Music Players Organization -- TEMPO
ARS liaison and former board member Sharon Geens explains that TEMPO has maintained its activities since the outset of the pandemic by moving everything on to Zoom. “There are advantages and disadvantages,” she says. “On the plus side, we have been able to engage coaches we could not afford if we had to pay travel expenses. On the negative side, not everyone is comfortable with Zoom, and it can never replace getting together in person.”
 
Geens indicates that TEMPO membership has remained steady, despite the move to online meetings. “We have lost some members who are not comfortable with Zoom,” she says, “but gained others who live farther away and appreciate avoiding a long drive.” Finances have also been healthy, in part due to lower venue costs, enabling Tempo to hire distant leaders without paying for their travel.
 
Tempo has remained vibrant because, Geens says, “we have an enthusiastic core of dedicated musicians who are determined to keep playing. We weren't sure how Zoom workshops would be received, but the response has been so positive that we are encouraged.”
 
The past two years have allowed new members and conductors to meet, but as Geens says, there are serious drawbacks. “There is a lack of social contact. People are tired of playing alone,” she says, and more seriously, “Zoom is not great for developing skills in ensemble playing.”
 
Geens does not hesitate to say that even if pandemic restrictions were to continue, Tempo would “just keep on Zooming.” Indeed, with the current uncertainties and despite the relaxation of public health measures, she says the society is staying on Zoom for the rest of this season, with no decision yet on what will happen come September. Fingers crossed.