Play-the-Recorder Month
March is Play-the-Recorder Month
Play-the-Recorder Day will be held Saturday March 21, 2026
Recorder players from across North America celebrate March as Play-the-Recorder Month (PtRM).
2026 will mark 34 years of celebrating Play-the-Recorder Month. Many ARS chapters, consorts and recorder orchestras planned creative ways to illustrate the versatility and beauty of this wonderful instrument.
PtRM and Play-the-Recorder Day grew out of a one-day worldwide event on April 1, 1989, during the 50th anniversary year of the American Recorder Society. Its success caused the ARS to declare an annual celebration starting with Play-the-Recorder Day on March 28, 1992. This single day was later expanded to monthlong activities plus a focus on one day, which is observed on the third Saturday in March.This is a great way to bring energy and excitement to the recorder community, and to gain new members. In 2025, it was held on March 15.
For spreading the word and publicizing local PtRM events, the ARS created helpful documents (PDFs):
The Play the Recorder Month music for 2026 is “
Sonata in 3 for 4” by composer David Hurd. In addition to being a recorder player, David is widely recognized and deeply admired as one of the foremost concert organists, sacred music composers, and church musicians in the United States. “Sonata in 3 for 4” was published alongside the Winter edition of American Recorder magazine.
As in years past, the ARS is producing a video which will feature a video recording of Sempervirens Quartet performing “Sonata in 3 for 4.” Sempervirens Quartet, based in the Boston area, consists of Héloïse Degrugillier, Dan Meyers, Emily O’Brien, and Roy Sansom. The video will also feature members of Sempervirens Quartet interviewing composer David Hurd.
This video presentation will premiere on Play the Recorder Day, March 21, 2026.The ARS has also produced play-along music files for the ARS Music Library. The play-along music files consist of multiple recordings of the piece. Each recording has one voice missing from the consort so that you can supply that voice as a play-along. The play-along files for “Sonata in 3 for 4” are performed by ARS President Jody Miller.
David Hurd is currently organist and music director at the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in midtown Manhattan. For nearly four decades he was Professor of Church Music and Director of Chapel Music at The General Theological Seminary in Manhattan while concurrently directing music variously at other churches. In 1977 he won first prizes both in playing and improvisation at the International Congress of Organists, and has performed widely in North America and abroad. Among his many transcriptions and arrangements for recorders are his original recorder compositions Three Plainsong Fantasias for alto and tenor, and Suite in Three Movements for 14 recorders commissioned for and premiered by the Recorder Orchestra of New York.
For Play-the-Recorder Month 2026, the score and each part of the PtRM piece are available here.
Here’s wishing you all Happy Play-the-Recorder Month. Let us know how you celebrate!
View past Play-the-Recorder Day Webinars:
Play-the-Recorder Day 2025 with composer Harvey Stokes
Play-the-Recorder Day 2023 with composer Victor Eijkhout
Play-the-Recorder Day 2022 with composer Eric Pearson
Play-the-Recorder Day 2021 with composer Melika Fitzhugh
