Arcadia Players 2020 End of Year Report
Welcome to the 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting and my sixth and final year-end report to Arcadia Players (applause) I’m ready to pass on the baton to our new President, who will be voted in during the second half of this meeting. (I thought I’d focus on the past & last year at first, then get to the much anticipated future, such as the Artistic Director’s search, during the regular business meeting that will follow.)
Although this is Arcadia’s 30th official year, Margaret Irwin Brandon had conceived of an early music ensemble a few years earlier, and had established a Trio, consisting of Alice Robbins, viola da gamba, Dana Maiben, violin, and Meg on keyboard. To me, this Trio was the essence of Arcadia Players and helped to give the group its focus & longevity while Meg was Artistic Director. We are fortunate to have Alice with us still today, 30 years later.
Our website, www.arcadiaplayers.com features 30 years of picture and program covers compiled by Walter Denny, and made possible on the website by Jeff Goodhind, Board member from the Renaissance Center. Check it out.
The photos show a vibrant, active Arcadia Players. Meg was very creative and offered programs unique to the times, such as Handel's Acis & Galatea (now a standard), the premier of Richard Einhorn's oratorio Voices of Light, written to accompany the 1928 French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc, and ensemble performances featuring famed Dutch violinist Jaap Schroeder.
I got the harpsichord bug when Meg gave a perfect little concert on a perfect spring afternoon in Pelham. in about 1980, and decided on the spot that would be my instrument too. My family went down to Bethlehem, PA, met Willard Martin.in his church home/studio, camped out next to the active (we didn’t know) railroad and ordered a little Flemish instrument which I learned to love and play over the next 10 years with Meg.
I even joined Arcadia Players for one-set of 3 concerts once, when Meg wanted a second chord – she accompanied 2 counter-tenors on “Sound the Trumpet” on a choir loft in the back and I played with the ensemble down front. What a treat for moi! The Sunday afternoon concert turned out to be in a bar, and when we entered, smelled all the spilt beer, and saw the bottles on the ground, I thought of Blues Brothers and the two kinds of music - Country And Western – and wondered if we needed to play behind a fence and dodge beer bottles too.
Fortunately it was fine. No need for a cage that day.
Years later, When I joined the Board, the yearly Messiah had just taken place. Arcadia Players was at a low point, and No other concert was scheduled for the year, except for a benefit concert in March. I heard Woody Bynum sing for the first time in Messiah, and couldn’t get over it. Still can’t. I wonder if Arcadia Players will ever hear him again? The Board consisted of 5 people, including myself and Alice Robbins, who also was newly appointed. We had our work cut out for us!
Artistic Director Ian Watson, plus several non-Board members (Peter Shea, Priscilla Drucker, Diane Russell) were very active then, and we muddled through.
Slowly the Board added more members through the years until we now have 12 member, Sally Sutherland.being the latest to join. A 13th will be added added at our business meeting today, Denise Govoni, as Treasurer.
I loved Ian’s programming and loved to watch him direct. The musicians seemed to rise to his passion and give their best.. Wonderful concerts.
Two years ago, Arcadia Players end of year report was accompanied by hoots and hollers, applause. We were locked out of the Renaissance Ctr, but had plenty of wine and cake to celebrate. (It really wasn’t that interesting a report; we seemed to want to celebrate.) Last year the atmosphere was much subdued, as our Artistic Director had suddenly moved on in April, and the Board of Directors realized that we had a very difficult job ahead to replace his leadership.
But we did. We have a great Board, in case I don’t say that enough. The benefit concert was re-created. Instead of Ian, Cantabile sang in late summer at South Church (Marilyn forgave the church rental, thank you). It was a wonderful concert, just the right tone, and we garnered $2500 for the budget.
The Program Committee met in late May, and within an hour or so, we had a 30th anniversary season of music to celebrate. Alice came up with the perfect idea of inviting Meg to give an organ concert, on the Fisk organ at Mt. Holyoke’s Abbey Chapel, an organ which she had commissioned & shepherded through its building in the 80’s. Most of us had not heard it in many, many years. It was a great concert, and the full organ with the final Bach is still in my ear.
Our signature Handel Messiah concert was already semi-scheduled with Woody Bynum and the Men/Boys Choir of Albany, and we added the Arcadia Viols for February, which has become a tradition every other year. The forth concert Greg Hayes came up with – he had been interested in Johann Theile’s 1663 St Matthew Passion, a composition much older than Bach’s, but Greg had an old copy he had, in the old clef structure which is not used now.. Greg worked all summer and fall, and developed an edition for the Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Tony Thorton conducting. One rehearsal was held in early March 2020; the word was that the concert would be exquisite, then the curtain fell on the music with the corona virus. Now silence for 3 months and counting
The Theile Passion has been rescheduled for March 2021. We dearly hope that the music ban will be lifted and that you can attend!
Theile lived through an epidemic too, the treatment options included emetics, bloodletting, and the application of noxious ointments. Londoners suffering through the Great Plague of 1665-66 had other options as well: urine baths, human excrement paste (mixed, to be sure, with tree resins and flower roots), and rubbing swollen lymph nodes with the bottoms of live chickens. How do you think that compares with Trump’s Chlorax or Hydrochlorophol treatments?
Other highlights of this anniversary year included:
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn Holstein, lame duck President
Welcome to the 30th Anniversary Annual Meeting and my sixth and final year-end report to Arcadia Players (applause) I’m ready to pass on the baton to our new President, who will be voted in during the second half of this meeting. (I thought I’d focus on the past & last year at first, then get to the much anticipated future, such as the Artistic Director’s search, during the regular business meeting that will follow.)
Although this is Arcadia’s 30th official year, Margaret Irwin Brandon had conceived of an early music ensemble a few years earlier, and had established a Trio, consisting of Alice Robbins, viola da gamba, Dana Maiben, violin, and Meg on keyboard. To me, this Trio was the essence of Arcadia Players and helped to give the group its focus & longevity while Meg was Artistic Director. We are fortunate to have Alice with us still today, 30 years later.
Our website, www.arcadiaplayers.com features 30 years of picture and program covers compiled by Walter Denny, and made possible on the website by Jeff Goodhind, Board member from the Renaissance Center. Check it out.
The photos show a vibrant, active Arcadia Players. Meg was very creative and offered programs unique to the times, such as Handel's Acis & Galatea (now a standard), the premier of Richard Einhorn's oratorio Voices of Light, written to accompany the 1928 French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc, and ensemble performances featuring famed Dutch violinist Jaap Schroeder.
I got the harpsichord bug when Meg gave a perfect little concert on a perfect spring afternoon in Pelham. in about 1980, and decided on the spot that would be my instrument too. My family went down to Bethlehem, PA, met Willard Martin.in his church home/studio, camped out next to the active (we didn’t know) railroad and ordered a little Flemish instrument which I learned to love and play over the next 10 years with Meg.
I even joined Arcadia Players for one-set of 3 concerts once, when Meg wanted a second chord – she accompanied 2 counter-tenors on “Sound the Trumpet” on a choir loft in the back and I played with the ensemble down front. What a treat for moi! The Sunday afternoon concert turned out to be in a bar, and when we entered, smelled all the spilt beer, and saw the bottles on the ground, I thought of Blues Brothers and the two kinds of music - Country And Western – and wondered if we needed to play behind a fence and dodge beer bottles too.
Fortunately it was fine. No need for a cage that day.
Years later, When I joined the Board, the yearly Messiah had just taken place. Arcadia Players was at a low point, and No other concert was scheduled for the year, except for a benefit concert in March. I heard Woody Bynum sing for the first time in Messiah, and couldn’t get over it. Still can’t. I wonder if Arcadia Players will ever hear him again? The Board consisted of 5 people, including myself and Alice Robbins, who also was newly appointed. We had our work cut out for us!
Artistic Director Ian Watson, plus several non-Board members (Peter Shea, Priscilla Drucker, Diane Russell) were very active then, and we muddled through.
Slowly the Board added more members through the years until we now have 12 member, Sally Sutherland.being the latest to join. A 13th will be added added at our business meeting today, Denise Govoni, as Treasurer.
I loved Ian’s programming and loved to watch him direct. The musicians seemed to rise to his passion and give their best.. Wonderful concerts.
Two years ago, Arcadia Players end of year report was accompanied by hoots and hollers, applause. We were locked out of the Renaissance Ctr, but had plenty of wine and cake to celebrate. (It really wasn’t that interesting a report; we seemed to want to celebrate.) Last year the atmosphere was much subdued, as our Artistic Director had suddenly moved on in April, and the Board of Directors realized that we had a very difficult job ahead to replace his leadership.
But we did. We have a great Board, in case I don’t say that enough. The benefit concert was re-created. Instead of Ian, Cantabile sang in late summer at South Church (Marilyn forgave the church rental, thank you). It was a wonderful concert, just the right tone, and we garnered $2500 for the budget.
The Program Committee met in late May, and within an hour or so, we had a 30th anniversary season of music to celebrate. Alice came up with the perfect idea of inviting Meg to give an organ concert, on the Fisk organ at Mt. Holyoke’s Abbey Chapel, an organ which she had commissioned & shepherded through its building in the 80’s. Most of us had not heard it in many, many years. It was a great concert, and the full organ with the final Bach is still in my ear.
Our signature Handel Messiah concert was already semi-scheduled with Woody Bynum and the Men/Boys Choir of Albany, and we added the Arcadia Viols for February, which has become a tradition every other year. The forth concert Greg Hayes came up with – he had been interested in Johann Theile’s 1663 St Matthew Passion, a composition much older than Bach’s, but Greg had an old copy he had, in the old clef structure which is not used now.. Greg worked all summer and fall, and developed an edition for the Illuminati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Tony Thorton conducting. One rehearsal was held in early March 2020; the word was that the concert would be exquisite, then the curtain fell on the music with the corona virus. Now silence for 3 months and counting
The Theile Passion has been rescheduled for March 2021. We dearly hope that the music ban will be lifted and that you can attend!
Theile lived through an epidemic too, the treatment options included emetics, bloodletting, and the application of noxious ointments. Londoners suffering through the Great Plague of 1665-66 had other options as well: urine baths, human excrement paste (mixed, to be sure, with tree resins and flower roots), and rubbing swollen lymph nodes with the bottoms of live chickens. How do you think that compares with Trump’s Chlorax or Hydrochlorophol treatments?
Other highlights of this anniversary year included:
- - A Board mini-retreat with Zon Eastes, where we realized that we all value Arcadia Players quite highly, and that Board members do not need to be music lovers in order to be useful.
- Three outstanding Learning in Retirement talks by Alice, Walter and Justina that were the best with LIR. They’ve asked if the 3 talks can be repeated next January!
- Successful Local Arts Grant applications, written by Jon Solins, which add a bit to our coffers. Also Jon applied for what’s called a “Gateway” Grants, which, if awarded, with become a ‘gateway for Arcadia to benefit from more grant money.
- Further development of our website, www.arcadiaplayers.org, by Jeff Goodhind, which now includes two files featuring highlights of 30 years of Arcadia’s performances, plus many program booklet covers
- Finding a president for next year, and a Treasurer for much longer (we hope)
Respectfully submitted,
Carolyn Holstein, lame duck President
