Recorder31 — Day 7

Introducing...

The Student Recorder Society

Who are we?

The Student Recorder Society is a community of recorder students studying at universities, conservatoires and music colleges in the UK.

Our aims are:

• To connect recorder students in Higher Education from around the country, especially those in small recorder departments
• To share knowledge, resources and ideas about our instruments and repertoire
• To create a hub for collaborative recorder-related projects
• Above all, to meet like-minded players and have fun!

What do we do?

Since the Society started in April, we’ve been meeting once a month on Zoom to catch up and chat! It’s been really interesting to hear about what recordery things are happening in different parts of the UK, and the performances and projects everyone’s been up to. 

We’ve been brainstorming and compiling a database of recorder resources we’ve found useful, and planned our first ever in person meeting. This took place at the Birmingham Recorder in Education Conference last month, where we had the chance to finally meet and play through some chamber music together, as well as attending some of the conference events!

We’re hoping to meet in person once a term and plans are already in the works for our next trip, which will be to London in the Autumn.

Meet our members!

The Student Recorder Society was dreamed up over a pint at the London International Festival of Early Music last October, by recorder students Dillon Conolly (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) and Lizzie Knatt (Royal Academy of Music). 

During my current studies at RBC I noticed the lack of a network between recorder students in various establishments. Having grown up in the North West I felt very isolated as a recorder player until I started university. With this in mind I wanted to set up the Student Recorder Society with Lizzie to have an open door for any higher education student to come through. Creating this network means that every young recorder player has somewhere to go if they want advice, to promote a concert or even just want a chat!

What’s your favourite thing about being a recorder player?

All the other recorder players! I have never found a more passionate, creative, supportive, and kind community.

What have you gained from the SRS so far?

Seeing for the first time nearly all the young recorder players in one place, I have personally gained a larger sense of community.

What’s on your recorder bucket list? 

What’s your favourite thing about being a recorder player?

I love the diversity of sounds you can make with the recorder, and I’m constantly discovering new ones! I really enjoy collaborating with other musicians and composers and I’ve met so many wonderful people through being a recorder player.

What have you gained from the SRS so far?

The chance to reconnect with old friends and make new ones has been really wonderful!

Tell us about your current projects?

I’m bringing a programme for recorder and electronics based on tunes from the “Bird Fancyer’s Delight” to the AMOK experimental music night in Birmingham later this month, and commissioning new pieces for bass recorder and harp as part of my Masters’ project. I’m also learning the baroque bassoon!

Of course, the best thing about the society is our members! Hear what some of them had to say about life, the recorder and everything.

Beth Toulson (MMus Recorder, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire)

I have been studying the recorder at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire since 2017. I completed my undergraduate degree in 2021, graduating with a First Class in BMus (Hons) Performance, and am currently half way through my MMus in Instrumental Performance which I will finish in 2023.

What’s your favourite thing about being a recorder player?

My favourite thing about being a recorder player is how versatile we have to be as musicians. We play every single size of recorder, not just in their baroque designs but also in renaissance and modern models, which means we are constantly using different clefs and fingering systems for each instrument. As our repertoire spans from the mediaeval period right up to the present day, we have to adapt to all the different styles of performance practice, and sometimes read from non-conventional types of writing including contemporary and mensural notation. It keeps us on our toes!

What’s on your recorder bucket list?

I would love to visit Italy one day to see the landmarks that made the recorder so prominent during the 17th and 18th centuries. I'd especially like to visit St Mark's Basilica in Venice, which was also home to the Bassano family before they moved to England, and also Naples, which is where lots of our Italian repertoire was written. It would be amazing to see the 1725 Neapolitan Manuscript in person at the Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella.

Cecily (BA Music, University of Oxford)

What have you gained from the SRS so far? 

After lockdown, and given that Oxford University is not exactly a hub of recorder players, I really enjoyed the first SRS meet up and am looking forward to more! Also, it's useful to get to know some other people in a similar position - the resources list will come in handy, and I can ask people a few years ahead of me for advice.

Where do you see the recorder in your future? 

I’m not really sure, but I definitely want to continue performing, professionally or otherwise.

Felicity (BMus Recorder, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire)

What’s on your recorder bucket list? 

The Society is open to any recorder players currently studying at a UK Higher Education institution, at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and recent graduates. We understand what it’s like to be students with a very busy schedule so there’s absolutely no expectation to come to any or all of our events, and it’s been great to have recorder players from all corners of the country pop in for just a Zoom call or two. 

Want to get involved? Drop us an email at hello.studentrecordersociety@gmail.com!