The Moss Bay Recorder Society is a chapter of the American Recorder Society, based in the Greater Seattle area. We meet monthly, October through March, in the King County, Snohomish, or Seattle Public Library systems, usually on the second Saturday of the month, 2-4:30 pm. Our meetings are led by Director Laura Townsend or guest artists. Our next meeting will be Sat., March 14, 2026, at the Mountlake Terrace Library Meeting Room, 23300 58th Ave W., Mountlake Terrace. Details and future meeting dates and locations will be found here: next meeting.
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March Meeting Music Notes
Dear MBRS Community,
I hope that spring is peeking its way into your corner of the world. I have been loving the burst of blooms and birdsong lately, and tried to choose some music that reflects that.
This month’s theme is music arranged by women who know a lot about recorders! I’m looking forward to actually getting to play the Irish Airs that I sent out last month along with a recorder orchestra version of Simple Gifts. We’ll put a spring in our step with a pair of contrasting menuets, a French Baroque version by Boismortier and one in the Romantic style by Merkanto. We will touch on the French technique of notes inegal to bring a lovely lilt to the Boismortier.
Laura
Download music here: MBRS March Music
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Each April we gather on a Saturday to play all day at the annual Northwest Recorder Meet (formerly called the Moss Bay Annual Meet), co-presented by the Moss Bay Recorder Society and the Seattle Recorder Society.
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2026 NORTHWEST RECORDER MEET
Saturday, April 18, 10am to 4:30pm
Sandpoint Community UMC, Seattle
Faculty concert 7:30pm
featuring THE FARALLON RECORDER QUARTET
The Farallon Recorder Quartet, with our beloved former director Miyo Aoki along with stellar instructors and players Frances Blaker, Tish Berlin, and Vicki Boeckman, will be leading an extra-special 2026 NW Recorder Meet on April 18 at Sand Point Community UMC, 4710 NE 70th St, Seattle. They will not only teach, inspire, and conduct us in a full day of playing sessions, but also play a concert in the evening. The concert will be open to the public as well as to Meet attendees.
To register, please email mbrsmem@gmail.com with your name, overall playing level, recorder sizes, and which sessions you plan to attend. Registration forms can be downloaded here, or will be available at any Moss Bay or Seattle Recorder Society chapter meeting. Payment is due the day of the meet, by cash, check, or Zelle. Please register by April 4 if possible so we can plan for the best number of instructors. For more details see the Northwest Meet/Events page or download flyer.
Presented by the Moss Bay Recorder Society and the Seattle Recorder Society with a generous grant from the American Recorder Society. We look forward to having you join us for a wonderful day of music making, fellowship, and fun!
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In case there is any confusion about our name and the name of the Meet, we are and will continue to be the Moss Bay Recorder Society, embracing our historic connection to our founder Winifred Jaeger and the bay in Kirkland near where early meetings took place. In order to acknowledge that the Seattle Recorder Society is joining us to present our annual one-day workshop, as well as to clarify the nature of the event, we are changing from the Moss Bay Meet to the Northwest Recorder Meet. We hope to encourage recorder players from all around the area to participate since it’s such a great opportunity to meet other players and experience several leaders in one day.
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Many thanks to all of you who gave feedback about our monthly meeting structure. After considering your thoughtful responses, we are going to stick with our traditional structure of having a 20-30 minute break in the middle of the meeting. The board and I have also been looking at our spring program plans, and have decided to cancel the Moss Bay Consort for this year — perhaps we will have more people next year, or an offering with a structure that works better. We shall focus our effort and excitement on the much-anticipated Northwest Recorder Meet and Concert with the Farallon Recorder Quartet on Saturday, April 18. Please see details above.
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February Meeting Music Notes
This month we are meeting on the FIRST Saturday for a change! We’ll be at the Mountlake Terrace Library from 2-4:30 on Saturday, February 7. The theme for our February 7 meeting is that most famous and prolific of composers, “Trad/Anon.” We’ll also play the one piece we didn’t get to in January, Bruckner’s Offertorium. The approximate playing order will be Offertorium, The Deep Blue Sea, The Nutting Girl, the Irish Airs, and finally O, How Lovely is the Evening.
Only print the parts that you’d be willing to play, no need to print everything! And if you have a copy of the Bruckner from January, no need to print again. We look forward to seeing you in February.
January Meeting News from Director Laura Townsend
Dear MBRS Community –
As we turn the page to a new year on our calendars, I just want to let you all know how much it means to me that you make the time to play music, to play together at meetings and in groups of all sizes, and to support each other’s growth as musicians. It is heartening in challenging times to see the positive connection our community fosters among our wonderfully diverse group of recorder players! Thanks for being an important part of that.
Our January meeting will take place from 2-4:30pm on Saturday, January 10, 2026, Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Ave W, Mountlake Terrace. I’ll be leading an assortment of pieces that I hope will bring a fun flavor to the brand-new year. A couple of years ago we played Frances Blaker’s delightful Ice and Rain and Snow but did not have time to really dig in and explore it. I promised to bring it back sometime, and this seems like the perfect moment! I included the whole ARS edition pamphlet about it so you can read Frances’s description. We will keep our road map simple and play it top to bottom. If any of the rhythms feel like a challenge, try subdividing to the 8th note and slowing down to see how it all fits together. The delight is in the interplay of the different lines, so we will definitely take some time to listen to each one before we put them together!
So Trinken Wir Alle and Pavane “La Garde” – print 2-page score
Bruckner Offertorium: Afferentur regi – print 2-page score
Morley Arise, Awake – print any parts you would like to play OR 4-page score (take a peek at the score if you choose to print parts so you can see how the lines interact)
Blaker Ice and Rain and Snow – print 3-page score (pages 3, 4, 5) OR any parts you’d like to play – you do NOT need to print the whole 10-page document!
If you would like to hear Helen Hooker’s recordings of the Bruckner and the Morley pieces, she has them on her website’s Downloads page. You can search or scroll down to our pieces then click on the “Location” link, the last column in the listing.
This month marks the one-year point in my standing in as the interim Moss Bay communications officer. 2026 will bring many wonderful new experiences to the Moss Bay Recorder Society, starting in February and March with our first-ever Moss Bay Consort season. In April I am so excited to host the fabulous Farallon Quartet to lead our NW Recorder Meet and play a concert on April 18, 2026. If you would like to help us spread the word and help players new and not-so-new find out about our meetings and events, we would love to have you join our dedicated crew of volunteers. I would love to be able to focus my energy on programming and music and have some support to get the word out and keep our members in the loop!
We are also considering the structure of our meetings. Traditionally we have had a 30-minute break in the middle of the meeting for refreshments and socializing. We have about an hour of playing on either side of that break, for a total meeting time from 2-4:30pm. I know that some of us prefer not to eat until we are done playing for the day, and that others are not comfortable driving in the dark. Would you prefer that we play straight from 2-4 with a little break in the middle and then have our social time at the end of the meeting from 4-4:30? Or is it good the way it is with playing, break, more playing! Please respond to this email and let us know what might work best for you!
And finally, as we greet the new year, Sue Michiels our snack coordinator would welcome any festive (nonalcoholic) fare to share at our break — which will be in the middle of this meeting.
Happy New Year to you all. I hope that 2026 brings you lots of wonderful musical experiences of all kinds!
Laura
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December Meeting News from Director Laura Townsend
Dear Moss Bay Recorder Community –
I hope you all are staying dry as we begin this week’s deluge! It is great weather for playing some recorder music together! We will meet from 2-4:30pm on Saturday, December 13 at the Bothell Library Meeting Room, 18215 98th Ave NE, Bothell.
This month I’m thrilled to welcome Ryan Foxley as our guest conductor. He has selected some fun and lively tunes from his vast experience both in the recorder world and beyond. His conducting style focuses on bringing the ensemble together to rise to great heights of musical expression and fantastic sound — all while having lots of fun! He’s very inspiring, and I am really looking forward to his session on Saturday. I hope you’ll all join us! There’s more information about Ryan’s musical experiences below:
Ryan has enjoyed a varied and interesting musical career. A multi-instrumentalist, he is comfortable performing in a wide variety of styles on numerous instruments. His performance career began at age 16, working as a campfire entertainer on wagon trains and dude ranches in Wyoming and Montana. After studying violin at the University of Wyoming, he directed various high school and community orchestras, choirs, and bands. He left teaching to work as a freelance sideman in the Jackson Hole area, performing for high-end weddings, as well as corporate and political events. Noted performances include opening for artists such as Willie Nelson, Bruce Hornsby, and Charlie Daniels.
Ryan stepped away from performing in 2005 when he moved to Washington State to manage a draft-horse-powered organic farm. It was at Littlefield Farm that he recorded Follow the Plow, a farming-themed album of traditional and original material. More recently, he has rekindled his love of early music by playing in the Recorder Orchestra of Puget Sound and occasionally with the New Baroque Orchestra. He also has lately been inspired to learn songs and tunes from France and Québec for performance at local French speaking gatherings.
May the beauty of music fill your heart with peace and joy in the coming season and throughout the year ahead! I am so grateful for you all.
Laura
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November Meeting News from Director Laura Townsend
Dear Wonderful Moss Bay Community,
A few weeks ago, I was looking out the window at the rain coming down, thinking about how beautiful it looks, how relieved I was to feel the thirsty ground drinking deeply around me. It occurred to me that there is a treasure trove of beautiful music that features falling water in the form of tears. Music about love, loss and longing often refers to tears and brings beauty and soothing sounds to times of pain and challenge. So let’s try some!
See you soon!
Laura
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October Meeting News from Director Laura Townsend
Dear Moss Bay Recorder Society Community,
It’s almost time for our first meeting of the season on Saturday, October 11 from 2-4:30pm at the Shoreline Library, 345 NE 175th Street. I thought it would be fun to start with music from the plays of Shakespeare, since there is such an abundance of it and the recorder was in a moment of great popularity during Shakespeare’s lifetime. We will play several pieces from the 16th century as well as some much later pieces that were inspired by words from his plays in the Classical and Romantic eras. Shakespeare is truly timeless!
Our membership season goes from fall to spring, so now is the perfect time to renew your membership if you haven’t already! I have attached the form for your convenience, which can be mailed with a check to our treasurer Karen Soma, but you may also renew or join at any membership meeting. We welcome everyone, regardless of ability to pay for a membership, and we deeply appreciate those who support our activities with memberships and donations.
We will be featuring selected boxes from our large lending library of sheet music at each meeting. Please reply to this email if you have particular requests.
See you soon!
Laura Townsend
Music Director, Moss Bay Recorder Society
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Summer newsletter from Director Laura Townsend:
Dear Moss Bay Recorder Society Members and Friends!
We don’t usually send a summer newsletter, but this year I’m bursting with exciting news to share with you and some of it can’t wait for fall!
First of all, we have a super-exciting lineup of guest conductors who will be joining me over the 2025-26 season (dates also listed below) to make some fabulous music with you. Last spring I had the pleasure of playing under the skillful, expressive, and effective conducting of Ryan Foxley, who led the Recorder Orchestra of Puget Sound in a lovely arrangement he created. He has agreed to lead our December meeting this year, and I am delighted to welcome him!
In a fun twist of connection between MBRS and the Seattle Recorder Society, Ryan Foxley will be hosting SRS’s Holborne Playdate this year on Saturday, August 16, 2025, 1:00 – 5:00 pm, at Littlefield Farm in Arlington. Click the link for all the details and a link to the history of the event, which includes some formative years in my mom’s backyard!
As we get preparations under way for this dazzling lineup of great music to play with Moss Bay’s enthusiastic and welcoming community, I also want to remind you that now is a GREAT time to renew your membership. Click on the link for the renewal form. Please contact me at mbrsmem@gmail.com if you would like to pay electronically. We rely on the support that memberships bring to our tiny organization, allowing us to compensate our leaders and make plans for the future. Since membership is voluntary, our expenses are not fully covered by memberships and we deeply appreciate any additional donations in any amount. It all adds up to make it possible for us to keep the music flowing!
I hope your summers are going well and I look forward to making music with you soon!
Laura
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Did you learn any music this summer that you’d like to share with our group? All members are invited to share up to 5 minutes of music at the start of any regular meeting. It can be a polished performance, a piece you composed, or something you’re excited about at any level. Contact Laura at the email below to sign up.
Fall is the best time to renew your Moss Bay Recorder Society membership if you have not already done so for this program year. We deeply appreciate the support of our members and truly could not do it without you! Since our meetings are all absolutely free to the public as we use public library spaces, membership dollars and donations are our only source of funds for our regular programming. The form can be found on our website or you can renew at a meeting. Thank you!
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Seeking Volunteers for Moss Bay Recorder Society
The Moss Bay Recorder Society is a tiny organization with a small but mighty volunteer board. We are looking for a few more people to get involved in helping behind the scenes, either on the board or on an occasional basis.
Communications Coordinator: I want to extend a HUGE thank-you to Sharon Schuldt as she steps down from her work keeping us all in the loop as Communications Coordinator extraordinaire. I am filling in until we find a volunteer with just a little tech savvy and a knack for keeping everyone in the loop! Please let me know if you’re interested in learning more about it.
Laura Townsend
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In Person Protocols:
- Email Laura your intent to come and desired part, if known.
- No blowing mouthpiece condensation outward; “sucking” is OK!
- Please stay at home if you are coughing, feeling ill, or suspect you have been exposed to Covid or the flu.
Email Laura Townsend: mbrsmem@gmail.com
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Remembering Michael Bancroft
Dear Recorder-Playing Friends and MBRS Community,
I am so sad to share with you the news of the passing of Michael Bancroft, our long-time member, president, and intrepid late-night library-finder. His enthusiasm for the recorder was unwavering and he worked to support and strengthen the Moss Bay Recorder Society as well as the Seattle Recorder Society. We were so lucky to have him playing with us for so many years!
Michael joined my studio in February, 2011 saying that he wanted to “knock the rust off” his recorder playing and get back into active participation. He had taken lessons with Peggy Monroe and, of course, especially loved English country dances. He sought out every opportunity to play with others: in ensembles, chapter meetings and workshops, welcoming any newcomers and providing an enthusiastic, encouraging word. He often did extra research on pieces we were playing and came up with fascinating facts and lovely links to share. He will be deeply missed and his legacy appreciated by many of us for years to come.
There are two versions of his obituary:
https://www.funerals.coop/obituaries/michael-bancroft
https://obituaries.seattletimes.com/obituary/michael-holzman-bancroft-1091729276
Our music for November will include a song dear to Michael’s heart, Vine and Fig Tree. I’m working on an arrangement of this gorgeously simple traditional Hebrew melody that we will sight read (to give me more time to make it wonderful!). I hope you will come join us from 2-4:30pm on Saturday, November 9, 2024 at the Mountlake Terrace Library, 23300 58th Avenue W.
Laura Townsend
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ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sept. 2022
Welcome to our new Music Director, Laura Townsend
We are delighted to announce that we have a new Music Director, Laura Townsend, known already to many of us. Laura is looking forward to working with us starting in the fall. Here is more about Laura’s background and interests:
Laura combined her two passions, recorder playing and teaching, about 10 years ago and has been developing her skills as a recorder teacher and ensemble leader ever since. She has had the privilege to teach dozens of students both individually and in small groups in her studio as well as to lead SRS’s Back Room Gang and a few MBRS meetings and meet sessions. Originally trained as a developmental psychologist, she’s dedicated to discovering the most effective ways to learn and is committed to continuing to grow her own skills. She takes lessons with Vicki Boeckman, plays with the Recorder Orchestra of Puget Sound, studied conducting with Peter Siebert, performed with the ensemble Quintessence and attends workshops as much as possible. Covid has paved the way for even more new skills to use for both teaching and learning: online lessons and workshops and weekly hybrid ensemble classes.
Laura Townsend, beginbaroque@gmail.com
Photo by Bill Stickney.
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Miyo Aoki, our former Music Director has moved to Indiana with her husband Jonathan Oddie. We thank her for her leadership and inspiration, and wish them well in their new home .
A Farewell from Miyo
Dear friends,
As some of you already know, my husband Jonathan recently accepted a teaching position at Indiana University, starting this Fall. I am overjoyed for him but devastated to have to leave the dear friends, community, and landscape that have brought me so much happiness in the seven years I have lived here. The Seattle and Moss Bay Recorder Societies have played important parts in my life, and I am deeply grateful for the substantial community of recorder players that welcomed me here and introduced me to so many wonderful people. Thank you all for your kindness, warmth, generosity, and, of course, music. I will miss you!
I will be here until the end of September and am looking forward to seeing some of you at the Fall Fipple Flute Forum or perhaps the upcoming Farallon concert. Jonathan, Nathaniel, and I intend to visit the Seattle area regularly, so I am hopeful that I will continue to see and make music with you all; and if you ever find yourself near Bloomington, Indiana, please do give me a call!
With gratitude and warm wishes to you all,
Miyo
miyoaoki@gmail.com
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Memorial tribute to Wini Jaeger and Mary Whittington
Mary Whittington wrote that MBRS founding Music Director, Wini Jaeger, passed away at age 95 on February 10 of this year, 2022. Mary passed away on July 4, 2022, just a few months after Wini.
In the SRS newsletter of February 2009, Wini wrote about founding MBRS:
In March 1979, Mary Whittington and I moved to Kirkland, after many years in Santa Barbara, CA, where we had been active in the recorder scene and close to Erich Katz, who died in 1973. In April 1979, we attended an SRS meeting, joined the organization and became regular members. Within the following year, we met enough recorder players, including SRS members, who were interested in forming a sister organization to the SRS, and in the fall of 1980, the Moss Bay Recorder Society (MBRS) became a Chapter of the American Recorder Society (ARS).
A tribute to Wini and Mary is posted on the Haiku Northwest website (www.haikunorthwest.org) where they were both active and beloved members. The tribute includes information about their lifelong association with recorders and many wonderful photos. Go to “Celebrating our 35th Anniversary”, click on Poems by Haiku Northwest Members, Winifred Jaeger, Remembering Wini.
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Our operating expenses are covered by voluntary membership dues of $45/year and by contributions. We thank you for your continued support, and we hope that you’ll remain (or become!) an MBRS member. We look forward to seeing you at our next meeting!
Please take care of yourselves, keep making music, and stay well!