Autumn 2026 issue SRPSA Newsletter

Newsletter of the South Australian Recorder Society

EDITORIAL

Welcome to the 2026 Autumn issue!

First, an Adelaide Recorder Festival 2026 “save the date” 21-23 August 2026! We’re underway with planning for this exciting event. Brendan O’Donnell will be the artistic director this time and, like the last festival, it promises to be an outstanding weekend.

Plans are also afoot for our 60th anniversary/Cecily Wood memorial event this year. There are no firm details as yet, but stay tuned!

Our “Recorder Legends” is back, this time featuring SRP Patron Lynton Rivers. In the first instalment we hear how he came to the recorder –an interesting read.

Trish Neumann, our librarian, writes in praise of the gems to be found in the SRP library.

We cover the annual pilgrimage to the Orpheus Recorder Festival in Armidale NSW in January this year, where about 10 South Australians did us proud, not least with the shock announcement that SA’s own DAAG! had clinched second place in the Orpheus International Recorder Competition 2025!

There are still a few “buy and sell” items for those of you in the market for a good recorder.

As promised in the last issue, there’s a super-duper crossword this issue with some challenging clues to test your Latin and musical knowledge.

I hate to raise the subject of money, but please consider if your 2026 membership fees are due. Payment details on page 7.

Next issue contributions due 25/5/26. Email: annette.n.lever@gmail.com

Upcoming SRP events

Date/time Event/tutor Venue

March 8

2.30-4.00pm

April 12 2.30-4.00pm

May 17 2.30-4.00pm

Play-in with Brendan O’Donnell Friends Meeting House

Play-in with Jayne Varnish

Studio 8 8 Koolaman St Joslin 5070

Play-in with Lynton Rivers Friends Meeting House

June Date TBC Recorder showcase Venue TBC

August 2123 Adelaide Recorder Festival 2026 Venue TBC

Play-in information

The Society of Friends Meeting House is located at 40A Pennington Tce North Adelaide (see map) Visitors are welcome – please phone beforehand to confirm your attendance: 0417 823 537

Recorder Legends

By Annette Lever

Then I got very chummy with Duncan and we became good friends. In those days he would “gestetner” (ie photocopy) music, but he'd also write huge charts by hand, which I inherited, actually. It was basically folk music with a great emphasis on Scottish tune s. He encouraged part-playing and then some kids would acquire skills on the treble. Anyway, I began to take it seriously. There was a shop in town called Metronome Music Centre, where I bought myself a posh recorder, a Moeck, a treble because I realised t hat the lowersounding recorders were more palatable to me. So that's when I took it seriously.

Does this man even need an introduction?

I interviewed Lynton Rivers, Patron of the SRPSA, in November 2025. I uncovered the rich tapestry of his life, and thought it best to release the interview in bite-sized pieces. Some of you will have read about his recollections of Carl Dolmetsch and Cecily Wood in the Summer 2025 issue. In this issue we can reveal how he came to the recorder.

Lynton, can you share with us how you first discovered the recorder and what drew you to the instrument?

I first discovered the instrument when I was at Teacher’s College. I was in the midst of a three year Diploma course for primary teaching and it was a prerequisite that if you wanted to be a primary school teacher, you’d need some skill in music. Those who came into the college with no skills at all took up what was easiest, either the basic keyboard or the recorder - I think they were the only options. I thought the recorder was a rather lowly instrument, having been into the piano for some years at that point. And I didn't dismiss it, but I didn't take it seriously enough, I guess. There were one or two people there who did take it seriously, who came with some skills, one Dutch guy, I've since never seen, so I knew there was something more to it.

But it wasn’t until I was appointed to a primary school in 1968, where there was an elderly teacher near the end of his career, Duncan Pirie, a Scotsman who almost every morning, had children come to him from about 8 o'clock where he'd teach them the recor der. People would just drift in and they'd acquire skills. As he was downstairs, and I was upstairs, I'd always be passing by, and the more I listened and took notice, the more I realised this was very valuable, and these kids were very keen. And so, in th at first year, I would go and sit in and then I joined in with a descant that I’d gone and bought.

I realised there was great potential in doing this. I had started some university subjects, part of an Arts Degree concurrent with my Dip Ed - you could do bits and pieces across different institutions. I realised I was getting more passionate about music and that I wanted to pursue a Music Degree. I was able to convert some arts subjects into the degree, and auditioned on piano. In those days, you were encouraged to take a second instrument, so I said to the professor, the only other instrument I'd had any contact with was the recorder. And he said, "Well fortuitously, I've employed someone from London, an expatriate Australian, to do some teaching here”. So of course, I took up the recorder, and that was with Fiona Robertson, who's recently deceased. She was my first teacher, and then I did take it very seriously, and she had a few other students there, whom I got to know - Leslie Lewis being one of them. Very soon after that, Fiona formed a little group, the Adelaide Recorder Consort, of which I was part. And then the doors opened and the whole area of early music unfolded before me.

So I went on teaching at primary school for three years and then I realised I had to take some time off to complete the Music Degree. While completing the degree, I was appointed as a music teacher for Woodville Primary school, which was sort of interestin g. You had to teach music from reception to year seven, and also there was a deaf centre there. So I taught music to partially deaf kids. They weren't entirely deaf. and there was always support teachers present, signing where necessary, but it was quite an experience. That was how I finished my Music Degree.

At that stage, the Chairperson of the Australia Council was a woman called Elizabeth Silsbury, who recently also died. She became a notable music critic for the Advertiser and musical identity in Adelaide. She was greatly encouraging in my musical studies. There was a whole bevvy of really luminary teachers at teacher’s college and while Elizabeth didn't promote the idea of the recorder as such, she was encouraging of anyone who had musical talent.

Sometime later Elizabeth proposed the idea to the Australia Council to sponsor the salaries of six teachers in Adelaide - Primary teachers - to go into schools and to encourage music by co - teaching with the class teachers, giving the teachers skills in mu sic, but giving the children experience because that was sort of rare in those days. Then there was no real obligation to teach music to students beyond listening to the ABC broadcasts.

…Recorder Legends cont.

Lynton Rivers

I taught in three schools, in a sort of peripatetic running around, for three years. After that I’d amassed the 10 years of s ervice (which, in those days, included your years of training), so I could get some long service. So then I applied for an Australi a Council grant to go to Europe for a couple of years. And when I came back to Australia, I got a job with the Music Division o f the Education Department as a recorder development officer, encouraging teachers in primary schools to teach recorder. There was much more recorder teaching going on then than there is today.

In the next issue, we follow Lynton’s experiences of learning and playing the recorder in Europe during the 1970s. Stay tuned!

Adventures in the SRP library

By Trish Neumann

Perhaps you didn’t even know the SRP had a large library of sheet music. I have just been discovering how useful it can be.

OPENING CONCERT

I’ve been playing in a trio and wanted to see if there was anything for a trio of trebles as we have all just acquired a baroque treble, tuned to A 415.

A quick search of the database produced a number of likely suspects, but the winner was Johann Mattheson, 1681-1764, a contemporary of Handel. He lived in Hamburg and was a music theorist and critic as well as a composer.

Image my delight at finding eight of his Sonatas in every possible key, for treble trios.

A quick visit to the library at the Friends Meeting House on Sunday before our play-in and there in a box of trios, filed alphabetically under “M”, I found three copies of each of these Sonatas ready for us to play.

Perhaps you’d like to explore solo music for descant or treble for yourself or music for the group you play with?

To access the SRP library database click HERE You can also email me at pneumann@adam.com.au if you have any queries or need help retrieving your music.

Trish Neumann SRP librarian

Breaking news…

DAAG! wins 2nd place in international competition!

South Australian recorder sensation DAAG! has won 2nd place in the Orpheus International Virtual Recorder Competition 2025 The competition was open to soloists and ensembles of all ages In the open (adult) section, there were 17 entries. The judges remarked on the musicality, creativity and commitment shown across the section, and said that choosing prize winners was no easy task.

DAAG! quartet was beaten only by first prizewinner, German soloist, Solange Komenda.

Reported by DAAG! member, Annette Salt: It was our first experience making a video. We had the idea of linking 3 pieces from Lance Eccles’ Nordic Suite through a narrative with a backdrop of images. The script and images were created by the Annettes and the narration was done by former ABC newsreader Judith Barr. Ray Thomas, videographer, produced the final submission within 72 hours. The performance was recorded in Studio 8, Joslin, with thanks to Graham Norton.

After we had submitted our entry by 1 November 2025, we kind of forgot about it, and we also had absolutely no confidence that we’d even be in the running. We were just happy it had been a lot of fun putting it together. We were completely stunned when our 2nd place was announced at the Armidale recorder festival.

The image top right shows the prize-winners being announced at Armidale. The DAAG! members are the four furthest right on the stage (from right to left): Annette Lever, Donna Hughes-Barton, Annette Salt and Garth Rowe Second prize-winners received $700 (sponsored by CREMS and Lynden Gallagher).

In the words of a couple of not-so-disinterested bystanders:

“I knew they’d come second!” Tim Barton “I told you you’d come second!” Martin Brine

For once, Annette Salt was speechless!

DAAG!s award-winning competition entry can be accessed by clicking HERE

Armidale 2026

The Orpheus Recorder Festival was held in Armidale from 10-16 January 2026. As always, it was a wonderful 7 days-worth of tuition in technique, small group ensemble and recorder orchestra, and concerts by tutors and participants.

It never fails to astound me that rural Armidale in NSW manages to attract so many international, world class tutors and players, including Anna Stegmann, Kamala Bain, Chris Orton and Suzanne Fröhlich. It’s a great way to accelerate your learning and make new friends with likeminded recorder players from interstate. Unfortunately they’ve decided not to hold a festival in 2027, but will be back in January 2028 with the inspirational Sarah Jeffrey as the principal tutor. Save the date and start practising and saving!

By Annette Lever

…Armidale 2026 cont.

The SA contingent put together their annual “Armadillos” ensemble. Pictured right they can be seen getting ready to perform their 2 pieces at a blackboard concert: Summertime by George Gershwin and a lovely piece called Provatakya by NSW composer and musician, Clive Lane

From left to right: Garth Rowe, Neville Pope, Andrea Szabo, Donna Hughes-Barton, Annette Lever, Annette Salt and Kathryn Stacey.

Mollenhauer Morgan-edition Alto 415 for sale - $1900 ono

Mollenhauer Morgan-edition Alto hand finished recorder, in stained castello boxwood at 415 hz. Recorders designed in collaboration between Mollenhauer and the late Fred Morgan. Warm, rich tone, light to carry. Perfect for both solo playing as well as duets and ensembles. These are Mollenhauer's top of the range, as new, in leather case. Rare now, as no longer being made by Mollenhauer. Price around $1900 ono.

Contact Katina Czyczelis at katinacz@hotmail.com

The Fern trebles were made by David Coomber in NZ around the 1990s and are well-regarded. I have played one for years and recently acquired a second in poor condition which was subsequently re -voiced and rebushed.

The one for sale is (as far as I can tell) Indian Rosewood and slightly lighter in weight that the Rosewood used by Moeck. It is one of two which recently came my way and have been cleaned and revoiced by Jo Bridgman of Consortium Music. She has brought them up nicely. There is a small amount of marking on the thumb hole, but they play really well and rebushing would only be required for cosmetic purposes. I have sold one to one of Amelia’s students and she (and Amelia) are very happy with it. The other is still looking for an owner. Pitch is 440.

Contact Neville at npope@bigpond.net.au or on mobile 0417 823 537

Handmade “van Eyck” soprano by Ralph Netch

Pitch: 440’

Wood: Boxwood

Year: 2019

Price: $750

I have kept this oiled and played it semi-regularly, but it’s in excellent condition. It had a complete overhaul by Nikolaj Ronimus in late 2020, so the tuning and voicing are very good – it is a delight to play! It is a transitional/early baroque style instrument but is very flexible and can really be used for any style. It is louder than a typical baroque soprano, particularly in the low register.

Contact Brendan O’Donnell at baodonnell@gmail.com

SRP Council members

Neville Pope (President), Liz Fahlbusch, Betsy Holden, Garth Rowe (Vice President), Annette Salt (Secretary), Judy Holds, Trish Neumann (Librarian), Graham Norton (Treasurer), Andrea Szabo and Annette Lever (Newsletter editor).

CROSSWORD No 7

ACROSS

1. A recital (11)

9 To be found on a tree or in a book (4)

10 Weep chokingly and uncontrollably (3)

11 Every (3)

12 Sole performer (7)

15 Nothingness (Lat.) (5)

17 It used to power locomotives (5)

19 I came, I saw, I left: Veni, vidi, (Lat.) (Hint: it’s not vici) (5)

20. Frequently (5)

22 A musical passage written into the score, often in smaller notes, offered as an alternative to the original (Lat.) (5)

24 Male geese (7)

28 A sash for a kimono (3)

30 An atom having an electric charge (3 )

31. Long and distinct periods of history (4)

32. An adaptation of an existing musical composition (11)

DOWN

1. Gregorian chant (9)

2. A slippery fish (3)

3. Famous recorder player Barnaby (5)

4. Fortissimo (Abbr.) (2)

5. Kangaroo (Abbr.) (3)

6. Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (Acr.) (3 )

7. Opposite of 12 down (5)

8 Columbia Broadcasting System (Acr.) (3)

12 Stillness (7)

13. You’ll become a better recorder player if you have these regularly (7)

14. One who plays the kettle drums (9)

16. Frozen water (3)

18 ‘ better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all (3)

21 A recorder that is pitched between a treble and bassette (5)

23. Musical representation denoting all the parts at once (5 )

25. on a G-string (3)

26. Deoxyribonucleic acid (Abbr.) (3)

27. To pull the from under someone (3)

29. A proscription (3)

31. A printer’s measure (2)

RECORDER WORKSHOPS FOR

YOUR TRAVEL DIARY

One of the joys of playing the recorder is that it can be combined with travel and socialising. Grab a friend or two and head across the border, Bass Strait or the Tasman to join a friendly bunch of like-minded recorder players on their home ground. Here are some of the recorder events in Australia early next year:

• NSW (Bundanoon) CREMS Autumn Bundanoon Workshop 2-3 May 2026

• South Australia SRP Adelaide Recorder Festival 21-23 August 2026, venue TBC

• Victoria VRG Spring Recorder Festival 25-27 September 2026, Balwyn Community Centre, 408-418 Whitehorse Rd Surrey Hills

• NZ Strathean Residential Weekend 2-4 October 2026

• Victoria VRG 3-day workshop with Anna Stegmann, 8-10 January 2027, venue TBC

REMEMBER TO SAVE THE DATE: ADELAIDE RECORDER FESTIVAL 2026 21-23 AUGUST 2026

A couple of interesting links supplied by The Clarinet Institute Music Archives:

FREE SHEET MUSIC for recorder: click HERE

And for those of you interested in interactive musical games (including rhythm sudoku!): click HERE