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ENSEMBLE INFO

Ensemble Contact:

Email:

palisander.recorders@hotmail.com

2013

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

'Palisander Playbook Live!': event days to celebrate the launch of Palisander’s new recorder ensemble sheet music range, 'Palisander Playbook,' launching March 2026. The proposal is for a series of 5 double event days, comprising a ‘playing day’ for amateur recorder players and an evening concert from Palisander open to the public. They will be hosted around the UK: London, Edinburgh, Ely, Lincolnshire and East Berkshire.
Both parts of the day will draw repertoire from Palisander Playbook editions, which include arrangements of medieval, renaissance & baroque works for recorder ensemble, alongside new compositions inspired by the historical art of consort writing. Central to Palisander’s mission statement is furthering the recorder’s profile, including the expansion of its repertoire. The launch of Palisander Playbook is a logical next step, building on the ensemble’s extensive outreach experience, working with student and amateur players in a variety of settings.
The first part of each event will feature a recorder orchestra playing day, designed to engage amateur recorder players and champion the instrument’s role in community music making. There are over 1300 active members of the Society of Recorder Players, a network of amateur players that regularly meet in large ensemble settings. SRP playing sessions are typically led by local volunteers. A playing experience led by multiple professional players, including side-by-side playing support from Palisander, and impromptu close-up performances from the group, is a completely new approach to the standard playing day model. Recorder playing is enormously popular amongst retirees, and Palisander remain committed to the deliverance of high quality outreach work targeted to this community, as the well-documented benefits (including combatting loneliness, improving well-being, cognitive and physical exercise) are plentiful; and it strengthens intergenerational connections due to the recorder's wide appeal.
The second part of the day comprises a 1 hr concert from Palisander, included in the players event booking and additionally open and marketed to the public. ‘Palisander Playbook Live!’ celebrates all things recorder ensemble, showcasing instruments 6 inch to 6 feet tall, through 900 years worth of repertoire, including several editions published through Palisander Playbook. Separate to the large ensemble pieces worked on during the day, the concert will debut several arrangements of historical repertoire, including a medieval Trotto not previously available for recorder ensembles. The programme acts as a comprehensive overview of the recorder’s rich history, with some unique new settings- such as an ancient Sami reindeer call, and a 4x voice and 4x recorder reimagining of Orlando Gibbons’ Cries of London.
These events will take place on five Saturdays between July-November. The approached venues, familiar to hosting the recorder community, will confirm hire dates if funding is successful.

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