FEBRUARY 2023

Feature of Note 

Introducing a New Series

of PGH&S Tours

Join us for the inaugural Third Sundays tour of the Percy Grainger Home and Studio on Sunday, February 19, 2023 at 2 pm EST. The Third Sundays program is an outreach initiative designed to welcome diverse groups through focused, thematic tours. Led by volunteers, we are pleased to announce that Curt Ebersole will be leading the first tour, offering a closer look at Grainger’s life from the conductor’s perspective. This event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged!

Curt, a longtime friend, Percy Grainger Society(PGS) member, and neighbor of the Grainger home in White Plains, has served as the Conductor/Music Director (John P. Paynter Memorial Chair) of the Westchester Symphonic Winds since 2008, fostering its exponential growth over the past fifteen years, culminating in The American Prize for 2018-2019. In November 2021, Curt collaborated with PGS Secretary and Treasurer, Susan Colson, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Percy Grainger's arrival in White Plains by programming an all-Grainger concert at Tarrytown Music Hall. Follow this link to watch the performance, which includes an introductory video and greeting by PGS President, Dr. Paul Jackson, and remarks by Susan Colson. View Curt Ebersole’s full bio here, and learn more about the Westchester Symphonic Winds at westchestersymphonicwinds.org.

Percy Grainger Society Members' Meeting

Spring Programming: Grainger's Choral Works 

For Percy Grainger communal singing was the most direct and expressive form of musical expression. Grainger composed startlingly original choral music throughout his life, often based on his love of the literature of Kipling, Whitman, Swinburne, and others. His folk-song collecting activities in England and Denmark also informed his approach to choral composition, and form the basis of some of his best-known works for choirs.

Grainger for Choirs is the first of two presentations in the series, Grainger and Choral Music, and will include an illustrated overview of Grainger's music for choirs, beginning with his early large-scale experiments in the setting of irregular rhythms, through his many and varied folk-song settings, to his lifetime's work on the Jungle Book Cycle. The presentation will consider the influence of language and dialect on Grainger's approach to both the composition and performance of choral music, together with the many ways in which his ideas of Free Music, music without pitch division or standard metre, also found their way into his choral writing. The one-hour presentation will conclude with an open Q&A and discussion. 

Membership Happenings

Membership & Programs Committee to Meet on March 11

Mark your calendars for the spring meeting of the Membership and Programs Committee, scheduled for Saturday, March 11, 2023 at 11 a.m. EST via Zoom. Committee Chairman Bill Garlette notes that the meeting’s priority agenda item will be membership recruitment, and input from current members on possible avenues to increase membership will be solicited. The Committee will also receive updates on two current membership projects: Dana Paul Perna’s oral histories of founding and longtime Percy Grainger Society members, and Jennifer Martin’s compilation of the location of Grainger documents throughout the world. Bill will continue to provide membership with a list of potential projects to consider that explore Percy Grainger’s life, music, and connections to those who have significantly contributed to the advancement of Grainger's legacy.

Thinking of becoming a member of the Percy Grainger Society? Membership does have its privileges! With your membership, you have access to the Members Area of our website, which includes digital copies of The Grainger Journal, audio and video content, and links to program notes, catalogs, and book lists.

Volunteer Spotlight 

Welcoming Our New Volunteers

Volunteer Training Recap

Last year, PGS received a grant to support and increase community engagement. One result of this grant was the new monthly e-newsletter Of Note. Another focus is a volunteer training program. In January, 2023 a call went out for those interested in volunteering at the PGH&S. A volunteer training date was set and materials, a sample script as well as a slide show, were put together. Six local people signed up and more inquired about volunteer training in the future. After an initial training, engaging the volunteers become a priority.

Read our recap of the Saturday, January 21 training day here.

The Percy Grainger Society

7 Cromwell Place | White Plains, New York 10601

Join/Renew

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Our mission is to promote the work and legacy of Percy Grainger with a membership community that preserves his historic house, encourages appreciation performance of his music, and promotes a deeper understanding of the cultural, social, and economic context of his life and work.

info@percygrainger.org

(914) 281-1610

www.percygrainger.org

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