The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) presents a brand-new season of the Medieval Mondays series. Presented by NAVRS’ Music Director Annette Bauer, Medieval Mondays explores composers, themes, and musical sources of the medieval time period from ca. 1100-1500.
The Spring 2026 roster includes: Chansonnier Cordiforme – 15th Century Songs of Love (February 9); O Fortuna! Songs from the Carmina Burana (March 16); “Eye Music” – Music Written in Extraordinary Notation (April13); and Composer’s Portrait: Gilles Binchois – A Musical Miniaturist (May 4). All live classes take place on Mondays via Zoom from 12:30-2PM Eastern Standard Time.
When curating the season, Annette Bauer said, “I wanted to invite the participants to peek through different kinds of windows into the fascinating world of what we call medieval music. Because the Middle Ages span such a large time frame, we find incredibly varied musical styles across the centuries and across Europe.”
Starting with the February 9 opening session Annette said, “The beautiful visual aesthetics of the heart-shaped late 15th-century source known as Chansonnier Cordiforme and the sheer loveliness of the songs contained within will be contrasted on March 16th with a much earlier sensibility of modes, monophonic melodies, and even some very early polyphony, as well as very different kinds of texts, as we find it in the original Carmina Burana. The third session on April 13 takes us on a visual journey appreciating some very unique and unusual kinds of notation from the 14th and early 15th centuries. But don’t worry – we’ll play from modern transcriptions after having admired the original notations in the shapes of circles, spirals, hearts, and even a harp! In the final session on May 4, we will get a taste of the music of composer Gilles Binchois (ca. 1400-1460), who is often named in the same breath as Guillaume Dufay, both representing the Burgundian style.”
For Medieval Mondays each class features an overview of the composer and information about the music’s historical context. Attendees have a selection of music to discover and play. Scores are available for registered participants a week ahead of each class and play-along files are created on recorders. The music provided is in modern notation. Because the topics are self-contained, you can register for the entire four-part series or select from individual sessions. The playing is geared towards recorder players at the intermediate level and above with a fluency on C and and F instruments. And most of the music is accessible on alto and tenor recorders and occasionally also on soprano or bass.
NAVRS President Michael Richart said, “we’re thrilled to resume this exciting program. Medieval Mondays provides yet another opportunity for recorder players, and lovers of early music, to experience this exciting repertoire. The continued success of Medieval Mondays is a testament to not only the quality of NAVRS’ programs but to Annette’s care and love of medieval music. She pours so much of herself into it and delivers an exceptional presentation that elevates it to another level of enjoyment and learning.”
Medieval Mondays classes are recorded and the recordings are conveniently available to review and use 30 days after the last in-person class in May. All class recordings are available until June 4, 2026. Registration is open to all players, you don’t have to be a NAVRS member. Complete details are available on the NAVRS website here: https://www.navrs.org/ .
Annette Bauer is a recorder player, multi-instrumentalist, and is active as a performer and teacher. A native of Germany, she holds a diploma in Medieval and Renaissance music from the Schola Cantorum in Basel, Switzerland, and an MA in music from the University of California in Santa Cruz. She has also dedicated many years studying North Indian classical music on sarode, a 24-stringed lute. Annette currently directs the San Francisco Early Music Society recorder summer workshop and teaches ongoing early notation classes online via Amherst Early Music. She now lives in Montreal, Quebec, with her family, where she frequently collaborates with medieval women’s Ensemble Scholastica, and choreographer Sarah Dell’Ava.
The North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) is an online community of recorder players. Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2026, NAVRS’s more than 300 members come from North America and Europe. The annual membership fee is $20 a year and Playing Meetings are $15 per session. Interested and curious players can attend the first Playing Meeting for free. Skill-building workshops are a member benefit and available for $20 each. There is an active Facebook group and members receive playback recordings of all purchased sessions that they can replay on-demand for four weeks or at their convenience for sessions they can’t attend. For more information, visit the website at navrs.org.
About NAVRS
Celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2026, the North American Virtual Recorder Society (NAVRS) is an online community of more than 300 recorder players.
