• What: Free Mini-festival
  • When: Saturday, April 13, 2024, 3:00-8:00 p.m.
  • Where: Settlement Music School, Mary Louise Curtis Branch, 416 Queen St., Philadelphia, PA
  • Registration & Info: 215-235-8469 or piffaro.org/recorder-fest

Piffaro’s free-to-all Recorder Fest! is returning after a pandemic hiatus. A love letter to the recorder, the mini-festival welcomes musicians of every ability and stage of life, from elementary school students to busy professional recorder players, to perform for and play with one another.

Festival Schedule

3PM: Workshop for High School Students (registration closed)

Artistic director Priscilla Herreid, Piffaro co-founder Joan Kimball, and world-renowned harpsichordist Leon Schelhase offer workshops for select students.

6PM: Community Play In (New!)

All are welcome! Artistic director Priscilla Herreid will lead participants through 2-3 pieces of music. Sheet music will be provided in advance to anyone who registers by April 10; copies will also be available at the venue.

7PM: Live Performances & Video
  • Fountainwood Elementary School Recorder Ensemble, dir. Miriam Arbelo;
  • Video: Josselin Roger of NY, student of Nina Stern (Telemann, Van Eyck)
  • Corvin Fuchs-Orner, student of Joan Kimball, and Clara Kersting, student of Rainer Beckmann, both of Philadelphia, acc. Leon Schelhase, harpsichord  (Telemann)
  • Video – David Brown of MO, student of Laura Townsend (his own composition)
  • Gregory Weaver, acc. Schelhase (Telemann)
  • Knox Seabolt of VA, student of Anne Timberlake, with professional recorder players Sarah Shodja & Teresa Deskur (Quantz)
  • Recorder Demonstration by Piffaro artistic directors past & present
  • Video – Claudia Griffel and Sruthi Kommana of CT, students of Lawrence Zukof (Telemann)
  • Knox Seabolt, acc. Schelhase (Barsanti)
  • Video – Vinayak Vikram of CA (Vivaldi)
  • Musica Sophia Recorder Ensemble (adult amateur);
  • Video – Seattle Historical Arts/Agnes, Cecelia & Theodora Berry of WA
  • Special guests: Sarah Shodja & Teresa Deskur (winner of Piffaro’s 2016 National Recorder Competition)