Highland Park Recorder Society

The Highland Park Recorder Society (HPRS) is an educational nonprofit organization that was founded in 1987 as a chapter of the American Recorder Society. We’re a member of Early Music America (EMA) and GEM, Guild for Early Music, a consortium of early music presenters in Central New Jersey and Eastern PA organized to strengthen their early music communities and to enhance public awareness of the richness and beauty of Early Music.

The Society’s purpose is to cultivate and foster a love and appreciation of the art, history, literature and uses of the recorder, and to raise the level of proficiency in its performance.

• The Society chooses repertory that showcases various schools of music within the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and current periods that reflect the highest levels that we can achieve. Any person who subscribes to these purposes is welcome.
• The Highland Park Recorder Society offers its members and friends the opportunity to find playing companions, increase musical skills, and improve musicianship through regular ensemble playing.
• Musica Dolce, a Baroque outreach ensemble of the Society, prepares and performs Baroque music to lift the spirit.
• Since our founding in 1987, we have received 25 grants from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission, and from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State.

A Brief Tour of our Website

On the Home Page, you will see an illustration we use with permission of the copyright owner.  This illustration was published in Venice in 1535, as the frontispiece of a tutor by Sylvestro de Ganassi on recorder playing and improvising.

In About Us, https://hprecorder.org/artists/ the names of the artists are links to their bios.

The Grants Awards page, https://hprecorder.org/grant-awards/ is ready to update with our 2024 grant.

The News page features recent events and leads to the Consort Studio, https://hprecorder.org/events/2024-consort-studio/

The Events page, https://hprecorder.org/events/2024-irish-musical-traditions/ has my review of last year’s concert and info on how to participate in this year’s concert.

The Gallery, https://hprecorder.org/gallery/photos/1996-2001/ has photos of our work from 1996-2019. When Covid started in 2020, we pivoted to live-streamed performances.

The Audio page, https://hprecorder.org/gallery/audio/, has audio clips from 2019, Libertango by Piazzolla; from 2012, Sephardic music from a collaboration with Zorzal; and from 2017, starting with medieval music by Machaut. The Selection of Spanish, Sephardic and Latin American Music also has a remembrance I wrote “In Honor of Prof. Eugene Roan.”

The Video Gallery,https://hprecorder.org/gallery/video/https://hprecorder.org/gallery/video/, opens with a video of the 2023 concert of “Irish Musical Traditions.” It is followed by five of the programs that were live-streamed in 2020. It includes performances Donna gave in 2018 in Poland, and other videos.

The Join Us! page, https://hprecorder.org/join/, lists the benefits of joining us.

The Testimonials page, https://hprecorder.org/testimonials/, has comments from audience members, from a person who wrote from the dual perspective of performer and audience member, and tributes from an online seminar.  It concludes with comments from teachers who watched Donna’s music presentations for their preschool students in Elizabeth, NJ.

The Donate page, https://hprecorder.org/donate/, relates how to support our mission and depicts Renaissance art with recorders.

Donna Messer, President, recorderdonna@gmail.com