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Greetings Subscriber!
I hope the winter is treating you well. As always, around this time of year, the air inside starts to get especially dry. Don’t let your guitar suffer. Keep it in its case, and keep it humidified! Dry guitars are unhappy guitars.
Thanks to everyone who joined us for our December salon! I had a great time and really enjoyed the music. Thanks for being there and helping to make it all happen.
Please note, due to the crazy number of COVID-19 cases out there thanks to the Omicron variant, we’ve decided that our upcoming salon should be held online.
Upcoming Salon Sunday 1/30 at 6:00 pm ONLINE
Join us this Sunday the 30th at 6:00 pm on Zoom for our next Members Salon. We’ll all be playing and critiquing from the comfort of our own homes, as we had been for some tie, so please plan on joining us for some fun and good music! We’ve been having great turnouts for our online Zoom salons and I’m looking forward to seeing you all again Sunday.
No challenge piece this month, but new challenges will be posted as “announcements” in our Facebook Group, so be sure to click “See All” in the announcements section at the top of the “Discussions” feed when you log in.
Future and past challenge pieces will be available on our Facebook Group in the “Guides” section, so check back there for updates. You can even check off the pieces as you complete them!
Note that some Zoom settings have changed, and there have been recent updates that improve sound quality, so make sure your Zoom client is up-to-date! I’ve updated the instructions below to reflect these changes.
The following Zoom meeting link will remain the same every month, so feel free to add it to your calendar.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/149817292?pwd=Mmk3R0VKRWliNXp3ZFJJeXJtb255UT09
Meeting ID: 149 817 292
Password: 625369
Zoom Meeting Instructions
Our Zoom meetings have been going great thanks to some preparation we all take part in to help things run smoothly. Please follow the instructions below to ensure we all have the best experience possible.
1) Set up your laptop (preferably) or other webcam-enabled device (tablet or phone) in a quiet space in your home.
2) Plug in headphones or earbuds to ensure the sound quality is optimal (conferencing software will otherwise garble your audio as it’s trying to filter voice from background noise).
3) Download the Zoom videoconferencing app and install on your computer or device.
4) Once installed, create an account, and then test your mic and speaker connections in the Zoom app. On the computer app, click on the gear icon (Settings) in the upper right corner under your initials to access the Settings. In settings, click on Video in the menu on the left to preview your video feed. Make sure you have sufficient light on your front for the camera. Click on Audio to test and preview your mic and speakers/headphones.
5) If you plan to perform or listen with the best quality, in the Audio settings, under the Music and Professional Audio make sure the “Show in meeting option to enable Original Sound” box is checked. I also like to check the boxes for “Echo cancellation” and “High fidelity music mode.” Note: not all of these settings may be available on all devices. Change what you can.
6) Join via the link https://us04web.zoom.us/j/149817292?pwd=Mmk3R0VKRWliNXp3ZFJJeXJtb255UT09.
7) Once joined, click the “Original Sound” button in the top left of the screen. Once enabled, the button will say “Original sound: On.” “Original sound” will use the unfiltered feed from your microphone, allowing for your most musical performance. If you’re not performing, this isn’t necessary.
8) Please Mute yourself when you’re not performing or commenting to ensure there is no extraneous noise in the meeting.
9) Have fun! Any further instructions will be given in the meeting.
Please keep your Zoom client up-to-date! They are constantly improving their platform, but you can only reap the benefits by ensuring your software is updated.
Note you can always create your own meeting to try out the system and familiarize yourself with what it can do. If you have any questions, please let me know and I’ll try to answer them for you.
Oh, and I wouldn’t plan on playing any duos, unless you really want to give it a chance. The latency issues will yield very mixed results.
We will continue to hold our monthly meetings on Zoom until it is deemed safe to meet again in person. Hopefully, that won’t be too long from now, but who knows.
**If you are coming to the salon, please arrive between 5:45 and 6:00. Join up and get your settings straight, and have fun chatting with everyone else.
*NOTE: The following salon will take place on February 27. Mark your calendars!
2021 Salon Schedule
January 30 ONLINE
February 27
WCG Season 2021-22
We’ve still got a lot in store for you this season, including the debut of the New York City Guitar Quartet (February 19), Xavier Jara (March 19), and the GFA Tour Featuring Johan Smith (April 23). In addition we’ll have the 10th Annual (!) WCGS Members Concert (May 21). Can’t wait!
To sweeten the deal, we’ll be holding a masterclass with each of our solo artists while they’re here, so all of you performers, practice up. Soon it will be your chance to perform for one of our artists in a masterclass, and a great chance for the rest of us to learn from your hard work.
And for you curious onlookers, auditing masterclasses is FREE! Sign up as an auditor and join the fun.
Tickets for all events are for sale now in our Online Store. If you’d like to order tickets online with your member discount, please refer to the email I sent out with all discount codes in November, or the pinned topic in our Facebook group.
December Meeting Recap
We had quite a great turnout for our December meeting, and some really great playing. Unfortunately I have somehow misplaced the performance slips, so I don’t have a record of who played what, but suffice it to say some very enjoyable music and discussion took place. Thanks everyone for coming, and for sharing your wonderful music with us.
Check out our Facebook group for some great insight into what’s happening online with classical guitar. There are all kinds of new things popping up, from festivals, masterclasses, competitions, concerts, and lectures.
To submit an event for our event calendar, please Email our event calendar coordinator at events@wilmingtonguitar.org.
We’re at 2,450+ followers on Facebook! Make sure you’re one of them, and help us break the 2,500 mark! https://www.facebook.com/wilmingtonguitar
Best wishes, and stay safe,
Matthew Lavanish
President & Artistic Director – The Wilmington Classical Guitar Society
