Recorder Players West had its origins in the Recorder Class at Santa
Monica College as long ago as 1980, and lasted until budget cuts were
enforced in 1995. The class was fortunate to have Anne Young as its
instructor.
During the period 1980-1995, the class gave free performances at many
venues during the spring and winter holiday seasons: The Children's
Orthopedic Hospital in Hollywood, Westwood Horizons (senior living
quarters), The Berkeley East Convalescent Hospital, the mall in North
Hollywood, Promenade in Santa Monica, Music Auditorium at Santa Monica
College, Clover Elementary School, McBride Special Education School, and
the streets of Westwood Village during the holiday season. The class
also performed many times, in costume, at the Renaissance Faire.
When the program was no longer available at Santa Monica College,
the students decided to organize a class, under the continuing
direction of Anne Young, in rented space at the United Methodist Church
in Westwood. The class continued with free performances at the church
during the spring and winter holiday seasons, and at other venues,
until the fall of 2001. At that time classes were moved to our present
location, at St. Bede's Episcopal Church in West Los Angeles. The
original members have been joined by many new members.
After the retirement of Anne Young in the spring of 2003, Inga Funck became the new
director of RPW, and was our able leader from September 2003 to June 2006. Inga
moved to San Diego in the summer of 2006, and in September 2006
Rotem Gilbert
became our new director.
-- Bernice Burton, RPW Historian
August 2005 [updated August 2006]
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