CMSA 2016 Convention, November 11/2-11/6, Valley Forge, PA

[dj coffey]

Time to begin planning for the CMSA 2016 convention, to be held in Valley Forge, PA from Wednesday 11/2 through Sunday 11/6 with optional pre-convention workshops Tuesday 11/1 through Wednesday 11/2.

You can book your rooms NOW at the Valley Forge Radisson hotel. We have a limited block of rooms at the CMSA discount rate of $129 per night before taxes. We do expect rooms to go quickly when we announce our performers for this convention.

Check out our Convention Page for more details and stay tuned!

http://classicalmandolinsociety.org/...convention.asp

[MLT]

Thank you Dotty. It is never too early to start planning the annual mandolin fall pilgrimage.

[mlinkins]

Here is our video to promote the convention (which happens to be the 30th anniversary convention!). We will update the video and when the guest artists have been announced. We look forward to seeing you in Valley Forge in November!

The Mandolin Society of Philadelphia

[dj coffey]

2016 Convention News - Hot off the Presses!

CMSA leadership announces that Dr. Jim Bates is returning as En Masse Conductor.

And our composer-in-residence is Neil Gladd, a prolific composer of works for a variety of instruments and voice, many featuring the mandolin. Neil has performed as soloist at Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall and has performed with the National Symphony, under Leonard Slatkin, and with the Philadelphia Orchestra, under Rostropovich.

More to come! Make your hotel reservations NOW! We do expect to sell out our block of rooms at the CMSA rate, and are told that this hotel often sells out all its rooms.

http://classicalmandolinsociety.org/...convention.asp

[dj coffey]

2016 Convention Breaking News!

CMSA is happy to announce that the Modern Mandolin Quartet is "returning with a vengeance" and will inflict it upon our willing ears at the 2016 Convention, Wed 11/2 through Sunday 11/6. They will join our composer-in-residence, Neil Gladd, and our En Masse Conductor, Dr. Jim Bates in a not-to-be-missed musical extravaganza in Valley Forge, PA.

More about the Modern Mandolin Quartet at their website.
http://www.modernmandolinquartet.com/about

Now is the time to book your rooms for the convention. Our host hotel is the Valley Forge Radisson Hotel, which is attached to the Valley Forge Casino Resort. We have a limited block of rooms at $129 per night (before taxes). As this is a resort, we expect the hotel will be fully booked well before the convention. When our block of rooms run out, the hotel may well be booked solid.

More information about the convention is available at our website.

http://classicalmandolinsociety.org/...convention.asp

[dj coffey]

It's time! Time to register for the 2016 CMSA convention.

Our new website has been live for a few months and now our registration tools are live as well! Please check it out here!

The convention features performances by Modern Mandolin Quartet, the Mandolin Society of Philadelphia and the Munier Orchestra. Dr. Jim Bates returns as conductor of the En Masse Orchestra. And Neil Gladd is our composer-in-residence.

Do register for the convention now AND also secure your hotel reservations with the Valley Forge Radisson. See our website for more information.

[Bruce Robinson]

The announcement and invitation has been extended to the Baltimore Mandolin Society!
As President, I tried my best to be the first person registered, but after filling in the form was directed to sign-in again. ARRRGH!

Sign-up - The hotel was easy. The convention was easy. It will be my first, and I am sure it will be great.

[margora]

The attachment has the preliminary workshop schedule for the upcoming CMSA convention. There are 21 workshops in total, starting on Wednesday (November 2nd) afternoon and ending Saturday (November 5th) afternoon.

[Jeff Hildreth]

Displaying the American flag backwards , no mater how old, is a sign of distress.
Carry on.

[John Uhrig]

Just wanted to say what a great convention the CMSA put on in Philiadelphia this year. Wonderful concerts by The Modern Mandolin Quartet, The Munier Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra and The Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble. Also, playing in the En Masse orchestra is one of the best experiences that you can have. Saw old friends and made some new ones too ! Going be a long years wait for Milwaukee.

[Nick Royal]

I too really enjoyed the Convention. Some very good workshops, and hearing the various Mando Orchestras was great. Eg. When the Philadelphia Ensemble played Vivaldi's "Gloria," there was a chorus of around 30 or so singers. Actually, the orchestra accompanied them.

[John Goodin]

Let me echo John and Nick by saying that this was another great convention. Jim Bates led the 160 member orchestra through daily exhausting rehearsals with his usual good humor and skill. By the end we sounded pretty good. The MMQ were everywhere, playing great concerts, leading sectional meetings in the mornings, rehearsing along with the orchestra in the afternoons. Many first rate workshops, too many to list.

Neil Gladd was composer in residence and wrote us a really cool new piece to play. Plus he presented workshops and was easy to talk to in the vendor room. Keith Harris crossed the ocean to join us once again. The lunchtime open mic sessions were some of the best ever, a special highlight was the 14 year old Brazilian youngster who brought people to their feet with a Hamilton de Holanda style solo piece.

Bryce Milano, who attended the previous Philadelphia convention as a young man in 2004, was there too. You could find him sitting in with the late night sight-reading session or playing gypsy jazz or joining in with the old bluegrass and fiddle tune gang.

The host committee and the CMSA Board did a great job in picking the site and everything seemed to run pretty smoothly. I'm already looking forward to attending in Milwaukee next year.

[bohemianbiker]

Yes, I also thought it was great. It was my first convention, and I had a blast. I've got to find a way to fit these into my work schedule in the future.

I took my guitar (which is what I play in our orchestra), which was easy for this convention, as it was only a 3 hour drive for me. But if I go to Milwaukee I'd have to fly, and I haven't done that with a guitar since before 9-11. I take my mando as a carry-on whenever I fly, but I wonder what it's like to try that with a guitar these days. bb

[John Uhrig]

When we were flying home there was a guy that carried his guitar on the plane right in front of us. The attendant offered to put it in the closet up front.