Which brings me to the last conference, and to the forthcoming one. The outstanding special feature of our Iowa meeting was of course the joint gathering with the American Handel Society. It was a treat to have the Handelians join us in some of our sessions and other events, as well as to have the opportunity to attend some of theirs! Through the combined efforts of our Local Arrangement host Bob Ketterer and the Program Committee headed by Wendy Heller we were presented with a well-designed program, which notwithstanding the logistical complexities worked out beautifully; and being in friendly, comfortable Iowa City was an additional pleasure.
Nonetheless, the venue of our 24th conference, Coconut Grove in Miami, will be hard to beat. If your image of Miami is high-rise hotels, crowded beaches, and glitzy supper clubs, you are in for a surprise! David Dolata, our Local Arrangements Chair, sings the praises of Coconut Grove elsewhere in this newsletter, but, if you will forgive my indulgence, I would like to add a personal note here. In 1957, while working at the Marine Lab on Virginia Key (this was in my pre-musicology, scientist days), I lived for a year in a little apartment a few blocks from our conference venue. In those days Coconut Grove resembled a smaller, tropical version of Greenwich Village during those same years: hole-in-the-wall art galleries, book stores, coffee shops, and a playhouse, all of which also served as beatnik hangouts. Like the Village, “the Grove” has changed and become a bit gentrified, but has nevertheless retained some of its original ambiance. For me, however, the most important part of my Grove year was being initiated, at the ripe old age of twenty-two, into early music. Not long after moving there I discovered the Coconut Grove Recorder Workshop, where early music and instruments were taught, sold, and enthusiastically performed. The Workshop is long since gone, but it was there that for the first time in my life I touched a harpsichord––a little Dolmetsch spinet––and, if you pardon the cliché, the rest is history (or in any case, my history). But back to the future! David managed to find great venues for us to meet, eat, and sleep, incredibly affordable considering their prime location, and he has planned a couple of what promise to be exceptional concerts. I look forward to seeing you all there––this is a conference not to be missed!
I must add a concern that some members won’t be able to attend because they cannot afford the costs. Conferences, of SSCM as well as other organizations, have become increasingly expensive, and I expect that Miami will not be an exception. Therefore I once again urge you to contribute to our Travel Awards Fund, if you have not already done so (or even if you have). Let’s make sure that our Society’s conferences remain inclusive!
– Lex Silbiger
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