CMSA Kalamazoo 2022: Registration Now Open

Registration is now open for the Classical Mandolin Society of America’s (CMSA) upcoming in-person convention (the first since 2019) in Kalamazoo, MI, September 21-25, 2022. We have an exciting roster of guest artists this year, including Katherine Lasso & Ricardo Sandoval (France), and Florian Klaus Rumpf (Germany), who will be heading En Masse sectional rehearsals, and giving concerts and workshops -- check out their bios and all manner of convention information on the Convention webpage, where you will find the registration portal. Separate pre-convention workshops for mandolin (with Ricardo Sandoval) and classical guitar (Matt Cosgrove) will be held on Tuesday evening, September 20, and end the following morning.

Our host group, the Kalamazoo Mandolin & Guitar Orchestra (KMGO) is delighted to welcome everyone to Kalamazoo! The downtown Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center is the convention hotel. The hotel offers a shuttle from the airport and the Amtrak train station is two blocks away. Kalamazoo has a wide selection of excellent restaurants, brewpubs and distilleries, and a vibrant local arts scene, all close at hand.

The convention En Masse Orchestra (100+ members) is always a highlight. The En Masse conductor, Jim Bates, has selected an awesome program. Two of the En Masse works, Hans Gál’s beguiling Capriccio and Salvatore Falbo’s epic Spagna, are among the handful of certifiable classics of the mandolin orchestra literature. We will also perform two terrific contemporary works, James Kellaris’s Kalamazoo Suite (written for the KMGO); and Owen Hartford’s Urban Sketches, which was a competition prize-winner in 2012 in Spain. There will be a new work, the FilAm Dance Suite, by our composer in residence, the University of Michigan’s Dr. Christi-Anne Castro, who is a specialist in the Philippine rondalla; and a Jim Bates arrangement of a work by the American composer Harry Thacker Burleigh.

We are planning a full range of convention workshops, some twenty in total, many of which be ensemble-focused – in particular, there are two New Music Reading Sessions, a novel event for the CMSA. Back in March, the CMSA issued a worldwide “Call for Scores”, requesting new works for mandolin orchestra, from which a selection would be chosen for the reading sessions. We received numerous submissions, many from composers born and/or living outside of North America, and the quality was uniformly high. Seven of these were selected, four of which are for session #1 (easier/intermediate) and the remaining three for session #2 (intermediate/advanced/looking for a challenge). There will also be workshops on instrumental technique, on early mandolin recordings (courtesy of Neil Gladd), Gibson history (appropriate, obviously, for Kalamazoo), and a special workshop on the late John Goodin’s ensemble works. There are two open mics for participants, multiple guest artist concerts in the evening, the convention banquet (w/auction), vendor exhibits, and the closing gala En Masse concert.

CMSA requires that convention attendees and volunteers be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as defined by the CDC. Proof of vaccination will be confirmed when you sign in at the convention. Further details on our Covid protocols can be found on the convention webpage.

Muy bueno, Robert.

I'm not a classical fellow, but this is too close to comfortably
miss.

We're down here cringing in TX for the summer but will be back in Michigandia in the Fall.

I look forward to meeting you and all the CMSA folks.

Mick

"I look forward to meeting you and all the CMSA folks."

Fantastic, Mick, I look forward to meeting you, too! Bring some of your bowl backs, people will definitely be interested.

Registrations have been brisk and hotel space is limited so if you are thinking of attending -- and I hope you are -- sooner is good.

Registration and convention information can be found here.

I am registered. I don’t attend every year, but Kalamazoo is an easy drive. & I plan to bring a couple Kalamazoo Gibsons, so they can return home after a 100 years.
Mick, I hope we can finally meet. Yes, bring a couple bowls.
It will be fun to see our hosts, Jackie & the Kalamazoo Mando-gang, again. I hope they still considered me an honorary member after my performance with them at the the Milwaukee CMSA, too many years ago.

Joe B

"I am registered. I don’t attend every year, but Kalamazoo is an easy drive. & I plan to bring a couple Kalamazoo Gibsons, so they can return home after a 100 years."

Looking forward to seeing you, Joe B. BTW, there will be a special workshop featuring Tom Dietz, a local expert on Orville Gibson and a retired curator at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, which is next to the convention hotel. The Museum will also host a small collection of Gibson artifacts for the convention. In addition, one of the En Masse orchestra pieces is James Kellaris' very beautiful "Kalamazoo Suite", the third movement of which is "Echoes from Parsons Street," an evocation of the old Gibson factory.

I'm registered and reserved, coming with my Larson mandocello. I'm a bit rusty, but excited!

"I'm registered and reserved, coming with my Larson mandocello. I'm a bit rusty, but excited!"

I think the cellos will have an especially good time in Kalamazoo. Interesting En Masse parts ("Spagna," in particular, one of the best there is for cello) and FKR as the section leader, plus his dedicated workshop on mandocello technique.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by violmando

I'm registered and reserved, coming with my Larson mandocello. I'm a bit rusty, but excited!

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We talked the last couple years about mandocellos at CMSA. I'm not doing a workshop this year, but you will be meeting and playing with a bunch of enthusiastic bass cleffers, and Klaus Rumpf is going to be a real treat. Looking forward to meeting you!
jim

Looking forward to meeting everyone...it's been ages for me. I'll sit in the back and soak it all up!

Registration is still open for the upcoming CMSA convention in Kalamazoo, September 21-25. This year, because of our Covid protocols, all registration must be through the on-line portal, which will close on September 16. For people who cannot attend the full convention, we've added a day pass option (maximum of two days per person).

And, a great new event -- Emily Wilson of the Karasik Mandolin Project will be displaying Ely Karasik's 1923 Lloyd Loar mandolin at the convention. Convention participants will have a chance to play the instrument and, if they wish, record a brief video for Emily's YouTube channel. If you've ever wanted to play a real Loar but never had the opportunity, now is your chance! And what better place to do it than Kalamazoo, where the instrument was made about 100 years ago.

HI Jim
I'm very rusty, but looking forward to it. Do you think there will be anyone with mandocello ensemble music?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by violmando

HI Jim
I'm very rusty, but looking forward to it. Do you think there will be anyone with mandocello ensemble music?

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For the last 2 virtual conventions we did put together a mandocello quartet and played a couple of originals. I did hear from a few bass clef colleagues who expressed an interest, but because I am managing the open mic this year I thought I would be too busy to actually participate. As it is turning out, there might be a bit of time on the Thursday open mic for an easy thrown together MC thing. I will contact the others (maybe some are seeing this) and include you if it looks like a possibility. I will send you some music through pvt message.
Hope you are having fun with the en Masse music; Spagna is a challenge, but Klaus just posted suggested fingerings.
jim