Zoom Meeting, Sunday, March 10 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time).
Meeting at the Puddingstone Community Club in Randolph, Sunday March 24 at 4:00 p.m.
Zoom Meeting, Sunday, March 10 at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time).
Meeting at the Puddingstone Community Club in Randolph, Sunday March 24 at 4:00 p.m.
Valerie Nelson
Duo Migliorare (Rick Florio and Valerie Nelson)
Rick Florio
Robert Ey
David Starbuck
Shane McKevitt
Rick Florio
Duo Migliorare (Rick Florio and Valerie Nelson)
Valerie Nelson
Kevin Lutke
Kevin Lutke/Jeffrey Wilt Duo
Jeffrey Wilt
Ken Kraus
Robert Ey
Steve Walters (playing Torres/Starbuck short scale 8-string guitar)
Jeff Griesemer
Marsha Rohe
Jim Tosone
David Starbuck
Gad Berger
Steve Walters
Shane McKevitt
Valerie Nelson
Ming Chao
Jeffrey Wilt
This meeting is hosted by Gad Berger. The cost of using Zoom in 2024 is covered by generous contributions from Ming Chao, Dana Hamilton, Rick Florio, Jeffrey Wilt, Jeff Griesemer. Valerie Nelson, Robert Ey, Gad Berger, Dave Starbuck, Steve Walters, Gary Lee, and Shane McKevitt.
Duo Migliorare (Rick Florio and Valerie Nelson)
Valerie Nelson
Rick Florio
Robert Ey
Steve Walters (playing Torres-Starbuck Guitar, 590 mm scale in A tuning)
Jeff Griesemer
Program, December 10 Zoom Meeting
The Hopewell Guitar Ensemble (Jeff Griesemer, Valerie Nelson, & Robert Ey
Valerie Nelson
Shane McKevitt
This meeting was hosted by Stella Kosim. The cost of using Zoom in 2023 is covered by a generous contribution from Gad Berger, Steve Walters, and Dave Starbuck.
Program, December 17 Meeting in Montclair
Dana Hamilton
Irene Ey (soprano) and Robert Ey
Alex Cherfas
Jim Tosone
Ken Kraus
Rick Florio
Thanks to Dana Hamilton for hosting.
Darren O’Neill contacted NJCGS recently to share some historical information about the Society that he had discovered. He also suggested that it would be very nice to have a “History of the Society” somewhere on our website. We do, in fact, have some historical coverage of Society history on the website: if you scroll down on the right-hand column on the home page (https://njguitarsociety.org/), you’ll come to a list of archived “Categories,” one of which is “History.” Some posts in other Categories, particularly “Obituaries” may also be of interest from a historical perspective.
At this point the information we have is limited and sketchy, but it might be, as Darren has suggested, developed into something that we could use in more prominent places on the website and elsewhere. If you have any information or documents that would further this objective, please share them with us. We’d love to hear any interesting stories or memories of your experiences with NJCCS that you might have. Our Society has been around for over fifty years, but we’re also interested in hearing from you about more recent times. Yesterday has a way of turning into long ago, given enough time. Below are some of Darren’s comments, images of documents he has found, note from David Starbuck, and some editorial comments:
“I was looking at a website – “Digital Guitar Archive” (digitalguitararchive.com) – when I discovered an announcement by Michael Newman of the second meeting of the Madison Classic Guitar Society. The announcement was printed in the October 1972 edition of the British journal, “Guitar News.” Attached are images of the cover, table of contents, and the published announcement:
I was surprised to learn that the earliest incarnation of the NJ Guitar Society was known as the Madison Classic Guitar Society.
I’m assuming that the name was given because of the meeting location at Fred Dilzell’s home in Madison. Michael Newman was 15 years old at the time. Also, interesting to see that Carol Hamersma was there: she couldn’t have been more than a teenager, too. Seems like the four performers had at least 30 minutes apiece to present. And some very meaty repertoire for teenagers to perform – wow!
I know that later in the decade (around 1979) the meetings moved to the New Providence area when George Schindler and Connie LeCraw became involved. Both worked for Bell Labs, and they had colleagues who regularly attended. I’m not sure if that’s when the name of the organization changed over to NJ Guitar Society. I became involved starting in 1993 when meetings were hosted at George’s home in New Providence. By the end of the 1990s, we alternated locations between George’s home and Fred’s home in Madison.” Darren O’Neill
I met Connie LeCraw when I was living at the Westfield YMCA in late 1980. I used to practice downstairs in the main lobby late night/early morning so as to not disturb other residents. Connie was trying to get a group of people together as far back as that time. Connie was working at Bell Labs in Murray Hill. He had quite a few accomplishments in his career there and published about a dozen technical papers with the IEEE. I was able to get in touch with him in 1986 when he mentioned they (he and George) were planning meetings at George Schinder’s house in New Providence. The first meeting I attended was early in 1987. Meetings were held there for a number of years until George moved to a senior housing in Berkeley Heights. We had meetings there from around 1993-94 until he moved again after his wife passed away, to the Princeton area. Meetings were held there until Bob Ey took over and had meetings in Hopewell. There were at least two concerts at the Madison Library. I played in one. A recording was made. Maybe someone has a copy. Mine is packed away and may take some time to find it. David Starbuck
Editor’s Note: It always has been my understanding that NJCGS originated with the Bell Labs group, so I reached out to Michael Newman for comment. We hope that Michael will share more of his memories and “ancient records” in future discussions of our history, but he responded that he “did always think of Madison as its own organization.” So the transition may have been more of a merger than a name change. Michael also mentioned a Princeton Guitar Society and a Flemington Guitar Society that were active in the 60’s and ‘70s.
As Darren notes, George Schindler and Fred Dilzell were holding meetings in New Providence and Madison, respectively, in late 1990’s. Around 2000, George extended the Society to the Princeton area when he relocated to Montgomery around 2000, I assume to be closer to his daughter, Heather. Montgomery is centered around Route 206 just north of Princeton. George continued to hold meetings in his apartment on Center Drive, which is a rather unusual location: apparently, most of Center Drive was absorbed by the Montgomery Shopping Center, leaving only a couple of apartment buildings in a short residential section northeast of the shopping center. There’s no other access to the street, so we had to go through the shopping center to get to George’s meetings.
In 2005, George decided that the time had come to pass the torch, so I agreed to host the Princeton area meetings in my home in Hopewell Borough, about seven miles west of Montgomery on Route 518. George continued to play at meetings until 2013. By 2006, David Starbuck was hosting meetings in Warren (Somerset County). Meetings mostly rotated among Madison, Hopewell, and Warren until 2011, when struggles with cancer forced Fred Dilzell to discontinue.
In-Person Meeting in Randolph, 4:00 p.m. Sunday, November 12.
Zoom Meeting, 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) Sunday, November 19.
Program
Robert Ey
Jeff Griesemer
David Starbuck
Jim Tosone
Alex Cherfas
Dana Hamilton
Marsha Rohe
Robert Hansen
Rick Florio
Steve Walters (8 string Torres-Starbuck guitar)
by Francis Pilkington 1565 – 1638
Lord Hastings Good Moro
Curranta for Mrs. Elizabeth Murcott
by Diego Pisador 1509 – 1557
Pavane Muy Liana para Tañer
Dezilde al Cavallero Que
by John Dowland 1563 – 1626
Tarletons Resurrection
Mrs Winter’s Jump
Rick Florio
Robert Ey
Robert Vierschilling
Stella Kosim
David Starbuck
Steve Walters (8 string Torres-Starbuck guitar)
This meeting was hosted by Rick Florio. The cost of using Zoom in 2023 is covered by a generous contribution from Gad Berger, Steve Walters, and Dave Starbuck.
Zoom meeting, 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) Sunday, October 15
We had an in-person meeting in Hopewell on September 10, and a Zoom meeting, hosted by Steve Walters, on September 17. At each meeting, only one person signed up to perform, but a half dozen or more showed up to listen and perhaps present an impromptu performance. A good time was had by all.
As we start a new season, NJCGS finds itself adapting to very different conditions than those prevailing before or during the Covid 19 pandemic. We’re still seeing interest in the Society and our meetings but, possibly for a variety of reasons, fewer performers are stepping up to take the stage. Also, we do not currently have the same number of people (such as Fred Dilzell) on whom we counted for many years to regularly open their homes for meetings every two or three months. We sometimes use more public venues, but that can be awkward if we’re short on performers.
We are planning an in-person meeting in Randolph (near Morristown) in November. At this point, we do not have plans for in-person meetings in October or December. That’s not to say that we plan on skipping those months, but only that no one is currently lined up to host. Please let us know if you would be willing to fill the gap for either month. We’re particularly looking for hosts in the northeast parts of the state, somewhere roughly near the eastern end of Interstates 78 or 80, which is most convenient for the greatest concentration of our members. Attendance usually is between six and twelve people, but could be more or (most likely) fewer.
Thursday, July 6 at 7:30 PM Nassau Presbyterian Church61 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 Free admission, no ticket required Web site has details about nearby parking! https://princetonsummerchamberconcerts.org/ Featuring Premiere Performance of new composition by Cuban legend Leo Brouwer – along with numerous works by Brouwer from the duo’s new CD/Audiophile LP recording for MusicMasters Classics -plus music by Pulitzer Prize-winning (and Princeton-raised!) Paul Moravec,Brazilians Paulo Bellinati and Celso Machado, and Spanish composers Isaac Albeniz and Manuel de Falla. |
We will take a break from our in-person meetings and The Guitar Garden in July and August. See you in September!
Rick Florio will host a Zoom meeting at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) on Sunday, July 30.
Stella Kosim will host a Zoom meeting at 4:00 p.m. (eastern time) on Sunday, August 20.