Candidates Standing for Election 2024 - 2025

The present board will complete its work at the end of August, and the incoming board members will start their one-year term on September 1st 2023. The BCRS election for the 2023-2024 Board of Directors will take place by online vote from XXX to August 14. 

We say goodbye, and heartfelt thanks for their service, to Andrea MacDonald and Paulus Vrijmoed, who have decided to step down. While this is not a contested election it is still important for members to cast their vote for the people who will be serving all of us this coming year.
 
Find out more about your board candidates below. To cast your vote click the "VOTE" button. The vote you cast is anonymous. 

Keren Ferguson 
​Wow! The past four and half years of being on the BCRS board have just flown by.

After childhood piano lessons and a teenage flirtation with the guitar, I became a self-taught recorder player about twelve years ago. I quickly realized, through exposure to some excellent BCRS players, that recorder music can sound alive, and that there is more to playing than merely producing the correct notes.

BCRS, with its playing meetings, showcases, workshops, magazine, and resource-filled website, has been of tremendous benefit as I work to improve my recorder skills.

I am happy to give back to such a vibrant society by continuing to serve on its board for another term. As “my” position – Secretary/Communication -- encompasses secretary, membership secretary, communications and playing meeting/workshop registration, I am kept busy. Being able to interact with fellow board members and our wonderful membership is the icing on the cake of volunteering!

Tony Griffiths
I have been a member of the BCRS since the 1970s. My first job under President Mary Ann Franson was matching diverse members who wanted to play in a group. I was a member of a 1980s BCRS consort called the Quadro Not-so-Hotteterre (they weren't that bad actually), then for about 20 years a member of the group T'Andernaken (Hugh Brock, David Donaldson, Karen Price, June Ryder, and myself). Now I am in Bergamasca; we perform regularly in Vancouver and in Point Roberts WA.

I was BCRS President in the early 2000s, and a member at large later on. I was elected to the Executive Board of the American Recorder Society, where I served four years as Secretary.
My main interest is in early music, especially that of the renaissance, and I am trying to play it as much as possible with authentic historical instruments and techniques. I attend several workshops per year specializing in this.

I am proud of the work the BCRS has done over its 60 years. We are very lucky to have such a group with its long processionof hardworking executive boards. 
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I believe the membership must pull together to ensure that our society and its many benefits survive far into the future. To paraphrase US President John Kennedy, it is time not to ask what the BCRS can do for you, but what you can do for the BCRS!

Sandra Harris
​I'm new-ish to the recorder but "old" to music (clarinet and piano since I was 11). I started playing before the pandemic. Virtual workshops and playing meetings were a lifesaver during that time.

In terms of skills, I recently finished a three-year term in charge of communications of my cottager's association board (weekly newsletter during the summer, social media, etc.). I've done some fundraising in the past on other boards, and also have some accounting skills that have led me to take on the BCRS treasurer role. In other words, I can write, I’m creative, I'm organized, and work well with others.

I'm passionate about music, both listening and playing all sorts of genres and eras and styles.
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Other interests? I’m a photographer, book lover, tennis player, theatre-goer, film festival attendee, traveler, cottager, baker & board game player. And for paid work, I do couples and individual counselling.

Sharon Jones
​I became a member of BCRS many years ago, after learning the enjoyment of playing the recorder with others. I am one of the founding members of the Sandpiper Recorder Ensemble.  For many years prior to 2020, I organized the White Rock Chamber Music programs, searching out local performers, creating the programs, and gathering bios of the performers as well as being the emcee for the concerts.
 
My early career was teaching school in northern BC and, later, as a teacher-on-call in the Surrey School District.   Most recently, I worked for White Rock Leisure Services co-ordinating and leading adult outdoor recreation programs. 
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After retirement, I served on the boards of Friends of Semiahmoo Bay Society and White Rock and Surrey Naturalists, where I am still secretary. 
I would like to congratulate the current board members on the work they have done, in offering such wonderful workshops and monthly meetings. I hope to help BCRS thrive and grow.

Mareike Loptson
The love of music was an important part of my family life growing up. As children we would always pick up a recorder and play Christmas carols around the piano, with my grandfather playing his violin.

I took piano lessons but didn’t take any formal recorder lessons until I was an adult, under the tutelage of Birthe Kulich. From there I always participated in various recorder groups and joined the BCRS in the 1980’s. Presently I am a member of Bergamasca Recorder Consort.
Renaissance recorders piqued my interest several years ago. I have now attended several San Francisco Early Music workshops as well as workshops in Carmel Valley, Seattle, Victoria, Bellingham, Italy, and Scotland.

My hope is that the BCRS remains a vibrant and encouraging environment for recorderists of all levels.

Lucie McNeill
​I have been on the Board since March 2020 and became president last season. I am keen to stay on our Board for another year.
 
I joined BCRS in May 2019 and have since attended as many of its activities as possible. I have been especially active as the editor of our magazine.
 
I played the recorder as a child until the age of 13, when I switched to the flute for a few years. After a hiatus of decades, I started playing the recorder again in 2019. To my surprise it has become an absorbing, engaging and deeply comforting activity. 
 
I have spent years in communications-related work, both as a radio journalist and in media relations.  I have managed a number of projects for government funders and have served on a number of non-profit organizations’ boards.  I also bring to the board energy, enthusiasm, and a deep gratitude for BCRS and its dedicated volunteers.  I want to contribute to its continued growth and vitality, so we can all enjoy the pleasure and inspiration of playing together, for years to come.

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