Renaissance winds

Al Cofrin

Medieval, Renaissance, Renaissance reeds, Renaissance winds

Al Cofrin earned a BA in Jazz Theory & Composition at the University of Texas in the early 1980s. He became interested in medieval music when a professor pointed out that both jazz and medieval monophonic music utilize similar improvisational skills. He continued graduate music studies and worked on a thesis project of medieval monophonic songs and dances resulting in the 1995 publication of pre-15th century transcriptions and a collection of Renaissance dance music. The publication of his work led to the desire to perform the music he had worked with for so long. Istanpitta was born in 1994 and continues to play for concert venues and universities across the country. He has been on faculty for several Early Music related workshops including the Texas Early Music Workshop and San Francisco Early Music Workshop.

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Phil Hollar

Hurdy gurdy, Recorder, Renaissance winds

Phil Hollar teaches recorder in Hickory, North Carolina. He is a frequent faculty member at workshops including Mountain Collegium Early Music and Folk Music Workshop, the Atlanta Early Music Alliance Mid-Winter Workshop, and the Triangle Recorder Society Spring Early Music Workshop. Phil has extensive experience leading American Recorder Society chapter playing sessions and has been invited to lead sessions nationwide. He currently serves as a board member for the American Recorder Society where he chairs the Play the Recorder Day Task Force. Phil holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Phil Hollar’s website

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Jody Miller, Director

Capped reeds, Recorder, Renaissance winds

Jody is director of Lauda Musicam of Atlanta and teaches private recorder lessons in the Atlanta area.  Previously, he has served on the faculty of the Atlanta Early Music Alliance Mid-Winter Workshop and has taught recorder workshops throughout the country.  Miller performs most frequently with Amethyst Baroque Ensemble, but  he is also a member of contemporary music duo Eighty-Eight & Eight with Lisle Kulbach and Ritornello Baroque Ensemble.  Miller often collaborates with modern instrumentalists when performing his favorite works—contemporary chamber music for recorder.  He works closely with composer Timothy Broege and has premiered several of his compositions.  More recently, Miller performed the premier of Martha Bishop’s Dark Moods–Breakaway for recorder and percussion and Gregory Hamilton’s Ave Maria Variations for unaccompanied recorder.   Jody has performed with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, New Trinity Baroque Orchestra, Atlanta Baroque Orchestra, Cincinnati Opera, and the Victoria Bach Festival. Jody has served as Director of Mountain Collegium since 2011.

Jody Miller’s website

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Pat Petersen

Recorder, Renaissance winds

Pat holds an MFA in Early Music Performance from Sarah Lawrence College.  A Director Emerita of Amherst Early Music, she is a regular faculty member at that and many other weekend and week-long workshops.  Her vocal group Fortuna recorded on the Titanic label; she also conducted the Amherst Festival Choir on a recording of the music of Heinrich Isaac.  She performs on recorder and other early winds, and has appeared with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra.  She has coached early music ensembles at Wake Forest University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  An ARS certified teacher, she teaches recorder, early music, and English country dance in North Carolina and at workshops around the country, and has a passion for playing from facsimiles of early 15th-century music.  In her other musical life, she loves to harmonize on traditional tunes, and plays a mean banjo-uke.  Pat is currently working with a group of musicians and dancers to develop a retirement community for dancers, musicians, artists, and other like-minded people.

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