This year’s Annual Party was a huge success — thanks to all who attended and all those who made it possible, particularly those who performed. A spectacular program capped the event, showcasing the variety of levels, ensembles, and genres at AMSF. We even had a composer play his compositions! AMSF is proud of all who performed, and we thank you for being willing!
Musical Program
| Title | Composer | Performers |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Preludes | Gershwin | Frank Conlon |
| Come Unto Him | Handel | Kit Chan and Lori Wagner |
| Fantasie in D minor | Mozart | Alberto Gamez |
| Going Home | Dvorak | Carol Henry and Tom Haug |
| Visit to a Museum: A Montage, I. Cubism, II. Impressionism, III. Art Nouveau.” | Rosenthal | Stuart Rosenthal |
| Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52 | Chopin | Yukiko Takedai |
| Scherzo No. 2 in Bb Minor | Chopin | Jack Stabile |
We had an hour-long socialization time before our Annual Meeting began. Michelle Powell, President, gave an update of the State of AMSF that includes the programs and projects accomplished this year, where AMSF is going, and how members can help.
Back: Jack Stabile, Tom Haug
AMSF’s mission is to provide performance and educational opportunities for amateur adult music students. Primary objectives beginning January 2022, were to:
- Make AMSF a better community
- Broaden base of instruments
- Continue to bring educational and performance opportunities
Make AMSF a Better Community
Goals and strategies
- Improve Communications. To bring AMSF into the 21st century, leveraging new technology to support programs and operations. In FY 2023–24, we completely revamped our website using a new platform. This project was completed in January 2024. The result is a more user-friendly website. Members can see event dates as soon as the respective Coordinators post their specific events on the calendar, a responsibility of recital and event Coordinators. They can reach out to Louis Reichwein, Web Administrator, with questions.
- Broaden volunteerism. AMSF is not a spectator sport. We want members to take advantage of as many performance and educational opportunities open to them. At the same time, we ask that people also give back. Some easy ways of helping are by 1) hosting, 2) encouraging others to attend special events, master classes, annual parties, 3) RSVPing early, and 4) volunteering to help, even in the background.
- Bring new blood to support programs. Bruce Kuhlik, a new member, is now serving on the Board as Secretary. Stuart Rosenthal is the new Encore Coordinator.
- Broaden membership and attract the younger crowd. We want AMSF to flourish, and we want to leave a legacy. This fiscal year, we started two programs aimed at attracting other musicians in the area and the younger generation. The efforts include reaching out to 1) other DC-based arts organizations and 2) DC-area community colleges. We also want to disseminate the AMSF name at music stores in the DC-area. We need a talented graphics person to make that happen. The best way to attract new members, however, is by word-of-mouth. We ask that all members encourage their teachers to refer their other adult students to AMSF. This is how we have grown over the years.
- Honor those who have passed. In recent years, AMSF has lost active members, some of whom formerly held leadership positions. We make sure that the membership is informed when these sad realities happen. We also try to write In Memoriam articles. Finally, we established a modest Lamentation Fund to reach out to those left behind.
Broaden base of Instruments
AMSF members are predominantly pianists. As of 2024, nearly eight in 10 play the piano, with about six in 10 reporting piano as their sole instrument. AMSF is a music organization as our name suggests, as opposed to a piano organization.
In 2022, we said we would broaden the range of instruments represented in our organization. We have made strides in this respect as shown in the following table:
| Category | 2022 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Play instruments other than piano | 9 | 19 |
| Violin | 8 | 12 |
| Viola | 2 | 4 |
| Classical guitar | 1 | 5 |
| Cello | 4 | 5 |
| Voice | 7 | 10 |
| Other | 7 | 16 |
Educational and Performance Opportunities
AMSF had 43 recitals and events in FY 2023–24 — that’s about one per week, if you remove all holidays! Not bad for an organization with roughly 100 members.
We conceptualized Vibrato, a series for stringed instruments, and the Andante Master Class, for those who play at the Prelude and Intermezzo recitals, last year. In FY 23–24, we had our first Vibrato recital. We plan to have two Vibrato recitals next year. We plan to have our first Andante Master Class in February. If you are interested in performing, please let Jung Yeon Kim, Master Class Coordinator, know.
Since 2022, we have had 12 Community Outreach events yearly, serving six retirement homes in the DC-area. In FY 23–24, we broadened the base of retirement homes that we visit, adding Sunrise Senior Living in McLean, VA, and Sisters of the Poor in DC.
Finances
Our organization runs on a shoestring budget. We held 43 events this fiscal year, completely revamped our website, held an annual conference featuring two world-class pianists, published Keynotes quarterly and the eDirectory twice annually, and disseminated member communications monthly. We accomplished all that under our $12.5k budget.
This year, we have an even tighter budget of $10.5k, while aiming to accomplish all that we set out to do. As of our Annual Party held on the 15th of September, 35 members still had not renewed. We ask that 1) people renew as soon as possible, and 2) if you are so inclined, please consider making a tax-deductible financial contribution in the form of a donation. Those who have not paid their membership fees by September 30, 2024, cannot participate in activities until their payments are received.
Summary
AMSF is accomplishing its goals. We will continue along this path, providing quality educational programs and performance opportunities, as our budget allows. Please take advantage of all our recitals and events while remembering that AMSF is a team sport. You can help by hosting, encouraging others to participate, responding sooner (RSVPs and renewals), and making tax-deductible donations.