Watch your email closely - this week we're sending out invoices for the spring semester. You'll be able to pay online with our new  registration system! If we receive your spring payment by Wednesday, December 21, you will be entered in a drawing to win a new Apple Watch Series 2. The drawing will be held at WCMS on Thursday, December 22 at noon, just in time for the holidays! The watch has a 38 mm face with silver aluminum case and white sport band, but we'll also provide a receipt so that you can exchange for different options if you wish. Feel free to contact us with questions about re-enrollment. The final deadline for spring tuition payment is January 7.

Join WCMS faculty members Karen Oosterbaan, violin; Anne Bennett, cello; and Rieko Tanaka, piano as they go "Under the Hood" to explore one of Shostakovich's most profound works. In her presentation, "Shostakovich: The Rebel with a Cause," Karen Oosterbaan will lead you through an exploration of the musical structure of this piece. The program will conclude with a full performance of the work. A pre-concert reception will begin at 7:00 pm. Free. More details here.

Laurie Russell, WCMS Executive Director, was awarded the National Guild for Community Arts Education's Milestone Certificate of Appreciation in Chicago on November 4. We're pleased to recognize Laurie for her 25 years of exceptional service to our school, The Hartt School, and the greater arts education community. Under Laurie's leadership, WCMS has achieved systematic growth, expanded program offerings, and helped make music education accessible to all. We are very thankful for her leadership and 15 years of service to our school. Thank you and congratulations, Laurie!

It's hard to believe that the Jenks Recorder Ensemble has been going strong for nearly as long as the school has - 29 years! It began as a collaborative program between the Winchester Seniors Association and WCMS in 1987. Rehearsals were held at the Jenks Senior Center until 1998, when WCMS moved into its new building at 407 Highland Avenue. The group has had three directors: Jennifer (Barron) Southcott, Terry Myers, and Roy Sansom. Longtime ensemble member Elizabeth Patullo, whose generous bequest is supporting our new video project, is seated third from the right in the above photo (c.1994, click to see a larger version in our photo gallery).

The ensemble is tuition-free for participants, being fully subsidized by a grant from the John and Mary Murphy Foundation. While the group is open to any adult learner, most members are retirees and some play with the ensemble until they are well into their 90s.