Ashley Allerton is the Branch Chairman and Secretary. If you would like any further information, please contact him by email () or phone (07725 093160).
Amanda Haste is our Musical Director. Some people locally may already know her from her work with u3a.
Amanda is an experienced musician who has tutored and led courses at all levels in Britain and France. She majored in performance and composition at Exeter University, and holds teaching and performance diplomas from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and from the London College of Music, as well as a PhD in musicology.
Amanda is primarily a flute and saxophone player, performer and teacher, and a comparative newcomer to the recorder world, but has been running the Sidmouth u3a Recorder Group since 2022 and enjoys exploring this new instrument and its repertoire. She is passionate about music of many genres, from medieval to rock, and her patience and friendly approach encourages our players to give of their best.
This is the programme for 2026 – 2027
We will not be meeting every month and not always on our usual second Saturday of the month because of clashes with rehearsal dates for Exeter Recorder Orchestra, and our venue being already booked for some of our desired dates.
Please see here for details of our Venue.
Half-day meetings will be from 10am to 1pm, with a break for coffee mid-morning.
Playing Days are from 10am to 4.30pm, with breaks mid-morning and mid-afternoon, and a break for lunch from 1pm – 1.45pm. We will serve tea and coffee during breaks, and maybe cake !
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Saturday 19th September 2026 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
Amanda Haste The AGM will be held during the coffee break. |
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Saturday 10th October 2026 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
Amanda Haste
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Saturday 21st November 2026 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
Amanda Haste
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Saturday 9th January 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH  |
Amanda Haste
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Saturday 13th February 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
VISITING CONDUCTER – Arwen Lewis Arwen has been a peripatetic music teacher for the last 26 years. Firstly teaching for 10 years in Buckinghamshire, both individual/ small group lessons as well as the music centre recorder ensembles and recorder scholars. Secondly working for the last 16 years in Devon & Somerset with various projects ranging from teaching whole class recorders and instrumental lessons for all ages, to conducting at the SRP National Festival (2026) and leading the ever popular Dulverton Adult Recorder Ensembles (Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced). Arwen performs locally, promoting the recorder on YouTube, during concerts arranged for her adult students and at local festivals and open mics, with both solo performances and in the duo “Sandpiper” with guitarist Jules Reason. Some of Arwen’s compositions for recorder can be found on Musescore.com under the account name ‘ArwenBethy’.
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Saturday 13th March 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH  |
Amanda Haste  |
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Saturday 10th April 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH  |
VISITING CONDUCTOR – Jennifer Mackerras
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Saturday 8th May 2027 Recorder Orchestra Playing Day: 10am – 4.30pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £20 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH
This event is likely to be popular, so please let us know if you will be coming. There isn’t any need to pay at this stage. Contact Lucy Marsland () |
Anna Stegmann Anna is a passionate performer and educator of early and contemporary recorder music. She is recorder professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she teaches an enthusiastic, selected group of next-generation recorder professionals. She is also a regular guest teacher at Wells Cathedral School and Jackdaws Music Educational Trust. Anna enjoys conducting and leading groups of all abilities and enjoys working with adult amateurs. In this capacity, she has led workshops, masterclasses, and conducted recorder groups for Recorder Courses Lyme, Airforce UK, Recorder Summer School, Easter Early Music School, LIFEM, Blokfluitdagen Mechelen, Orpheus Recorder Boutique and many more. Since 2013 she has co-organised ORDA, Open Recorder Days Amsterdam; a biennial recorder festival which has quickly grown into one of the biggest recorder events worldwide and brings together both amateurs and professionals, from all over the world. Anna has performed in concert halls from Europe to Australia and recorded several CDs with her own groups Ensemble Odyssee and The Royal Wind Music, as well as performing as guest soloist with La Risonanza, The New Dutch Academy, and others. In 2020 Anna established her own digital recital series, and so far has completed two seasons of recorder solo and chamber music. These professionally filmed music videos aim to make performances accessible to audiences that are unable to attend live concerts and to bring the listener closer to the performer than is possible in a conventional live-stream. |
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Saturday 12th June 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
Amanda Haste
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Saturday 10th July 2027 Morning only: 10am – 1pm Fee: Branch Members £5, Visitors £10 Venue: St James Church Hall, Mount Pleasant Rd, EXETER, EX4 7AH |
Branch Members conducting
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