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william sterling

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Name	william sterling
Professional Title	Luthier
Professional Services	Luthier

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Welcome

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lutesocietyofamerica

Keeping the lute and its music alive!

Take a look at our new quarterly publication! We’v

Take a look at our new quarterly publication! We’ve got exciting interviews, unique early music and lute insights, and a special feature with Bor Zuljan dedicated to the orpharion—including a modern electric adaptation of the instrument.

If you’d like to read and download the quarterly journal, just follow the link to our website. If you aren't a member yet, we’d love to invite you to join today at a discount. Every membership directly supports our non-profit society, helping us maintain our scholarship programs, grants, and online resources, and supporting our mission to keep lute and early plucked instruments vibrant and accessible for everyone..

(Instagram followers can access the issue directly via the link in our bio.)

https://lutesocietyofamerica.org/publications/lsa-quarterly/

#quarterlyjournal #lutemusic #earlymusic #orpharion #laud #musicaantigua

Event announcement! Icarus, a New Opera November

Event announcement!

Icarus, a New Opera

November 8, 2026

Eddie T. Goins Recital Hall, Tennessee State University, Performing Arts Center.
Tennessee State University, The Big Blue Opera Initiatives, Early Music City, and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Lute Society of America are proud to present a new opera workshop on Nov. 8, 2026. Laudon Schuett’s Icarus is a short opera that combines the classic tale of Icarus’ fall with a modern family dealing with the ravages of schizophrenia. The work is based upon Laudon’s own family and was born of a sense of helplessness and hopelessness that so many families experience dealing with this disease. Like Icarus’ fall, the progression of the illness can feel inevitable. When medications and treatments don’t work, families are left feeling like there is nothing they can do. Mixing early music idioms, a Greek-style choir, and modern musical conventions, ICARUS tells a story to which we all know the ending, but in a new way.

To learn more about this and other upcoming events, visit our website: https://lutesocietyofamerica.org/events/.

Viewing on Instagram? Click the link in our bio to find the events section on our website!

#icarus #earlymusic #lute #opera

Over the weekend of September 26/27, our local cha

Over the weekend of September 26/27, our local chapter leader organized and managed a medieval music workshop and concert with the Santa Fe ensemble “Severall Friends,” consisting of Mark Rimple (lute and gittern), Mary Springfels, viola d’arco, Christa Patton, harp, and Sian Ricketts, recorders, douçaine, and voice. This event was presented through Capitol Early Music, and took place at Saint George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, Virginia. The workshop ran all day Saturday and the concert was on Sunday afternoon.

We had four mixed ensembles throughout the day on Saturday, each ensemble being coached in turn by the above performers. The four ensembles had at least one lute in each, plus a variety of other instruments such as harps, douçines, viols, Medieval flute, recorders etc. (This was typical of the medieval era.) The lutes doubled the other instruments on the tenor and contratenor lines of what was mostly three-part music by Guillaume de Machaut, Johannes Ciconia, and Guillaume Dufay.

Although not every lute player in the area was adventurous enough to try playing such unfamiliar music in a mixed ensemble setting, we did have a good enough turnout for the lutes to make an indispensable contribution in every class. One obstacle that we had to overcome was the dependence of more than a few amateur lute players on tablature as opposed to playing from modern scores. (Let alone early notation!) So we made tablature parts that permitted those lute players to fully participate. Early on it became clear that medieval lutes, with plectrums, played single lines rather than multi-voice parts as in Renaissance music, navigating often quite challenging rhythmic patterns.

- Michael Stover

We are thrilled to hear about this amazing chapter experience! We hope it encourages more lute and instrument players to join a local chapter. There might be one right near you!

Click the link to our website to find a list of available chapters across different states. (If you’re on Instagram, you can access the link via our bio)

#lute #earlymusic #communityevents #medievalmusic #renaissancemusic

Have you ever wondered if you can play Renaissance

Have you ever wondered if you can play Renaissance lute music on a guitar? Or perhaps you are in a city where the lute isn't common, but you still hear that lute call in your head? You are not alone—many of us started by simply changing the third-string tuning of a classical guitar and playing some Da Milano or some simple Bergamascas. Reading lute tablature can be easier than you think, especially if you already read modern guitar tablature!

We want to invite all our guitar players to give it a try! In the educational hub, we have a number of videos and learning materials to help you get started with lute music, even if you don't have a lute yet.

Check out our resources today, or share this post with a friend who is interested in playing lute music!

Image taken from Vicenzo Capriola Lute book, page 38 of the IMSLP digital version.

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