Happy New Year! January 2026 Meet Up

Hello, Piano Friends,

I hope that you've had a wonderful holiday season. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of 2025! It has been a wonderful year with this group, which has been growing steadily. It was also great to see some old and new friends at the Winter Showcase. It has been a pleasure to be your host and to curate this special space for fellow piano lovers.

Shockingly, I am already writing to notify you of our first MeetUp of the new year!! We will reconvene on Saturday, January 10, 2026 @ 2 p.m. We are back to our regular format, with a few tweaks: admission is $10 to cover the cost of our lovely facility and refreshments, 7-9 minute playing time, all levels and genres are welcome, no specific performance order, no need to share names of piece(s) beforehand.

Here are the tweaks:

1. (Near) Performance-ready pieces - What makes our group so special is that we give great leeway to hearing pieces that are not-quite-polished, as it takes several performances before they are refined. But as our group continues to grow, there is great demand for playing time. As such, you are welcome and even encouraged to play a newer piece slightly under tempo or play the same piece from a previous MeetUp for refinement. However, out of courtesy to your fellow performers, I ask that your piece(s) be reasonably playable. This means do not use this gathering to sight read new pieces that you've never played or barely practiced. Also, do not attempt to perform pieces that you can only at a very slow practice speed. I trust you to be discerning and considerate of your fellow performers.

Remember that we are meeting bimonthly, so if you aren't ready to play, fear not; you can play at the next one! I know this is a bit of a departure from my usual latitude, but with a group of such varying levels, there needs to be some accommodation made so that we maintain a space accessible and enjoyable for everyone.

2. Playing time - This is less of a tweak as much as it is a reminder to adhere to our 7-9 minute playing time as best as possible. While I will not pull out a giant cane and yank you off the stage if your piece runs over by 30-40 seconds, I will clear my throat very loudly if you are approaching minute 11. (The cane will come out after minute 11!)

*As a concession, I will notify attendees if our RSVPs are low for an upcoming event, so that they may have a few extra minutes to play if desired.

3. It's back - TIME, TIME, TIME! - Yes, we will reintroduce the coveted "extended time" slot. As people's repertoires grow, you may find it more difficult to stay within the 7-9 minute limit. As such, I will offer a longer, 12-minute slot per gathering. This will be first come, first served, but be sure to heed my warning from point 1.

Whew! Thank you for indulging me as I lay the foundation for our future gatherings. Again, I am so happy to see our group flourishing. Look forward to seeing you all next Saturday!

Audra