Update on article for CMSA Mandolin Journal

Lon, Dave Ingham, Ben Gieske, Jonathon Bredin and I had a lovely luncheon with founders Jack El-Hai and Phillip Rukavina.

In the who knew department:

• Phil is a past president of the Lute Society of America! He performs in the US and internationally.
• Jack El-Hai was friends with CMSA founder Norman Levine and was on the CMSA Board of Directors beginning in 1996. Jack is an author of many books.
• Dave's wife Linda (who, sadly, is no longer with us) was a founder.

Check Phil and Jack out online to learn more.

Speaking of the CMSA, Lou Chouinard is a past president and Lon continues the important role of readying the En Masse Orchestra music for conventions. If you were wondering where on earth Spagna came from and why we read through it.

This year's CMSA convention is again a virtual convention. If you want to dip your toe in the water but not have the travel/hotel expense, this is the convention for you! It runs Friday November 12th through Sunday November 14th. Several of us attended last year's convention -- the organization rallied and delivered an excellent experience, including a virtual En Masse Orchestra. Talk to anyone who's attended the CMSA, the En Masse is a peak experience. (Those of you who contributed to MMO's videos...you are more than qualified to contribute your playing to the virtual En Masse video.) You can find out more and register on the CMSA site.

Reasons to attend a CMSA convention:

• It's inspiring!
• The mandolin world is small and you can rub shoulders with amazing players no matter what your playing level.
• You can take your air mandolin playing to a whole new level in the En Masse Orchestra while also improving your non-air mandolin chops.
• You may get so inspired you might wake up at a workshop/performance some day in New York, Milwaukee, Italy or Japan. (This has happened to MMO members)

Reason to become a CMSA member:

• Convention discount
• Quarterly Mandolin Journal Subscription
• Access to Members Only content including past editions of the journal, the Nankano library and other treats (videos and recordings from past conventions)

You can find out more at their website: Classical Mandolin Society of America.