San Diego County Recorder Society

10/01/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the Community Room at University City United Church,
2877 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.

Guest Conductor
Our guest conductor for the month is STEPHEN STURK, D.M.A. He was born Oct. 2, 1950 in Chicago. He is a nationally recognized composer of church music with works available from four publishers. “Sacred Music of STEPHEN STURK: Coast to Coast” is a double CD available on many platforms, including iTunes and CD Baby.

From 2000 to 2016 he served as composer-in-residence at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in San Diego, where his music has been a staple of the repertoire for decades.

Stephen began his conducting career at age 1. After a 16-year professional career in New York City, he relocated to San Diego in 1991. His first encounter with members of the San Diego County Recorder Society was more than 30 years ago, when he mounted a production of Benjamin Britten’s “Noye’s Fludde” in 1995. The recorders were enlisted to play in at least six other productions over the years. Stephen has been a frequent conductor for the Recorder Society’s monthly sessions.

Dr. Sturk was educated at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois (B.A. in Classics), and received the M.A. in music history and literature from San Diego State University, where his specialty was music of the California Missions. He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) degree in choral conducting from North Dakota State University.

Bring your own music to the meeting, as well as your own music stand. NO EXTRA COPIES OF MUSIC OR EXTRA STANDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT UCUC. Plenty of parking is available in the UCUC parking lot as well as on adjacent streets. Walk through the parking lot to enter the Community Room where SDCRS will meet.

If you are interested in joining us, let us know and we can send you the music when it's available.

09/02/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the Community Room at University City United Church,
2877 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.

GUEST CONDUCTOR
Our guest conductor for the month is Cathe Sobke. She holds degrees in music composition and music theory, and was introduced to early music during graduate studies. Recently retired from teaching at Southwestern College, she continues to teach privately and enjoys performing in many early music groups including The Goliards, Courtly Noyse, Kensington Baroque Orchestra, Lonato, The Granada Consort, and Musica Nova Antiqua.

Bring your own music to the meeting, as well as your own music stand. NO EXTRA COPIES OF MUSIC OR EXTRA STANDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT UCUC. Plenty of parking is available in the UCUC parking lot as well as on adjacent streets. Walk through the parking lot to enter the Community Room where SDCRS will meet.

NOTE: SDCRS will be using only the Community Room. Access to the bathrooms is just across the hall. Please do not enter any areas of the building other than the Community Room, hallway, and bathrooms. Doors to other rooms should be locked, but in the event one is left unlocked and anyone goes in, the security alarm will trigger.

If you are interested in joining us, let us know and we can send you the music when it's available.

08/17/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the Community Room at University City United Church,
2877 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.

Details to follow.

06/21/2026

At the monthly meeting of the San Diego Recorder Society directed by Ulla Sinz, the piece is Sueno Caribeno— Rumba by Gerald Schwertberger. Fun.

06/01/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the

***
Community Room at University City United Church,
2877 Governor Drive, San Diego, CA 92122.
***New meeting location for this meeting.***
Please park on the street and not in the parking lot.

We’ll be off for the summer and the next meetings will resume September 19.

GUEST CONDUCTOR
The guest conductor for June 20 is Ulla Sinz. Ulla Sinz was born and raised in Germany and began recorder studies at the age of 7 with Renate Stoltenberg at the Institute of Music Leverkusen (near Cologne). She performed with various recorder and mixed ensembles throughout Germany and won 3rd prize in the Young Musicians Competition (Jugend Musiziert). Ulla continued musical training at the University of the Virgin Islands in Applied Reeds. Since immigrating to the United States she maintains a semi-professional status as featured soloist as well as being a co-founder of various ensembles throughout the United States. In 2019 Ulla performed with Opera Neo in a production of Francesco Cavalli’s opera “La Calisto”. Ulla currently performs with San Diego based groups such as Dolce Dolores, Ensemble Lonato, The Goliards, and Kensington Baroque Orchestra.

Logistics:
BRING YOUR OWN MUSIC STAND AND YOUR OWN PRINTED COPY OF THE MUSIC TO BE PLAYED (OR YOUR E-READER WITH THE MUSIC). If you are interested in joining us, let us know and we can send you the music.

05/23/2026

https://youtu.be/uqu3aoCcaD4?si=NcYH5Ck0IpscbnQX

Do you want to sound professional, but you only have a basic $10 re...

05/17/2026

Name that tune. At the monthly meeting, May 2026.

05/03/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, May 16, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the Great Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103.

Our guest conductor for the month is Juan Carlos Acosta. He was appointed Director of Worship Ministry at The Village Church in April 2015. Since that time the Chancel Choir and Village Community Chorale have experienced remarkable growth under his leadership. Juan Carlos has led the choirs in critically acclaimed performances of the Brahms Requiem, the Saint-Säens Christmas Oratorio, Haydn Lord Nelson Mass and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, as well as their first international tour in June 2017. Mr. Acosta currently directs the Chancel Choir, Village Community Chorale, the Youth Choir and oversees the church concert series. Juan Carlos has been active as a church musician nearly all of his life and prior to coming to The Village Church he served as Director of Music Ministries at First United Methodist Church, Chula Vista, Pacific Beach Presbyterian Church and St. John’s Lutheran Church. Currently Juan Carlos is the Associate Artistic Director of the professional choir SACRA/PROFANA, and serves on the faculty of the University of San Diego where he directs the Concert Choir. Previous positions include Director of the Cuyamaca College Choir, Choral Director at the Chula Vista School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and Conductor with the San Diego Children’s Choir. Juan Carlos holds a Bachelor of Music Education and a Masters of Music in Choral Conducting from San Diego State University, and has done additional study with Charles Bruffy at the Westminster Conducting Institute, and Jon Washburn at the Vancouver Chamber Choir Conductor’s Symposium.

Here is part of an interview he gave several years ago to The Faces of San
Diego https://thefacesofsandiego.com/juan-carlos-acosta/
(click on link for entire interview):

I am a lifelong San Diego native, and have been involved in music more or less my whole life. I have taken advantage of just about every type of musical experience San Diego has to offer; from singing as a boy soprano at St. Paul’s Cathedral, to playing punk and ska at Soma, and just about everything in between. Currently I serve as the Artistic Director of SACRA/PROFANA a nationally recognized professional choir that specializes in contemporary choral music and supports our music education community through workshops, and a summer choral intensive. I am also the Director of Worship at the Village Community Presbyterian Church in Rancho Santa Fe, where I direct the Chancel Choir, the Village Community Chorale, Youth Choir, and oversee the two worship services. In addition to music, I love being outdoors; and have been an avid cyclist, hiker, surfer, rock climber and camper at various points in my life. Although family and work schedules are demanding, I try to carve out as much time as I can to be outdoors.

Logistics:
BRING YOUR OWN MUSIC STAND AND YOUR OWN PRINTED COPY OF THE MUSIC TO BE PLAYED (OR YOUR E-READER WITH THE MUSIC). If you are interested in joining us, let us know and we can send you the music.
*IMPORTANT FREE PARKING CHANGE:

St. Paul’s now offers SDCRS members free meeting parking in their overflow lot behind St. Paul’s Senior Services Corporate Office at 328 Maple St.
- Enter the parking lot from 3rd Avenue between Maple and Nutmeg Sts.
- Walk several blocks East on Nutmeg St. toward Balboa Park to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Free parking during meetings is no longer available for SDCRS members in the underground garage at 525 Olive St. Anyone who still wants to park there in Cathedral spaces must use the public QR code payment system ($10 for four hours). Metered street parking in the area is also available.

  I am a lifelong San Diego native, and have been involved in music more or less my whole life. I have taken advantage of just about every type of musical experience San Diego has...

04/04/2026

The next meeting for the San Diego County Recorder Society will be on Saturday, April 18, 2026, from 1:00 - 4:00pm in the Great Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, 2728 Sixth Ave, San Diego, CA 92103.

GUEST CONDUCTOR
Our guest conductor for the month is Cathe Sobke. She holds degrees in music composition and music theory, and was introduced to early music during graduate studies. Recently retired from teaching at Southwestern College, she continues to teach privately and enjoys performing in many early music groups including The Goliards, Courtly Noyse, Kensington Baroque Orchestra, Lonato, The Granada Consort, and Musica Nova Antiqua.

BRING YOUR OWN MUSIC STAND AND YOUR OWN PRINTED COPY OF THE MUSIC TO BE PLAYED (OR YOUR E-READER WITH THE MUSIC). If you are interested in joining us, let us know and we can send you the music.

*IMPORTANT FREE PARKING CHANGE:
The is no free parking on the streets around Balboa Park, and not in the underground parking garage. You can pay a fee for the parking.

However, St. Paul’s now offers SDCRS members free meeting parking in their overflow lot, behind St. Paul’s Senior Services Corporate Office at 328 Maple St. Enter the parking lot from 3rd Avenue between Maple and Nutmeg Streets. Walk several blocks East on Nutmeg St. toward Balboa Park to reach St. Paul’s Cathedral.