Welcome to the Recorders and Early Music Union (REMU) home page.

Based in Wellington, New Zealand, REMU organises and supports recorder playing and teaching. It grew out of The Early Music Union and continues to promote the authentic performance of Classical and older music. Authentic performance is the use of instruments (or faithful copies) from the composers's time and culture.

REMU's annual programme includes six or seven meetings on Saturday afternoons and a residential workshop. Three of REMUs meetings each year are soirees. They are opportunities for consorts and players to perform pieces they have prepared for a supportive audience of REMU members. Other REMU meetings are Big Blows where everybody plays together in one large orchestra that includes great bass and contrabass recorders.

Our residential weekend event - Strathean - is three days of workshops and playing music in a big house in a beautiful rural setting near Te Horo. Participants may live-in but are also welcome to attend part-time. As well as recorders, a harpsichord is used for Baroque and early music. The 2025 event will be from Friday 3rd October 2025 to Sunday 5th October. Strathean will be led by Simon Borutzki. Simon is the conductor of the Berlin Blockenflöten Orchester, and is a well known performer. Registration will open later in 2025.

REMU is fortunate to be supported by a number of internationally recognised recorder experts, three of whom live in Wellington.

Our 2025 program of events are now online at 2025 Program. Also, check out our Newsletters for more details on past and upcoming events, plus lots of information about early music in New Zealand.

Society of Recorder Players New Zealand (SRPNZ)

SRPNZ is not currently meeting and has no programme of activities. It has a committee which may be contacted through REMU: remu.org.nz@gmail.com Based in Auckland and with branches in the northern half of the North Island, for example Hamilton and Whangarei, SRPNZ encouraged recorder playing, holding meetings, workshops, schools and concerts from 1954 to recent years.

The Barbara McEwen Memorial Library (1700 pieces of music for recorder, collected by SRPNZ) is available for borrowing. See our Library page for details on how to borrow.

REMU will support recorder playing and early music performance throughout New Zealand with newsletters and circulating information such as relevant concerts. Email remu.org.nz@gmail.com to join our mailing list.