I was sorry to have to miss the Lubbock convention; from all reports it maintained our usual high standard. My warmest good wishes and thanks to Lowry Riggins as he leaves the presidency, where he served with such dedication. And my congratulations to Sol Schoenbach on his election; the Society is fortunate to have one of the great double reed virtuosos of our time at its helm.
It is a pleasure to welcome Ron Klimko to our editorial staff. He is one of those rare people who combine great gifts as a performer with more scholarly skills. I am enjoying our collaboration already and hope that our work together will continue to upgrade the quality of our publications. I was sorry that Jerry Corey felt the need for some relief from the pressures of the editorial post; he is a close friend and I trust he will maintain an active involvement in the Society's work.
In line with Ron Klimko's recent article regarding "exchanges" of positions, I plan to write an article describing my 1980 tour of Australian cities, giving recitals and master classes. While this was not a formal exchange, Jiri Tancibudek, the doyen of the oboe in Australia, was about to visit the U.S. at the same time. He was immensely helpful in making so many arrangements for me and I tried to reciprocate. I shall describe all this in detail in a coming article.
The editors solicit your help in sharing your discoveries of repertoire, news of your performances, and reviews of recording and books. The publication exists to further "intercommunication" (from the masthead of "To the World's Bassoonists"). Ron and I are eager to hear from you.