A quick note. I've been working on the program, mostly via phone calls, PM's and e-mails, but it's assembling itself piecemeal as I figure out one bit at a time. (This is how it always works.)

And you guys are gaining on me!!! I'm catching up on this thread tonight, but am only up to August 20 as of this writing....

The program is a moving target, as Bill said. If I put up what I have so far, I won't have many of your wonderful suggestions incorporated into it and it will give a false impression that I'm ignoring them.

I am getting some wonderful stuff set up but it's just a beginning. There are two days of workshops, with three or four tracks running simultaneously from about 9:30 am to 6 pm with a break for lunch. So it's a lot of planning!

It is NEVER, repeat NEVER, finished by mid-September. What we have now is a very rough draft. The reason is that we don't pay performers; we take our talent from whoever shows up. I sometimes learn very late in the process that someone wonderful has gotten the weekend freed up and will be coming at the last minute. So -- I work them into the program if they're willing.

Okay, so this has gone beyond a quick note. (My posts always do, don't they?)

Here's some more thoughts on the program. It may be helpful to people who are volunteering to lead things.

The Getaway is large participatory. A "Workshop" may be a sing-around (every one in turn, all the way 'round the circle), a less structured song swap, a tutorial or "How-To," or a Workshop/Concert, where the leader(s) share some of their repertoire and also invite some participation from the floor.

We also have a few mini-concerts. They aren't all "performers" or "stars," either.

With so many people meeting each other for the first time this year, I may have a larger proportion of mini-concerts.

I try to balance the workshops in each time slot: different styles, instruments, traditions, etc. This helps minimize schedule conflicts for some people... Still there are bound to be conflicts. If there aren't, I haven't set up enough interesting stuff. I probably experience the most painful conflicts of anybody who attends; after all, I wouldn't set up a workshop if I didn't think it was worth going to! In the final week or so you'll all have a chance to identify the most painful conflicts and I'll iron out what I can.

There is so much talent to choose from that I often have more than one leader for workshops. This could get confusing as I post successive drafts of the program. In the early days, a workshop may be listed with only have one leader; then I may add a co-leader as the whole thing evolves.

It sometimes happens that you may not know your co-leader, especially if you've never been to a Getaway. If it's appropriate, I try to set it up so people can exchange e-mails ahead of time, etc. but many co-leaders meet for the first time at the Getaway and it always works out just fine as far as I know. (Tinker's workshop last year with Carly Gewirz on "women's work and wisdom" comes to mind...)

Well enough generalities for now. Back to my thread reading.

Rita Ferrara