Greetings all, According to our charter, a member of our guild may attain the rank of Guild Master/Mistress when the Guild as a whole deems that they have: a) Produced a substantial body of work demonstrating consistent quality, and b) Contributed to performance in the Kingdom by teaching, provoking, guiding, or otherwise facilitating performance opportunities. Mistress Gwen verch David, a journeyman guild member in good standing, has declared her belief that she has met these standards and has requested that the guild consider whether they agree. This nomination has been supported by the Honourable Lord Gillucan ua Tomaltaig, a member in good standing, and the question of mastery is therefore put to the guild. Members of the guild are asked to consider their knowledge of Gwen and her works, which are further described below. If any believe she has NOT met the standards of a Guild Master in our guild, please email performers.guild@lochac.sca.org with your reasons, so that they may be considered. If, by 31 January 2026, there are no emails opposing Gwen becoming a guild Mistress, I will conclude that her change of rank is supported by the guild, and it will be formally announced. If, by 31 January 2026, if I HAVE been contacted with reasons not to declare Gwen a guild Mistress at this time, I will make an additional call for positive commentary to judge balance of opinions in the guild. *Body of Work and Contributions* In support of her claim, Mistress Gwen verch David has listed the following body of work: - An extensive history of performance as a singer and storyteller, with performance skills as a solo singer most recently demonstrated with an hour long solo concert at Rowany Festival (on Youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ypJaL50pXQ) - Composition of more than twenty songs in folk, filk, and period styles, as well as numerous poems, some stories, and most recently, a puppet play. (See the 'bardic' category of her blog to browse past works: https://thelinkspages.wordpress.com/category/bardic) - In 2024, completion of a twelve-month composition challenge, with documentation provided for most pieces (eleven of twelve can be found on her blog: https://thelinkspages.wordpress.com/category/twelve-months-bardic-challenge/ ) She also reports the following contributions to encouraging performance in Lochac: - Supporting the Beowulf Project for Rowany Festival 2017, and coordinating the Gawain and the Green Knight Project for Rowany Festival 2018. - Coordinating or co-coordinating the Courtly Music Recital at Rowany Festival from 2017-2024. - Eight years of experience in teaching classes on lyric writing, storytelling, general performance skills, voice projection, and reading sheet music. - Supported revival of Performers Guild and redevelopment of charter and ranking system. - Created a new general SCA songbook, the Book of Gwen, and a supplementary adult songbook, After Dark (both downloadable at https://thelinkspages.wordpress.com/gwens-songbooks/) YIS, Provost Lady Jadwiga z Katowic