Thank you for the great rehearsal on Monday night. I feel we made some great progress in many areas.

Mackey – The composer loves to write melodies which weave throughout the instrumentation. We need to strive to hear and follow these lines, then balance counter-lines and accompaniment accordingly.

“Funny Girl” – We are starting to sound like a pit orchestra, and that’s the goal. We need to continue to work on listening skills to develop a better feeling of pulse and swing.

Avshalomov – This pieces has so many contrasts, not just programmically, but musically and technically as well. One movement is very straight forward, and the next has some extreme demands. Stay ahead of the curve as we rehearse two movements each week.

Whitacre – This is an extremely demanding piece on this program. The challenges require us to portray an apparition, a mechanical one at that. So precision in interpreting the parts is paramount. Please practice this part with goal-driven precision.

Marquez – I was extremely happy with the change of style that we accomplished, especially in the opening section of this piece. I’m sure many of you have an image of what this piece portrays. For me, I imagine myself riding in one of the cruise boats on the San Antonio Riverwalk. With each change of tempo, I imagine a different bar or restaurant with new music, at every turn in the river. I’m sure you’re envisioning your own scenario. Our goal should be to help our listeners create their own imagined journey. Thanks for the great progress, especially in the first section of the piece.

I’ve updated the Rehearsal This Week Page. Please take a look, and energize your practice for next Monday!