Thanks for a great rehearsal Monday. You always strengthen my heart and soul with the energy and joy you bring with you each week. The rehearsal schedule for Monday, October 7 is posted.

Instead of specific comments on each piece this week, I want to encourage you to think about the art of collective listening that is required to make our rehearsals successful. Do you have a vivid memory of your characteristic sound last Monday? Do you have a memory of your section sound, of the total ensemble sound — and your place within that whole? I want to invite you to come this week armed and be ready to listen with more detail and more energy.

This past Tuesday, I rehearsed the simple canon, Dona Nobis Pacem, with my little orchestra at Masters. I told them that we are going to memorize this piece and perform it with three soloists (in canon) followed by the rest of the ensemble continuing the canon. I invited soloists to audition in front of the ensemble by playing the canon from memory. It was amazing to observe the “hear a pindrop” atmosphere and collective consciousness which materialized when these students played one at a time. Suddenly, everyone was listening for every note, every pulse, every attack and release, every point of intonation. The act of collective listening was palpable.

Can we bring that level of listening collectively and energetically to our rehearsals? Let’s put the challenge before us.

See (and hear) you Monday!